Lodgings and Hotels

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Pg 24 More Big Hill Country 2009

Accommodations by Gordon Davies

https://chapscochrane.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Cochrane-Area-History.mp3

Mr. W.H. Elliot’s Hotel 

In 1886 Walter Elliot built a small hotel on the corner of First Avenue and First Street West and in 1892 it was enlarged by John Pedeprat. Mr. Elliot rented the Hotel to John Doyle who was in charge when it burned in 1896. 

Murphy Brothers Hotel (Alberta Hotel) 

In 1898, Joe and Jim Murphy built a Hotel on the site where Elliot’s hotel had been. The Murphy brothers operated their hotel until 1905 when they rented it out. W.J Simpson was operating the Hotel in 1909 and Mr. William Dean bought it in 1911, renaming it the Alberta Hotel. At various times the following people were operating the Hotel: Mr. H. Thomsen, 1920, Mr. H. Spears, 1923 and in 1924, at the end of prohibition, the proprietor applied for a beer license. Mr. J.W. Bishop operated the hotel in 1925 and J.W. Dickens in 1927 when the hotel burned down. 

Cochrane Hotel (Brick Hotel, Rockyview Hotel) 

In 1904, Mr. C.M. Burnham helped to build the Cochrane Hotel and managed it for a while. This Hotel was originally a clapboard building later to be covered in brick. In 1908, D. Alexander bought and ran the Hotel. In 1912 the hotel was managed by H. Moulu and then W. H. Tepley became the manager. In 1916, the Hotel was closed due to Prohibition and the assets were seized for non-payment of taxes. Mr. R.A. Webster

bought the hotel at this time from Mr. D. Alexander and set up the People’s Cash Store on the one side of the main floor, the site of the old saloon. Miss Ruth Webster also had a Tea Room in the Hotel. In 1921, Mr. Webster sold the Hotel to the United Farmer’s of Alberta but had to take it back in 1923. The Hotel reopened with the end of prohibition in 1924. Mr. Bailie, who was operating a bakery in the hotel moved it to the Fisher Block. From 1927 until 1936, the hotel owner was Mr. Dickinson and in 1937, Mr. Pruett took over the operation of the Hotel until 1946. In 1989, the Hotel was bought by John and Marlene Ursalak, restored, renamed the Rockyview Hotel, and is still operating today. 

Ben’s Cozy Cabins 

In 1910, Mr. B. Marchmont operated a Boarding House on Main Street where Graham’s Pharmacy Building is today (corner of 2nd Ave.) There is speculation that it originally was a shack built for the families of ranchers who stayed in town so that their children could attend school. It is also thought that it may be the building that housed Yee Lee’s Laundry. Mr. Marchmont later moved to the N.E. corner of First Avenue and Second Street West. It is possible that this was originally the Martin and Foley Store. According to the newspapers of the day, Mr. Marchmont was a wonderful cook and the lodgings were very comfortable. This house later belonged to the Longbotham family. 

Texaco Cabins 

In 1939, Mr. Graeme Broatch had about eight cabins built to the west of his Texaco Garage because the garage and the cabins were on the main highway from Calgary to Banff at the time and some tourists would stay in Cochrane overnight, particularly during Stampede week. After 1945, the cabins tended to become permanent lodgings for a number of people, particularly seismic crews. 

Cochrane Main Street 1957

Nelson’s Cabins (McLeod Cabins) 

In the 1940’s Mr. H. Nelson purchased the land and buildings which formerly housed the Murphy Livery Stable. A house and tourist cabins were built using some of the lumber from the livery stable. Other buildings were moved onto the site to be used as cabins and in the case of the Texaco, Cabins tended to be inhabited mostly on a permanent basis. Mr. J. McLeod later took over the property as well as selling real estate and insurance. 

Mrs. Steel 

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Steel bought a home from Mr. R.A.Webster on the N.E. corner of Second Avenue and Second Street West. She operated a Boarding House for many years with Mr. C. Pedeprat living there for over 30 years. After the death of Mrs. Steel, her daughter Peggy continued to operate the Boarding House until the 1970’s 

Miss Gillies Boarding House 

Miss Gillies also operated a Boarding house in her home. 

The Town I Like the Best by R. Tony Turner

(age 10) (written 1964) 

The town I like the best Is very, very small 

It sits below a hill That is very, very tall. 

The town I like the best Has a river flowing near. The river flows so swiftly It fills me full of fear. 

The town I like the best Has an old community hall Its not very big 

But you can sure have a ball. 

The town I like the best 

Has two different schools: 

One on the Hill and the other downtown And they keep so strict the rules. 

The town I like the best 

Gives me a sweetened touch 

The Big Hills above 

Hold Cochrane in its clutch.

History of Cochrane Businesses

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pg 23 More Big Hill Country 2009

With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) railway across this vast country of Canada, the location of many of the towns and cities of today were established. 

In the early years when the Rev’s John and George McDougall arrived at the location on which they decided to establish the Methodist mission, in 1875 there were few inhabitants in the Western part of Canada except the native Indian (sic) tribes. Morleyville was established and subsequently surveyed which brought settlers from the eastern parts of Canada. These people, many of them friends and associates of the McDougalls began farming and setting up places of their own to apply their skills and services to the Mission. Thus Morleyville became the stopping area for supplies and the centre for the Stony (sic) Indians and a few settlers in this part of the country. 

As the large leasehold ranches such as the Cochrane Ranche, were established in the early 1880s and the arrival of the railway more people and industry started up. Tom and Lady Adela Cochrane moved into the area east of Morleyville but on the south side of the Bow River in 1883. Tom proceeded to build a sawmill, a store, a hotel and other necessary buildings such as a saloon in a very vast and beautiful country. This area became known as Mitford, in Rupert’s Land and more people moved in.  

Although Fort Calgary was set up at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, due to distance and the mode of transportation was on foot, horseback, or team and wagon, the settlers only went as far as they could go in one day and get back home. Consequently, supplies were purchased or traded for many years at Morleyville or Mitford for the few families that were here at that time. Morleyville was a good service place for the settlers on the north side of the Bow River and Mitford serviced the settlers south of the Bow. Eventually Tom Cochrane built his toll bridge across the Bow and crossing the river became more popular. The train stopped daily in Mitford for a few years but due to the location of the townsite, it was deemed easier and safer to stop at Cochrane. 

Although the railway came through in 1883, it was seventeen years before Cochrane remained more than a siding. The CPR station was the first building in Cochrane siding located on the south side of the present tracks and just east of the Elevator. The Section house was built shortly after. The town of Mitford was abandoned and many of the businessmen moved to Cochrane. The breakup of the large land leases after 1900 brought many more people into the west country to homestead for very little money. 

Businesses started up as the needs of the people became known. The following is a history of many of the businesses that are part of the history of Cochrane. 

Our series on the businesses begins April 15th

The Morleyville Settlement

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by Jean L. Johnson Re-printed from Big Hill Country Pg 8 2009

The tract of land known as Morleyville Settlement lies along both sides of what is now 1A Highway, between the Ghost River on the east and the Stony (sic) Indian Reserve on the west. Its north boundary runs through the centre of Twp 26 Rge 6 W5M and extends one mile west of the range line. Before the official rectangular survey reached the area, Morleyville Settlement was laid out in long lots of different widths and acreages, all fronting on the Bow River. The Settlement was six miles wide and the lots, from west to east, were numbered 1A to 9, making ten in all. 

In 1865 the Rev. George McDougall visited the Stony Indians on the Bow River, and in 1873, he and his son, the Rev. John McDougall, established a mission there, first, up on the hill beside the Hudson’s Bay Post but shortly after, on the flats just north of the Bow. Another son, David, opened a trading post and began setting up a ranch. With the McDougalls came their wives and families, their assistants and workers. Thus, a small village had gathered around the Mission a year before the N.W.M.P. started West. In 1875 Andrew Sibbald and his family came from Ontario and a school was built with Andrew Sibbald both builder and teacher. The McDougall ranching operation predated the arrival of the Cochrane Ranche herds by almost a decade, for John and David brought with them from Fort Edmonton a band of fifty horses and cattle. The following year they bought one hundred head of cattle in Montana.

In the early days, letters came addressed: Millward Post Office, Morleyville, Northwest Territories. The Millward Post Office was in David McDougall’s Trading Post and the Millward Cemetery was close by, just west of Jacob Creek. The name came from that of the Rev. George Millward McDougall, just as the name “Morley” is found in that of Dr. William Morley Punshon, President of the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada. 

The McDougalls were the founders of the  Morleyville Settlement. Their long experience in the West, their creditable achievements and their boundless self-assurance inspired confidence in their relatives. and acquaintances. And so they were followed to Morleyville, not only by relatives, but by many from Cobourg, Ontario, where the McDougalls had attended college, and by people whom they met in Winnipeg on their trips to that town for supplies. Some of these took up land north of Morleyville Settlement although better land was available farther east. 

The McDougalls had great influence among the Indians. Their intrepidity and physical prowess impressed the Stoneys who admired anyone who could equal them in their own pursuits. The Rev. John McDougall was largely responsible for the formation of the Stony (sic) Reserve. All the Stony (sic) Indians hunted along the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains and the foothills, but each of the three bands once had its own territory when the hunt was over. The Chiniki Band was on the Bow River, the Bearspaw Band was on the upper reaches of the Highwood River and the Kichipwot or Jacob Band (Wesley) claimed the Kootenay Plains on the North Saskatchewan. John McDougall brought the three bands together at Morley.

Deep Dive

Cochrane Advocate April 1917 1924

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Gordon Davies has curated interesting articles from the Cochrane Advocate from April 1917 through 1924. Photos are from CHAPS’ archive.

April 5, 1917 

R.A. Webster has purchased the property known as the Cochrane Hotels (Rockyview Hotel). He will remodel the building, and the west half will be occupied by J. Baillie as a bakery and confectionery store. 

Seven years ago Tom Quigley introduced the village to its first motor car, and it was looked upon with curiosity and considerable suspicion. Things have changed during these years, and today the moderate priced car is no longer considered a luxury but a necessity on every ranch and farm. Tom is busy doing Ford missionary work, and reports three deliveries for this week. They are Geo. Raby & Son, Ben Henry and Alex McKay

Rockyview Hotel
Quigley Garage

April 19, 1917 

The road gang is doing the first work of the season on the hill east of town. 

In looking up the car owners in his territory south of the river the other day, Tom Quigley found that there were 29 cars in the Springbank and Jumping Pound districts. Of this surprising number 25 are Fords, which goes to show what the people in the south think of the Ford car and their service. 

Proposed Summer Schedule 

The following is the proposed new schedule of the C. P. R. timetable as it will affect Cochrane, and which will come into force on June 3rd at 24.01 a.m. The time may be changed a few minutes either way: 

 

Cochrane Train Station
  • Toronto-Vancouver Express 
  • Train No.3 arrives at Cochrane at about 18 o’clock. 
  • Train No. 4 arrives at about 12.25. 
  • Soo-Seattle Express 
  • Train No. 13 arrives in Cochrane at 6 a.m. 
  • Train No. 14 at 21:20. 
  • The Imperial Limited will not stop at Cochrane, and its time from g Calgary will be as follows: Going west at 2:40 a.m., and going east arrives at Calgary at 2:05 a.m. 
  • All eastbound trains are even-numbered and westbound are odd-numbered. 
  • The Calgary Glacier Daily will arrive in Cochrane at 8:20 a.m. going west, returning in the evening arriving back in Cochrane at 19:50. 
Collins Brickyard, Cochrane, AB

April 3, 1919 

Peter Collins is shipping five cars of brick this week. Mr. Collins anticipates starting his brick plant sometime during this season which will be quite a boon for Cochrane after five years of idleness. 

April 22, 1920 

The ashes are now being hauled and placed on the streets where required to alleviate the mud situation considerably, adding much to the pleasure of pedestrians and ease of vehicular traffic. 

April 22, 1920 

The weather has been somewhat cold, unsettled and stormy so far this week, with more snow. Looks like it will soon clear up and become warmer, at least all hope so. 

April 21, 1921 

Football, Baseball and Tennis 

Cochrane Football club appears to have a reasonable certainty of a successful season ahead. There is a fair sprinkling of talent in town and in the district which should shortly be augmented when the quarry and the brickyard are in full operation. Several enthusiasts around town are hoping soon to have a strong team lined up. It is time for the club to get together and start the season right. For this purpose it is suggested a meeting might be called and some schedule drawn 

There are rumors of a baseball team around town, but so far no definite steps towards organization have been taken. There are plenty of players in town but not enough turn our for practice. 

The tennis court over the track is being fixed up for the season. 

Men's Baseball 1946

April 21, 1921 

P. Collins was up from Calgary on Tuesday for the purpose of getting the brickyard west of town into full working order. It is opening up next week, employing 25 men and should help a great deal towards bringing a full measure of prosperity this year to Cochrane.,

April 6, 1922 

The bitter cold of the early part of last week has given place to brilliant sunshine and we feel confident that the long dreary winter has come to an end and spring is here at last. Evidence of this is not lacking when one observes the increase in business activity and farming operations in Cochrane and the surrounding district. 

April 20, 1922 

Another severe blizzard – one of the worst, in fact, that has been experienced here for many years, swept over this section of Alberta last Wednesday. Driven by a high wind from the northeast, the snow piled up into immense drifts, and many trails in the neighborhood of Cochrane are even yet quite impassable. While the snow, which was of the heavy, wet variety, has no doubt done considerable good in the southern part of the province, it is feared that losses among the stock in the range country will be very heavy, though, on account of the depth of the drifts, it is impossible to make any estimate at the present time. Lethbridge reports a total precipitation this month to date of 1.67 as against a 20-year average for April of only .84 inches. 

April 27, 1922 

To prophesy, or even suggest, what the weather may be for the next 24 hours would, at the time of going to press, be the greatest folly, so we will say nothing about it, except to mention that we have surely been treated to a great variety of the weather man’s wares, including a very general application of sleet, snow, occasional sunshine, mingled with cold spells, warm spells, and nearly every kind of spell but an epileptic fit. However, we cannot complain of lack of moisture, and with all this stored away in the soil, we should be off to a start such as we have not had for some time. 

April 3, 1924 

If you are thinking of cranking up the car and running into Calgary think again and take the train. The roads are almost impassable. 

April 24, 1924 

Over a foot of snow fell in the district on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. This is the second heavy fall this month and though the moisture is welcome, the snow is seriously delaying the commencement of farming operations all over this section of Alberta.

St. Mary’s has had an interesting history

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pg 45 A Peep into the Past Vol 1 1990 Belle and Gordon Hall

St. Mary’s Parish, Cochrane has had three churches in its history. The first built by Father Comire was erected in 1895. That building can now be found in reconstructed form as a small chapel on the grounds of Mount St. Francis Retreat House, Cochrane. The original first church was heated by an oil stove and its church bells were used on the second church where the library is now. The first marriage to take place in the first church was between George Phipps and Joanne McDonald in 1908 by Father Hermes O.M. They were the parents of Jack Phipps, a longtime resident of Cochrane. 

The first funeral was that of Mrs. M. McDonald, the grandmother of Jack Phipps and the first to be buried in the present Catholic cemetery. For many years Francis Leo Gainer and his daughter Sylvia were the organists of the church. F.L. Gainer was noted for his singing at various functions. 

The second church, which was the building that now houses the library, was opened on March 8, 1959 with Father Edwin Kueffler O.F.M. as the first pastor. At about the same time a new cathedral for the diocese of Calgary was built in Calgary and some of the stained glass windows of the old cathedral were removed to the second church. For a number of years, Mrs. Peggy Robertson was the organist of the second church. Its rectory was eventually removed after a number of skirmishes with trucks and kindred vehicles. It was moved to a lot northwest of Rebekah Hall and was occupied by Martin and Catherine Hansen for a number of years. It was torn down to make way for commercial buildings. 

The Oblate Fathers looked after the parish from 1895 to 1922, Father Hermes of the Oblates had the longest tenure as pastor from 1907 to 1922. Father Hermes was also an avid curler and the little black rocks that he used to use were at the curling rink for many years and it is a shame they were not preserved. 

The Diocesan priests cared for the parish from 1922 to 1940, only to have the Oblates return for the short period 1940-47. 

The Diocese looked after the parish again until 1949, then it was turned over to the care of Franciscan Fathers of the Retreat House up to 1970. For many years the priest from Cochrane would say mass once a month for the people of the Bottrel area, using the old Westbrook School. Father Lessard O.M.I. was the first and Monsignor Le Fort the last. In recent years the third church has been built on the hill overlooking Cochrane.

Deep Dive

Religion in Cochrane Area by Gordon Davies

Voice over by Gordon Davies

History of All Saints began in Mitford

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pg 44 A A Peep into the Past Vol.1 1990 Belle and Gordon Hall

The little white church among the tall evergreens is located on the corner of 2nd Ave. and 2nd St. N.W. Cochrane, opposite the town administration centre. It was originally built at Mitford by the Hon. Thomas and Lady Adela Cochrane in 1892 with wood from native trees. Stained glass windows, and financial help came from England, and the furnishings of the church from friends and relatives. The Hon. Thomas and Lady Adela Cochrane were an entirely different family of Cochrane’s than those who started the Cochrane Ranche, hence the name Cochrane. 

 

The Ranche Cochranes were from Quebec, where Matthew Henry Cochrane was a senator and a renowned cattle breeder. These Cochranes were here about 1881, whereas the Mitford Cochranes arrived about 10 years later, so on All Saints Day, Nov. 1 1892, the church at Mitford was consecrated to the glory of God and all saints by Bishop Cyprain Pinkham of Calgary. 

After about two years at Mitford, the business declined, mainly because the CPR didn’t like the spot, as it was hard to get their trains started because of the incline or steeper grade. Mitford became a ghost town, the Hon. Thomas and Lady Adela Cochrane returned to England and the little church was left alone. The vestry asked permission to move the church to Cochrane. Permission was given. The church was dragged across the flats, by 12 teams of horses with logs for rollers, until they came to the Big Hill Creek, which had to be crossed, and I understand it was quite a task getting it across. 

The Anglican church is depicted in an 1895 photograph along with the Catholic church which must have been built in the early 1890s also. In 1905 the church was put on a cement foundation and in 1914 electric lights were installed. I remember the old heater that was in the church. It was in the west end or front of the church. The chimney was in the east end or northeast corner, so it seemed the stovepipe, in sections of course, must have run about 40 feet. It was held up by baling wire in various spots. 

I was sentry of the vestry in the late 1940s and we raised enough money to reshingle the roof. This cost $600 and was done by Sydney Reed and Thomas Beattie. I remember Stanley Cope had shot two timber wolves and the bounty was $50 so he gave us the bounty money for shingles. In 1956 Cochrane became part of the parish of Exshaw and Canmore until the more recent time when we have a resident incumbent.

Deep Dive

Religion in Cochrane Area by Gordon Davies

Voiceover by Gordon Davies

Hats off to days gone by in Cochrane

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pg 36 A Peep into the Past Vol.1 1990 Belle and Gordon Hall

In the early days, a man was known for the hat he wore. When a man took his hat off 50 years ago, ranchers or outdoorsmen especially would be tanned a dark oak color except where the hat brim sat, then there would be a sharp contrast as the head, which was usually bald was snow white, never seeing the sun. Bachelors mostly never took their hats off, even in the house. 

Some ranchers and farmers wore the same old stetson hat for years and could tell who it was a great distance away by the hat. Then there were women’s hats. My mother had one which was black and decorated with ostrich feathers. The feathers were dyed in different colors. Mother had one purple and several black and white feathers. These were about two feet long and three or four inches wide. This conglomerate was held onto her head by hat pins. Mother had two or three hat pins, they were about eight inches long and sharp at the end. On the other end was a knob about the size of a marble. 

There was a one-eyed man in town who was supposed to have had his eye put out by a hat pin. He was supposed to have been looking through the keyhole in the door to a ladies’ boudoir, when she poked a hatpin through the keyhole and put out his eye. 

Most school kids wore toques, knitted mostly. We would pull them down in front and then up over the eyes, this gave better ear protection. Some of the storekeepers wore hats or caps at work, along with black arm socks or whatever they were called. When you met a lady on the street, the polite way to greet her was to tip your hat or if stopping to chat, take the hat off. Today there are very few hats worn except by older men and women. The trend has been to long hair and no headgear. 

In the days gone by it used to amuse me to see some farmers coming to town. Some would have a fur coat and a straw hat on or a fur hat and no coat at all. Boy Scouts had the Baden-Powell hat, also the Mounted Police. They looked real smart. This has gone out the window, at least for the scouts. The trend now seems to be the old ski cap types for men and boys, with some kind of logo on the front. 

Deep Dive

Cochrane AB Photo courtesy of Internet Archive

Postcards from the Past

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Doing some research to answer a recent question from a reader, we came across the Internet Archive site. It has some interesting postcards from the past.

Cattle on the Cochrane Ranch, Western Canada Photo courtesy Internet Archive

This postcard has been hand colorized as was often done on old photos.

Cochrane AB Photo courtesy of Internet Archive

The MacKay building center image.

Cochrane looking west. This photo taken after the construction of the Elevator.

Creamery Cochrane Internet Archive

I was not aware there was an earlier location of the Creamery. The location I was aware of was slightly west of the current Cochrane Historical Museum.

Mount St Francis Postcard Photo Courtesy Internet Archive

Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre

Meet me at the Cochrane Hotel Photo Courtesy of Internet Archive

A very popular meeting place since it was one of the first to allow Men and Women in the same area of the Bar.

Old Car provided Transportation, Adventure

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pg 26 A Peep into the Past Vol 1 Belle and Gordon Hall

The first motor car in the Cochrane area was a small steam car owned by the Cochrane Ranch, It was brought into Alberta in 1903 by W.F. (Billy) Cochrane, who at the time resided at High River. Joe Boston was the first to have a car in Grand Valley. In 1907 he bought a 1907 Maxwell two-cylinder touring car. 

1907 Maxwell RL Tourabout, photo courtesy Trombinoscar.com

When Joe came to a hill he turned the Maxwell around and backed up. The car was sold to Ken Cohoe for $10 in 1945 and it is now in the Stan Reynold’s Museum in Wetaskiwin. The Maxwell had a top speed of 10-15 miles per hour, but no power on the hills.

Unknown location

The Quigleys had the first garage in Cochrane and sold Ford cars. The garage was later made into a house, now being lived in by Mrs. Barbara Coutts. The Chapman Brothers built a garage here in 1918 and sold Chevrolet cars. Chas Grayson started the Imperial Oil Bulk station and delivered gas to the garages with a dray pulled by a big grey horse. Chas had a 100-gallon tank to haul the gas in. He could pull the tank off and on the dray as it was not very big. 

Chapmans Garage 1920s courtesy Glenbow Archives

Gas was dispensed by early service stations by pail. The gas in the pail was poured into a funnel covered by a chamois cloth or hide to catch dirt and water. Gas tanks on the Model T Fords were under the front seat. After removing the seat, gas was measured by dipping a stick into the tank. It was graduated in inches and by the depth of the gas it told how much gas you had left. Then came the gravity pumps for gas a glass bowl at a height of about six feet, with a handle that the attendent pumped gas into the bowl of the pump. Then it was gravity-fed into the gas tanks. Oil was kept in glass bottles with a spout and were filled from oil barrels. The weight of oil required was marked on the bottle. Then of course, canned oil came along. Now oil is in plastic containers. 

Car tires were a big item. Everyone carried a kit to fix tubes. A hot patch was required at first and most people carried a device the tube was patched and clamped to. Fired by alcohol, these devices were quite dangerous. Then came the cold patch which was much better. It was common to see someone on the side of the road patching his tires. 

Deep dive

2022 AGM Larry Want Bernice Klotz

2022 Presidents Message

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COCHRANE HISTORICAL & ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MARCH 12th, 2023  FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2022 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts, including threatening the future of ours and other small-town museums. These museums are full of history, passion, and unique artifacts, but they are in peril. One threat is that the digital world is making museums less relevant. When the museum posts pictures on line, there’s less need for people to go visit them in person. Our museum has some artifacts that can’t be transferred to the online world. And then the pandemic shut us down, CHAPS had the good fortune to have received a large bequest from the Lambert estate which has protected us from the “small town economic threat”. 

There seems to be a generational divide, regardless of the pandemic, where a lot of small local museums are run by older people. And the next generation doesn’t seem to be coming to take over. Volunteers have become more important than ever to keeping our small town Cochrane museum alive.The CHM is lucky to have extraordinary volunteers who help with everything, special events, setting up displays, cataloguing artifacts, researching and helping with administrative tasks. Thank you. 

There is a type of “beauty” in our small town Cochrane museum. It is like sharing family albums. Rather than each family storing memories in attics or barns and losing them to time, they bring their collective history to us. Nothing captures Cochranes small town character, soul and past like our CHM. From purchasing a membership to supporting our local history, to volunteering, discovering your own history through research or waiting and sharing our local history, if you care about or want to learn more about our shared history, you need to become a member today. 

Thank you, 

Larry Want 

President 

CHAPS

Become a Member

If you care about or want to learn more about our shared history, you need to become a member today.
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http://www.fortbenton.com/whoopup.html

Before the railway, supplies came from Fort Benton, Montana

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Before the railway, supplies came from Fort Benton, Montana. Fort Benton is on the Missouri River allowing steamboats to supply goods needed for the opening of the West.

Several of our articles have mentioned Fort Benton. The Wilson, Sibbald, and Kerfoot family articles all mention this important hub. (follow the link in Deep Dive below) Fort Benton was the source of the “Whoop-Up” Trail into Alberta and the Fort Walsh Trail into Saskatchewan. Click on the following map to expand.

Fort Benton Map to Cochrane
Fort Benton Map to Cochrane

Be sure to watch the Fort “Whoop Up” Orientation video in the link below.

Deep Dive

Calgary lumber came from Kananaskis

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pg 55 A Peep into the Past Vol. 1 Belle and Gordon Hall

At the turn of the century when Calgary was booming, its lumber had to come from somewhere. That somewhere happened to be Kananaskis Country. The logs were put in the Kananaskis River and floated down it to the river’s entry into the Bow where they went on down to Calgary. Here they were caught by a weir and went into the saws at the Eau Claire sawmills. The mills were located close to where Louise Bridge is now. 

In 1909 the Seebe Power Dam was built and this stopped the log flow from the Kananaskis as that river ran into the Bow above the Seebe Dam. Eau Claire then changed their logging to the Ghost River area. At Meadow Creek and Waiparus Creek there were small dams built to hold back water to form a small lake of about 1-2 acres. This was done in the fall of the year, so that when freeze up came, the loggers had a frozen pond on which to pile their logs. 

In the spring when the thaw came, they opened the dam and the ice melted and the logs went down the river. The Waiparus Creek drained into the main Ghost and down emptying into the Bow. When the logs had disappeared downstream, a clean-up crew followed them. These were known as log drive camps. The camp would consist of usually 10 men, with two teams of horses and a boat. Their job was to send logs down the river which had hung up com shore, often there were log jams on the small islands. Dynamite sometimes had to be used to blow these dams apart. The logs were all stamped with a metal stamp “EC”. These stamps were on a handle, so when they hit the end of a log, the stamp was embedded in the wood. Some claimed that if cut a Eau Clair log in half, you could still see the print of the stamp. This was meant to stop stealing of EC logs, I presume. 

Ghost Dam Glenbow UofC Archives

Then in 1929 the Ghost Dam was built and that put an end to the log drives, as the Ghost River ran into the Ghost Reservoir and there was no way to get logs over the dam. Another part of the past that is just memory. 

In 1937 when I was big game hunting northwest of Sundre in the James River area, we ran across an old wood dam across the James River. We also found the old bunkhouses and log cabins. Returning to Sundre, we inquired about the story from oldtimers. It seems the Great West Logging Company had built the camp and dam in 1916. They were following the plan of Eau Claire Co. to float the logs down the James to the Big Red River. I never did find out where their mill was situated. Anyway, the logs got away on them and the story was that all the farmers from Sundre east through Red Deer and Drumheller, all had new log barns. I saw one of the barns near Fish Lake, east of Drumheller, in later years. I took some pictures of the old dam and they were printed in the Sundre paper. 

Deep dive

Elizabeth Barrett Grave site Morley AB - Hamish-Kerfoot

Thanks to our Readers – Elizabeth Barrett Post

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One of our recent social media posts to celebrate Women’s History Month was on the contribution of Elizabeth Barrett to Alberta’s history. Several of our readers contributed very interesting comments on that post.

First, Hamish McNaughton Kerfoot contributed this photo of Barrett’s gravesite. Her grave is described very well in our story: Elizabeth Barrett: First Woman Teacher in Alberta

Elizabeth Barrett Grave site Morley AB - Hamish-Kerfoot
Elizabeth Barrett Grave site Morley AB - Hamish-Kerfoot

Then, a couple of our readers mentioned their time attending Elizabeth Barrett school here in Cochrane. They recalled a song they used to sing. Thanks to Christina Lewis and Sandy Mackenzie-Goodsell for the song tip.

Intrigued, I contacted Shelly Tuck at Elizabeth Barrett school. She kindly passed me along to Cathy Brown who supplied the words and tune. Hopefully, a performance version will come too.

Elizabeth Barrett School Song:

At Elizabeth Barrett School we think caring is cool

and peacemakers are here, everywhere.

We learn to talk it out, that’s what school’s all about

Trying to show we care….

And we do believe, 

we can achieve, 

our goals will all be met.

Working together in a safe and caring way is best

 

At Elizabeth Barrett, we’re part of this whole family

Where everyone works together, to be the best that they can be.

 

Elizabeth Barrett School song melody

CHAPS is grateful that people are reading about our rich history and care to add their memories. Be sure to come to our AGM Sunday. Memberships and Tickets to the fund raiser will be available.

CHAPS AGM

March 12, 2023 2:00 PM FCSS Basement Boardroom
209 2nd Ave West
Questions?
Bring a Friend

From the Cochrane Advocate March 1917-1924

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compiled by Gordon Davies

March 18, 1913 

There is an unusual amount of interest centered around the forthcoming Bachelor’s Ball. Coming as it does during the festive week of Easter, preparations are being made for the accommodation of 300 guests. Those young eligibles are going to break not only all records, but their thraldom of bachelorhood, and pass over into the Promised Land. 

Gophers are now plentiful. We would like to remind auto drivers of an act that a humane government has passed, to the effect that drivers must carry a pick and shovel on their cars in order to give a decent funeral to any gophers they may run over. 

March 16, 1922 

Several people appeared in court before Mr. C. Grayson, J.PP. last Saturday, charged with infringing the Automobile Act. We would advise our readers who have not already done so, to see about a new number plate “toot sweet”. 

March 23, 1922 

The first two automobiles of the season to make the trip from Calgary to Banff passed through Cochrane on Friday afternoon. On their return last Sunday, they reported the trail quite passable, the only trouble they experienced on the whole trip was on the reserve west of Cochrane. 

March 30, 1922 

Somebody got busy and moved back the calendar back a month or two last week, with the result that Cochrane and district, after a spell of real spring weather, had been experiencing a very unpleasant selection of icy winds and severe cold, and in addition quite a quantity of snow has fallen. Saturday in particular was one of the worst days that we have had this winter, and a cold wind from the north and east, with driving snow, made it particularly unpleasant. The cattle and horses on the ranges are, without doubt, the greatest sufferers, and with the supply of hay running short the ranchers are beginning to wonder how long this cold spell is due to last.

March 18, 1920 

Some Storm 

The bad blizzard Sunday one of, if not the worst of the year put Cochrane in darkness Sunday evening. It was not until three p.m. Tuesday that power was available. 

March 13, 1924 

Cochrane C.G.I.T. 

The four Be’s of the C.G.I.T. wish to thank the people of Cochrane for their splendid support in the recent sell-a-star campaign. 

The girls collected $29.00 being an average of 7.25 stars per member, which entitled them to a Gold Honor Certificate. The banner was won by Carsland, with an average of 9.31 stars per member, while the Cochrane C.G.I.T. stood second in the province. 

The result of this campaign has been a great encouragement to the girls and leaders. Again, we thank you. 

March 20, 1924 

The Banff Highway 

Discussing the recent rumor that the course of the Banff highway would be changed to the south side of the river, Mr. Alex Moore, MLA stated, a few days ago, 

that the government contemplated no such action. An engineer had been sent out from Edmonton recently, to examine the feasibility of the southern route, but his report was very decidedly against any change being made. 

According to Mr. Moore, the programme for the coming session includes improvement work on 48 miles of the present highway, with particular attention to Cochrane Hill. 

March 1, 1917 

There has been several motor loads of people going to the city this week to see the war pictures that are being shown there. 

The Red Cross Society is holding a work, apron, and handkerchief sale on Saturday, March 31st. at their rooms. Refreshments will be served. The Society will be very thankful for any contributions of work, aprons, or handkerchiefs, and all members are asked to give one or more.

March 1, 1917 

The uses for a Ford car are increasing, and anyone who happened to be curious enough to look into Mr. Webster’s woodyard could have seen his Ford car pulling the buzz-saw, and doing it easy. Thos. Quigley and Mr. Webster have perfected a power attachment for the Ford which appears to be away ahead of anything ever tried out before, and those who have any notion of using their car for power should investigate this new attachment. 

March 8, 1917 

The Banff lady curlers came down off Tuesday afternoon to play a game with a team of the local club, but when they arrived the ice was too soft for play so they returned home that evening without having played a game. We’re awfully sorry ladies, but even Cochranites can’t seem to control the weather.

Deep Dive

A.W. MacDonald 1831-1927

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by D.M. McDonald pg 324 Big Hill Country 1977

A.W. MacDonald was born in the northwestern highlands of Scotland in Invernesshire, a land as rugged as the inhabitants of this picturesque home of the clan MacDonald. Earning a living was either by being a gamekeeper, shepherd, or a crofter. A crofter was a tenant farmer of the large landowners who were either titled people or wealthy people called Lairds. 

 

MacDonald was an employee and also a crofter on land owned by a Laird MacDonnell. The Laird had dreams of a fortune to be made by trading with the Indians (sic) in far-off western Canada. He asked MacDonald to accompany him as an employee on this venture. In 1881 they sailed from Scotland for the United States where they sailed by riverboat up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, Montana. The Laird purchased four horses, a wagon, and all the goods and necessary articles they would need on their long journey on the trail to the banks of the Ghost River. They followed the route used by the I. G. Baker Company who were operating a trading post and supplying the N.W.M.P. in Calgary. 

After a journey of six months from the time they left Scotland, they arrived on the North Fork of the Ghost River north of Morley, Alberta. Here they built a trading post and spent the winter of 1881. In the spring of 1882, the Laird returned to Scotland and instructed MacDonald to meet him in Fort Benton in the spring of 1883 and to purchase more goods to trade. When MacDonald arrived in Fort Benton there was a 

Cochrane to Ft Benton

letter for him advising him the Laird was not going to return to Canada and that he was to keep all the Laird’s property as wages. It must have been quite a shock to a 53-year-old man, in a strange country, his family in far-off Scotland, with very little money and miles away from the Ghost River. He had no other choice but to return to Canada. To have embarked on such an undertaking in the first place at the age of 50 years, an age at which most of us think we have reached the twilight of our lives, speaks well of the courage of our ancestors. Starting an entirely new type of life in a far off land shows the true pioneering spirit of our forefathers. 

Upon his return to the Ghost River, he filed a homestead which he named Glenfinnan in remembrance of the birthplace of his wife in far-off Scotland. He worked hard, cutting hay which he sold to the construction crews that were building the C.P.R. He even hauled hay as far as Banff, no mean feat I would say. He raised a few cattle and by 1886 he had saved enough money to send for his family. 

Mrs. MacDonald was living on the banks of the loch near Arisaig, which is about 60 miles west of Fort William. She and her three daughters and three sons had to walk five miles around the loch where they had to be rowed out to the ship that was to take them to Canada. Their many friends and neighbours carried their belongings to the ship and wished them Godspeed on their journey. The children were, Margaret, age 20, later known as Maggie Robertson, wife of James Robertson; Jessie, age 19, later Mrs. Charlie Perry; Donald, age 18, later known as D.P. of the Mount Royal Ranch; Angus, age 14, who later homesteaded north of Cochrane; Alex, age 12, best known as Sandy and foreman of the last Cochrane Roundup, and Joanne, age 9, later Mrs. George Phipps. It must have been quite an experience looking after this brood on the long journey to Cochrane. Mr. MacDonald met them at Cochrane where they arrived on one of the first trains that were going to Vancouver. They arrived late in the evening and drove 20 miles to their new home. 

Mrs. MacDonald was born in 1836, and passed away in 1912. Shortly after her passing, and upon the death of his son-in-law, George Phipps, Mr. MacDonald sold the Glenfinnan to Doctor Muir. He and his daughter, Mrs. Joanne Phipps, and her two children, Agnes and Jack, moved to live with his son, Angus, who at that time was not married.

 In 1917 Mr. MacDonald purchased a house in the east end of the village of Cochrane where he, Mrs. Phipps and her two children lived until he passed away in his sleep on the 20th of February, 1927, at the age of 96. He had at no time in his life been ill and, till the very last, did not show any signs of being senile. 

It was men and women of the caliber of Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald that helped to develop this wonderful country of ours. It took a great deal of courage and faith in the future to bear the trials and tribulations that must have beset them. 

The last owner of the Glenfinnan was Hamish Begg. He sold the ranch to the Alberta Government who returned it to the Stoney Indians for road allowance rights on another part of the Morley Reserve. Truly a fitting end to the story of Mr. MacDonald. 

Deep Dive

The Reed Family

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by Audrey Brown and Dorothy Boothby
pg 265 Big Hill Country 1977

In 1922 our father, Sydney John Reed, decided to immigrate to Canada from Woolwich, Kent, England. This decision was brought about due to a bad case of rheumatism, and a change in climate was the recommended cure. Arrangements were soon made with his fiance, Lilian Goodwin, and Father headed for Cochrane in 1923. 

Cochrane was the place chosen because Lilian Goodwin’s sister, Dora Noland, and her husband, Lloyd, lived on a homestead there. Father was greeted by Dora, Lloyd, and their four children, Beverly, Algy, Gary, and Bernice. The homestead was a Soldier’s Settlement entitled to Lloyd for his service during World War One. The farm was on the banks of the Bow River, eight miles west of Cochrane. The land was rocky and barren and did not lend itself to being a productive farm. Father worked as a handyman on the farm, while Lloyd was away working as a Government Mange Inspector until Lilian arrived from England in 1924. 

Father and Mother were married in a small ceremony at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Calgary, with Mr. and Mrs. Bert Baker and the Minister in attendance. 

Father and Mother remained on the Noland’s farm for one year until their first daughter, Audrey, was born. Another daughter, Eileen, was born to the Nolands. Consequently, with this sudden population explosion, Father and Mother realized it was time to move on. They decided to move to the Wildcat Hills, quite a name for a young girl fresh out of London. Here, Father found work at the Brooks Sawmill. 

After a few years, Father and Mother could see that the three Brooks boys were growing up and would soon be able to manage the sawmill themselves. So, in 1927 they moved to the town of Cochrane where Father found work at the hotel, then owned by Jack Dickenson. He also took jobs during harvest time, pitching bundles. 

In 1929 another daughter, Dorothy, was born. Father and Mother purchased a lot up the street north of the hotel, and they started to build a  home. At this time the government organized labour camps in an effort to curb unemployment. This gave Father the opportunity to work as a timekeeper in Seebe and Sundre. 

By 1935 the depression years began to come to a close and Father became established as a butter maker in the Cochrane Creamery. He held this position until he transferred to Okotoks in 1953. 

The second World War led to a shortage in man power. This gave girls a chance to get into the working force. Audrey was now eighteen and she became one of the first women to take over a man’s job in the bank. The staff of the Royal Bank in Cochrane in 1943 was Arthur O’Keefe, Ida Cooke and Audrey Reed. 

Audrey on bike in front of house
Dorothy Boothby

In 1943 Father succeeded Andy Chapman as the Mayor of Cochrane. During his short term in office, he managed to get garbage collectors for the town, something which up until then had been taken care of by the individual resident. Father was also the Vicar’s Warden in All Saints Anglican Church for many years and Mother was organist for awhile. 

Audrey was married, in 1947, to Donald Edward Brown who lived seven miles northeast of Cochrane. After their marriage, they moved to Edmonton where Donald was attending University. Audrey and Donald have four children, Dawn, married, with a daughter, Erin, and living in Calgary, Janet, married and nursing in Vancouver, Reed a world traveler, and Craig attending the Alberta College of Art in Calgary. 

Audrey, Don Brown Dorothy Boothby

Dorothy worked for the Royal Bank in Cochrane from 1947 until transferred to Calgary in 1951. In 1957 Dorothy married Bill Boothby of Cochrane. They reside on a ranch north of Cochrane and have three sons, Mark, Laurie, and Dana. The boys attend school in Cochrane. 

In 1958 Father passed away while still actively working at the Creamery in Okotoks. After Father’s death, Mother moved to Calgary, where she remained until her death in 1963. 

Deep Dive

Cochrane’s Olympic Spirit

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Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics from February 13th to 27th. It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years.

How was Cochrane involved? We’ll we certainly displayed the Olympic Spirit. The Olympic Rings were displayed on Cochrane Hill and visible for kilometers.

Judging by the lack of snow on the hill, there was a valid concern for lack on snow on the venues.

Olympic Rings 1988 Cochrane Hill Google search by Dara-Lee Kirkland-Dallaire

The story behind the Olympic lights was told in a story by Jack Tennant which is now on Cochrane Today. You can read his story which was published in Cochrane This Week by using the link in Deep Dive below.

The International Olympic Committee took a very dim view of using the five rings above our town without their approval.

Jack Tennant Tweet

Sports have always been important in a small town from the early days until today. Even though Cochrane is certainly not small today.

Gordon Davies relates the story of sports in the early 1900’s in this audio.

Sports in early Cochrane

Deep Dive

The Ghost Dam

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by Katherine Gaskell pg 306 Big Hill Country 1977

 One day in the late 1920s two men stood on a high bank overlooking the junction of the Ghost and Bow Rivers. We have been told that one man said to the other, “Let’s build a dam here.” As these men were G. A. Gaherty and G. H. Thompson, both officials and engineers of Calgary Power Ltd., their suggestion was carried out and the Ghost Dam and Power Plant came into being. 

The peaceful site was soon a hive of activity with narrow gauge tracks being laid from borrow pits to the dam site, and small steam engines hauling gravel and clay to build the mile-long earth-filled dam. 

By 1929 one of the units of the plant was in operation, manned by personnel from Seebe. Arthur Postlethwaite was in charge while Warrender Robertson Sr., Bill Carle and Doug Lamont operated. John Guinn and Robert Allen were maintenance men and Dick Sandilands was the lineman who patrolled No. 12 line from the Ghost to Olds. He patrolled the line once a month, summer and winter, riding horseback. 

When the powerhouse was built the roof was sloped to shed water and an ornamental cement wall was built around three sides of the roof with vents for water run-off. In the fall of 1930, a high wind blew waves over the dam. The vents became plugged with gravel and the water not being able to run off, became so heavy the roof collapsed. Tons of water poured into the plant, pushing out a wall and nearly drowning Bill Carle and Doug Lamont; they had to swim for their lives and fortunately escaped with minor injuries. The generators were overhauled, the plant repaired and production resumed again before too long. 

Gordon Milligan was then put in charge and Fred Gaskell was his assistant. 

The small settlement known as “the camp” consisted of Gordon Milligan and his wife Mabel, Fred and Katherine Gaskell, Bill and Bessie Carle, Dick and Rose Sandilands, and Ken and Madge Miller. As the 1930s progressed, children were added to these families until there were nine little hopefuls. 

The single men were sternly but lovingly cared for by Mrs. Nisbet who was the staff housekeeper for seventeen years. The single boys came and went; among the longer residents were Tom Stanley, Harold Hurdle, Chris Ritchie, Kent Carruthers, Andrew Simpson, Bill Braisher, Bill Moore, Roy Boissoneault, Mal- colm Clarke and Dan Lobylynk. 

There were not many changes during the depression years but at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 some men enlisted and new ones were hired to take their places. Harry Coleman and Bill Hope joined the Company in 1941. Keith Cole and his wife Joyce, Tom Crowder, and his wife Marion were transferred from Seebe about this time and Gordon Milligan was transferred to Edmonton. Fred Gaskell was then in charge. With very few exceptions the above-mentioned are still with Calgary Power or have retired from the Company.

Deep Dive

One persons view on the importance of local history

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Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS) recently received a very moving thank you from Marilyn Downey for the work of the volunteers in producing Big Hill Country, More Big Hill Country, the operation of the Cochrane Historical Museum, and other projects. CHAPS’ goal is to save and educate about the history of Cochrane and area.

by Marilyn Downey

I received my copy of More Big Hill Country in August 2022. Thank you for checking with me.

 This gives me an opportunity to write and thank CHAPS for providing me with an immense amount of information regarding my heritage. My father was born in Cochrane to Thomas Quigley and Florence Quigley (Webb). My father’s grandparents were James Quigley and Annie Quigley (Lawson) and William Henry Webb (Henry Webb) and Mary Jane Webb (Elkin).

 In the ‘Big Hill Country’ and ‘More Big Hill Country’ books I have found many stories and references regarding my grandparents, great-grandparents, grandaunts, and granduncles. I really can’t read more than ten pages or so in either book without finding a story or reference regarding one of my ancestors. I have spent many enjoyable hours looking at all of the photos on CHAPS Facebook pages. Many of the photos and some comments have references to the Quigley or Webb family. I enjoy reading every post on CHAPS and learning about the early history and the growth of Cochrane. It is so wonderful to often see an ancestor’s name, a sentence, a story, or a photo in the books and email posts. For instance, the post from January 2023, titled, ‘2022 Top Stories Part 1’ includes three stories with Quigley and Webb family references. I was also pleasantly surprised with the most recent email sent January 25, with a photo of Thomas Quigley’s garage and an article about delivery of Ford cars. The next photo was of my grandfather, Thomas Quigley with my great grandparents, great granduncle and great grandaunt. This photo is better than my photo in the Big Hill book which has a print blemish on one of the faces.

I was able to visit Cochrane in 1956 and in 1998. In 1998 my mother, brother, my youngest son and I stayed 2 days in Cochrane. We were invited into the Anglican Church. We were shown some photos and the framed trowel that my great-grandmother used for the cornerstone. There was a church bazaar in progress and one of the ladies told us she remembered Annie Quigley. We visited MacKay’s Ice Cream and met our second cousin, Rhona MacKay. We saw Thomas and Florence Quigley’s home on 1st St where my father lived until the family moved to Vancouver in 1920. My memory of James and Annie Quigley’s farmhouse and its location was so vivid during my 1956 visit at age 9, that I was able to go directly to the location in 1998.

 I knew very little about my grandparent’s past. My grandfather died when I was 1 year old. I do have one nice short memory of him. I have great memories of my grandmother. My grandmother talked about day to day events. She didn’t like to talk about the past and told me very little, despite my questions!  My father had very few photos of his childhood and no family photos of life in Cochrane. One cousin that I lost contact with has some old photos. I don’t think many existed. One of my aunts sent me a photo of three of the Quigley children in the front yard of the Quigley house on 1st street. I need to send a copy of the photo, some stories, and documents that CHAPS may not have.

To give an example of how many times I find information about my ancestors from CHAPS posts and books, here is a small sample from the ‘2022 Top Stories Part 1’. Three of the five stories have information about my ancestors.

 Hall Story

 From this story, I learned that my brother’s passion and talent for music, and my father’s love of music came from not only the Quigley side of the family but also the Webb side of the family.

“There was often a box social at Cochrane Lakes or Weedon School. Gordon and Doris, along with Earl Speers and Harry Webb, formed an orchestra, ‘The Night Owls.’ When a collection was taken we would end up with perhaps fifty cents apiece, but we played for fun, not money.”

Harry Webb-my granduncle                                  

Anglican Church in Cochrane

 “About 1962, Mrs. Sara Robinson, who was living with her daughter Annie in Banff, invited a few older Cochraneites in for tea. I gleaned some interesting bits of the history of the church from this group.”  

Mrs. Sara Robinson (Quigley)-my grandaunt

 “The cornerstone was laid in October 1908, by Mrs. James Quigley, and the trowel she used was framed and hung by the door inside the church. While she was laying the cornerstone, Billie Wright dropped a coin under it just for fun. In 1934 Mrs. Quigley was given the honor of burning the church mortgage.” 

Mrs. James Quigley-my great grandmother

 “The earliest history of the Ladies’ Aid is scarce. Mrs. Sarah Robinson said, “I joined it before I was married, going to it with my mother” (Mrs. James Quigley). “I was married in 1902. Members she could recall were: Mrs. Adam Baptie, Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. McEwen, Mrs James Quigley and herself, Miss Sara Quigley.” 

 “The earliest superintendent the Quigleys could remember was Mrs. Morophy, the blacksmith’s wife. Incidentally, their blacksmith shop was located where Jimmie MacKay’s store now stands. Alex Quigley said, ‘Mrs. Morophy was so religious she would peel her potatoes, and do all the other work she could do on Saturday instead of on Sunday.’ ” 

Jimmie MacKay-my first cousin once removed.

Alex Quigley-my granduncle

William Robinson Family

 I love this story! It has so much information and insight about the families and the times my ancestors lived.

 The following section regarding the flu epidemic and my great-grandmother is a story that has the most impact and is very significant to my life!

 “I can recall the flu epidemic in 1918. Grandma Quigley was kept busy nursing all the ill members of her family. She went from house to house tending to them all.” 

Grandma Annie Quigley-my great grandmother

 One of those family members was my father. He was just 2 years old in early 1919 when he was struck by the epidemic and became critically ill. My parents told me many times of my father’s grandmother going from home to home nursing all the family and only because of her knowledge and nursing skills my father survived!

 “My mother, Sarah Quigley, was born in Westville, Nova Scotia, and came to Cochrane in 1885.

Dad was persuaded to stay at Cochrane and work at Uncle Tom Quigley’s sawmill, as a millwright. Mother was cooking at the mill and it was here that she met Dad.”

Sarah Quigley-my grandaunt, Tom Quigley-my grandfather

 “I was born in the old Quigley house at the east end of Cochrane (Barnharts live there now).”

Mr. and Mrs. James Quigley Heritage house-my great grandparents

 “Dad and the Chapman brothers built our house just across the road from Grandpa Quigley. Edna was born in the old Quigley house, and my brother Jim was born there too, but it had been made into a hospital by the time Jim was born. Jack was born in Grandpa’s little brick house (Sibbald house).” 

Grandpa Quigley-my great grandfather

 

“We have many happy memories of our parents’ parties, Quigley reunions and picnics at Big Hill Springs. One time I took the dance crowd home because it was too cold in the Orange Hall. Mother and Dad got up and made lunch for all of us. Our friends were always welcome at our house. Mother often spoke of the Cochrane races and the one thing that she recalled was the oranges and bananas. She said they looked forward to the races because that was the only time they could have such fruit.”

Although this letter is very long, my intention is to explain just how much I value and appreciate CHAPS and all of the volunteers that contribute to keeping the history of Cochrane alive!

 If there is an online research project, I would be happy to participate. I live in California, so, except for online research, I am unable to participate as a volunteer.

 I thought this photo is interesting with Charlie Webb, my granduncle and Johnny Boothby, most likely related to you.

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Beaupre Creek School

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by Dorothy M. Edge pg 292 Big Hill Country 1977

Before there was a school in the Beaupré district, children attended classes at the Grand Valley School. After that classes were held in the old Cooper house. 

In 1923 Dave McDougall and Billy Liddell requested a new central school be built in the Beaupré district. Although the school was built of lumber, a report in Edmonton dated November 24, 1924, stated that the Board of Utilities Commissioner authorized the official trustee of the Beaupré district, F. G. Buchanan of Calgary, to borrow $800 to build and equip a log schoolhouse. The treasurer of the new school was to be Walter Aris of Cochrane. 

The school was built on two acres of Crown land and was located on the west side of the Forestry road in the southeast corner of the SW14 29-26-5-5. The rest of Section 29 was under a grazing lease to the Mount Royal Ranch. 

The school opened in September 1925 and was named after Beaupré Creek, which was named after an early settler, Louis Beaupré. The Beaupré Creek School No. 4182 was not officially formed until 1938. This small, one-roomed school had a cloakroom on the west side. Each desk had a drawer underneath the seating portion. The school was heated by a cast iron heater at the back of the room. On cold days the children would huddle around the heater, and often warmed cocoa on it. There was no well at the school so children had to bring their own water or drink from the bog – sometimes they went without! 

At first, there was no stable at the school and the children’s ponies were tied to fence posts or in the trees, even in the cold weather. In 1929 Jack and Ted Poynter built a barn out of old boards. 

The first teacher was Deborah Pashak from Calgary. She had attended the Sacred Heart Convent with Peggy Edge. Other early teachers were Miss Jean MacKenzie and Miss Reid. Miss Pond finished the term for Miss Reid. 

The fourth teacher was Vernon McNamee of Cochrane, who commuted from Cochrane. He is now retired and lives in Armstrong, British Columbia. 

Miss Erswell was the next teacher. She became ill and Miss Tillie Zuccolo taught during her absence. 

The next year, S. F. Weller taught until Hallowe’en. He is now employed in the oil business and lives in Edmonton. 

Miss Doris Ambler, a former student, was the next teacher. She taught over thirty students in classes from one to twelve. One day some of her students decided to play hooky and rode to the top of Irwin Hill where they proceeded to eat their lunch. Chappy Clarkson saw them and sent them back to school. 

Starting in the fall of 1935 Jessie Dobson from Exshaw taught for four years. She was an excellent artist and one Christmas she gave each student’s mother a watercolor painting. Miss Dobson now lives in Ontario. 

The 1939 and 1940 terms were taught by Doris Camden of Cochrane. She wanted a piano for the school so Clem Edge bought Maud King’s old piano for $75.00, and Harry Coleman and Fred Gaskell hauled it from Harold Callaway’s in one of the Calgary Power trucks. Doris held dances at the school until she could pay Clem for the piano. 

The school, like most one-room schools, had little protection from the east winds so it was decided to move it one-half mile east, on the opposite side of the Forestry road, to the southeast corner of the SE14 29-26-5-5, near a grove of trees. 

In 1941, when Clem Edge was trustee, he, Harry Brooks and Archie Kerfoot with the help of others, moved the school with their tractors. This was no easy task. The school was pulled off the foundation and moved on log rollers. At one point a front wheel was broken off a tractor. Once the school was in place, Jack Stevenson was hired to repair the school and build a teacherage. 

The first teacher to teach at the new location was Hazelfern Larsen, who lived in a Department of Highways bunk car until the teacherage was finished. When it was too cold in the school, lessons were taught in the bunk car. 

In the early 1940s Church services were held in the school by Mrs. Estelle Poynter who brought student missionaries from the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute to conduct the services. Hymns were sung to guitar accompaniment. Later, services were held by Lucy Kerfoot. 

Joyce Evans from Rosebud taught the 1943 and 1944 terms. Joyce started a school paper, the “Beaupré Bugle.’ 

Mrs. Ruth Coleman taught the 1945-46 term. She and her husband Lloyd lived on the ranch owned by Lloyd’s father, Bill Coleman. This ranch is now owned by Ken Paget. 

Miss Wilson taught from September 1946, to Christmas 1947, and LaVerne Green finished the term. 

Marion Wallace, from Brushy Ridge, taught the next two terms. She boarded at Clem Edge’s and rode horseback to school. She married Ken Jensen and they live at Carstairs, Alberta. 

In December 1950, the Morley School District No. 172 was added to the Beaupré district, but in 1954 they were again separated. 

Irene Medding taught for three years. She also boarded at Edge’s. Everyone looked forward to attending her Christmas concerts because they were so well presented. 

Mrs. Ann Robertson, from the Ghost Dam, taught from September 1952, to April 1953, then Martha Krasowski finished the term. 

Mrs. Fern Smith taught the next terms. While she was teaching, the Home and School Associa- tion was formed with Harry Coleman, president, and Amy Begg, secretary. 

Doreen Stead taught the 1955-56 term and lived in the teacherage. Doreen liked riding and 

kept her saddle horse in the schoolyard. She and Vivienne Ullery did a lot of pleasure riding on weekends. One of their favourite places to ride was to the “Lone Tree Lake” located on Jim Ker- foot’s property east of Bud Ullery’s. 

Fred O’Brien from Calgary taught for a few years. He taught the pupils how to mold objects from clay. The kiln was the cookstove oven in the teacherage. Every Friday afternoon he made use of a radio program to teach music lessons. When Mr. O’Brien was ill, Sunni Turner, from Lochend, was the substitute teacher. 

Over the years the open-air arena, Beaupré Lake, (locally known as Jew’s lake sic) served as the skating rink. It was Ed Pears’ job to clear the snow off the ice. Many 4-H hockey games were played here. Baseball and softball were the main summer activities. 

In 1958 the Dry Creek School was purchased and moved in from Balzac by York Shaw Building Movers. Part of the roof was moved separately. The old Beaupré Creek School then became the teacherage, and the existing teacherage was bought by Don Edge. Frank Edge used it for a bunkhouse at his place at Bottrel. 

The new school was only used for four years. In 1962 the school was closed as there were only seven students attending: Rick Coleman, Bobby Brooks, Linda Poynter, Isabelle Robertson, David, and Marsha McGillis, and Clay Eyma. The teachers during the last four years were: Fred O’Brien; Mrs. Minnion; and Mrs. Ruddy, who was from Crossfield. The school trustees over the years were Pierre Eyma, Jack Poynter and Frank Wills. 

Henri Anderson drove the children from the Ghost Dam to classes at Beaupré Creek for several years and later Harry Coleman drove them. Harry said, “I drove the Dam kids to school in the Dam truck every damn day for twenty-one years.” Harry was master of ceremonies at the Christmas concerts for just as many years. 

After the school closed Pierre Eyma negotiated to purchase the school and property to establish a community centre. However, upon making inquiries he found that the school, which had been moved twenty-one years hence, had, due to an oversight, been moved without the actual transfer of the land title taking place, and, to make a long story short, a land swap took place. The buildings and contents were purchased for $650.00 and the clear title was turned over to the newly-formed Beaupré Community Association in 1964. Petrofina Canada Ltd. donated the posts and wire to fence the new area, comprising 2.72 acres. 

The teacherage had been rented as a dwelling during the two-year interim and it was joined onto the hall to serve as the kitchen. Martin Aarsby moved the teacherage to the hall. Vern Lambert did the carpenter work. Mr. Zell did the electrical work. Johnny Powell did the necessary excavating. More renovations were made in 1975 when Charlie McDonald, Eric Hansen, and others in the neighborhood constructed a new addition on the west side of the hall. During the renovations, Charlie found the old school bell in the attic. This old bell is rung at social functions to get everyone’s attention when any announcements need to be made. 

The old Beaupré Creek School has proven to be a great asset as a community hall and is very much appreciated and enjoyed by all.

Louis Beaupre and the Beaupre District

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by Dorothy M. Edge pg 290 Big Hill Country 1977

In the 1880s Louis Beaupré, an early French- Canadian settler, and his Metis wife, Euphrasine, nee L’Hirondelle, who was born at Lac Ste. Anne, N.W.T., in 1851, lived beside a creek northwest of Cochrane, which now bears his name. Although the Homestead Act was passed in 1872, this part of the great North West was not yet surveyed when Louis Beaupré settled on a property that was eventually surveyed to be the NW14 28-26-5-5. To legalize their land tenure, squatters were to pay a fee of $1.00 to the Government of Canada in order to become eligible to homestead the land. Many squatters didn’t bother paying the dollar and no fuss was made. The Beaupré applied for script in Calgary in 1885. 

A small, primitive log cabin, approximately 14 feet by 16 feet, was their home. It was very sturdy and quite well built, with dovetail corners. The ceiling was open-beam and the logs used for ceiling and floor joists were all hand-hewn. The door was on the south side and the windows were low. During the 1940s Clem Edge used the cabin as a granary. Later Clem used two of the hand-hewn ceiling logs as sills under a hayrack. Norman and Shirley Edge’s ranch house is now located on the site. 

According to Frank White’s diary, Louis cut and sold logs to the Cochrane Ranching Company and helped out at branding time in 1883. 

It is known that the Beauprés had at least two children. A son Augustin was born in St. Albert, North West Territories, on May 1, 1869. A daughter, Marguerite, was born May 4, 1882, and was baptized May 20, 1882, in Calgary by Father Emil Legal. In the Catholic Archives in Calgary, it states that Louis Beaupré and his wife witnessed the baptism of John Joseph McDonald who was born November 22, 1880, and Louis signed as the Godfather in very neat handwriting. 

French-Canadians having Metis wives had good relations with the local Indians (sic), with whom they could easily identify and probably acted as interpreters on occasions. 

The early McDougalls (missionaries) knew Louis Beaupré and his wife, and the Beauprés traded at the Morley Trading Post. 

The following is an excerpt from Frank White’s diary: May 29, 1883 – “Closed with Louis Beaupré for his farm and improvements for $1,000.00, and cattle at $35.00 per head.” George Creighton later homesteaded the land and received his Patent in June 1899. This location then became the first headquarters for the Bar C. Ranch. It is not known where the Beauprés went, but Louis, born in Canada in 1825, came to St. Albert from Montana, where he had married Eurphrasine in 1865 when she was fourteen years of age. They farmed at St. Albert in 1879. 

Frank White’s diary, on November 8, 1883, mentions Beaupré along with other names such as Bayne, McVittie, Bleeker, and McLaughlin, all of whom were connected with mining claims at Silver City, which was the name given to the Castle Mountain mining camp. 

An old cast-iron waffle iron with iron handles was found not far from the cabin site and it is believed that it was the property of Louis Beaupré because it has the “Fleur de Lis” insignia inside rather than the usual waffle design. 

The French name “Beaupré” means nice meadow. Beaupré Creek rises in the Stimson Valley, runs on down through the southeast cor- ner of the school section, 29-26-5-5, and is a tributary of the Bow River. It has provided a good habitat for beaver and some oldtimers have said that there were fish in the creek at one time. Hundreds of old buffalo skulls have been found along this creek, and many arrowheads have been found on the flat in Section 21-26-5-5, where it is said that the Indians (sic) used to camp in the early days. 

The big hill to the northwest of the old Beaupré cabin site is called Irwin Hill, after a homesteader, and the next big hill in the same northwest direction is called Beaupré Hill, which actually begins nearer the origin of Beaupré Creek. This hill, north to south, starts in Section 7 and is in Section 6-27-5-5, and is heavily timbered. It has two main peaks or knolls to it. It was officially named in June 1930. In 1973 the boundary of Beaupré Hill was extended southward into Section 31-26-5-5 to include the Geodetic Survey Point on the highest part of the southern end of the hill. However, this southern end of the hill is called Hardy Hill by local residents, after Hardy MacDonald. There is a microwave tower and two gas wells on Beaupré Hill. 

There is a resemblance of a canyon between Irwin Hill and Beaupré Hill and it is called Jackass Canyon. When the C.P.R. railway was under construction in 1883, many mules were wintered here because of the natural springs. Once a recommendation was made to call it “Mule Canyon” instead of Jackass Canyon because a mule wasn’t a Jackass. The reply was: “Well, one of them was!” The colorful name Jackass Canyon was the one officially adopted. There is one gas well in this canyon. 

To the east of Irwin and Beaupré Hills across Stimson Valley and Perry Valley, there is another range of hills. They were named the “Wildcat Hills” by Wilhemina Bell-Irving in 1885. This range of hills starts in 23-26-5-5 and continues up through Sections 9 and 16 in a northwesterly direction and are in the appearance of high ridges from the west view. The highest ridge is about 5000 feet above sea level and it is referred to as the Big Ridge. The old established name “Wildcat Hills” was officially approved in 1939. Mrs. Bell-Irving named them the Wildcat Hills because there were wildcats and wolves in the hills and rocks along the ridge.

Perry Valley is a narrow valley extending northwesterly along the western base of the Wildcat Hills, and was named after Charlie Perry who homesteaded there before the section lines were established. After the survey, Mr. Perry’s house was right on the east-west road allowance and was located near natural springs. These springs are known as “Perry Springs.” 

A book, “Place-Names in Alberta,” published by the King’s Printer in 1928, describes “Dream Hill” as being the big hill directly north of the junction of the Ghost and the Bow Rivers. Looking north from the confluence one can see that the highest of the Spencer Hills is the one described. “Dream Hill” appears on Captain Palliser’s survey map of 1860. 

The “Spencer Hills” and “Spencer Creek” were named after Mr. Spencer, an early settler. These names were applied in 1897 by A. H. Whitcher, who was the Secretary of the Geographical Board of Canada. These names became official in 1939. Spencer Hills are located in Sections 26, 35 and 36-26-5-5. 

Centennial Audio Files

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by Gordon Davies

Gordon has converted some old articles to audio. We’re pretty excited about it and will be adding them to our posts whenever applicable. We think that an explanation will do a lot to encourage understanding. Here’s an example.

Deep Dive

2022 Top Stories Part 2 – 5 to 1

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Here is part 2 of our 2022 Top Stories as chosen by your readership count.

Click on the photo to go to the original story.

5. Robert and Kathleen Beynon Family

Robert George Beynon “Bob” was the third child of Sophie and Jack Beynon, both Welsh immigrants. He was born March 17, 1926, in the big brick house at the east and of town. Alistair Moore and his wife Dolly lived there for many years.

4. Wallace Family

In August of 2005, the Wallace family celebrated the 100th anniversary of the farm started by grandparents, Sarah and William Wallace. Our grandparents were among those flocking to the west to prove up on homesteads: the population of Alberta (then the Northwest Territories) quintupled from 1900 to 1910. 

3. Elizabeth Barrett: First Woman Teacher in Alberta

Hundreds upon hundreds of Blackfoot lodges spread through the valley, and the preparation of meat, tanning of hides, the singing and the feasting went on, uninterrupted. On the hillsides, 15,000 or more horses of the Blackfoot grazed untethered. The fully-armed Indians were resplendent in smoke-tanned war shirts trimmed with ermine or fringes of otter and fox. Intricate beadwork adorned their moccasins and headdresses. Thick shields of buffalo hide were as gaily painted as their teepees in the valley.

2. Hawkwood Family

At this time (1949) the Foothills Rural Electrification Association was formed. Bill McNeill was President, Ernie Vickie Secretary-Treasurer, Bill Osler and Tom were directors. After many discussions and decisions, the Calgary Power Company brought power to the district. The farmers dug the holes for the poles to speed up the progress. In September 1950 the “lights came on”. Everything from milking machines to washing machines were some of our new acquisitions.

1. Richard and Sophia Copithorne

Richard was a man who liked horses and when the First World War broke out there were about three hundred Clydesdale horses on the ranch. A horse in those days never had a rope on him until he was four years old. A hurry-up call for horses for the cavalry made a considerable lot of work. It was often marveled at how these wild horses tamed down when taken off their home range and put in a military camp. 

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What’s new in Cochrane February 1917 and 1924

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From the Cochrane Advocate by Gordon Davies

February 1, 1917 – Cochrane Advocate 

Another carload of six Ford touring cars arrived this week for Thos. Quigley, the local dealer. 

February 8. 1917 – Cochrane Advocate 

The local Odd-Fellows Lodge are holding their annual ball of the evening of February 16th. The net proceeds will be equally divided between the Red Cross and Patriotic Funds. Everybody welcome. 

The Girls’ Athletic Club will hold a Masquerade Dance in the Odd-Fellows Hall on the evening of Friday, February 9th. Admission 50c. Proceeds go to the Red Cross. Mrs. A. L. Lewis, who now resides in England, has kindly donated the sum of $25 to help with this dance. 

COMMENT 

There is a job waiting in this town for a Sherlock Holmes. Some person or persons at present unknown is putting out poison rather extragevently(sic) and the dogs around town are picking it up. If the person is ever found out he will have to face some very angry ex-owners. 

Recruits Wanted for R.N.W.M. Police 

Wanted men for service in the R. N.W. M. Police. Applications for engagement must be accompanied by at least two certificates of good character from responsible parties. 

Minimum height 5 ft. 8 in., minimum chest measurement 35 in., maximum weight 175 lbs. 

ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE BRITISH SUBJECTS 

Medical examination and transportation expenses paid if the applicant is accepted. 

Married men engaging for service in the R. N. W. M. Police may draw a separation allowance of $20.00 per month. 

Terms of enlistment may be as follows: In the case of married men, one year. Single men, one or three years at the option of the applicant. 

Recruits are wanted for Special War Work in the Province of Alberta. 

For further information apply to 

Const. A. F. C. Watts, R. N. W. M. P., Cochrane

Quigley Garage
Mr Mrs Harry Webb Mr Mrs Charlie Webb Tom Quigley
Mr Mrs Harry Webb Mr Mrs Charlie Webb Tom Quigley

February 7th, 1924 

Commencing on Monday, Feb. 11th., the Cochrane School will start at 09’clock n the morning instead of 9:30 as has been the rule this winter. As new classes will be begun on Monday morning, young children who are to commence school should start on that day. 

February 14, 1924 

After a spell of the mildest weather ever experienced in this part of the country during the month of February, a change took place yesterday morning. A light snowfall which continued practically all day, developed last night into a real storm which kept up until late this afternoon. There is now nearly a foot of snow all over this district. 

Banff Highway 

Considerable discussion is taking place in Cochrane at the present time with regard to a rumor that the Provincial Government is being asked to consider the advisability of changing the course of the Calgary-Banff highway from its present position, to the south side of the Bow River. The plan put forward, apparently is to continue the existing road through Springbank and Jumping Pound to cross the river at Morley. In a recent issue of the Morning Albertan, the sponsors of this new plan endeavored to show the advantages of this new route, among which were mentioned, avoidance of hills, shorter distance, more thickly settled country, and scenic advantages. 

Runaway in Cochrane 

A team belonging to Mr. Geo. Kirkland took flight in the C.P.R. yard this afternoon and stampeded across the tracks onto First Street, where they collided with a telephone pole in front of the Drug Store. The hay rack to which they were harnessed was badly wrecked and the telephone pole was smashed completely off. The harness broke on the impact with the pole and the team continued their hasty journey out of town without any further damage.

Country jail NWMP Morley 1883
Odd Fellows Hall ad from the Cochrane Advocate
Odd Fellows Hall ad from the Cochrane Advocate

Deep Dive

  1. RNWMP

2022 Top Stories Part 1 – 10 to 6

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We’re pleased to count down our top ten stories of 2022 chosen by your readership count.  Here are numbers 10 through 6.

Click on the photo to go to the original article.

10. Hall Story

They lived at first in what is now East Calgary, near where the stockyards are located. The police barracks were nearby, and when they arose one morning the scaffold could be seen, where a criminal had been hanged in the early morning hours. 

9. Don and Dorothy Edge - Bar 50 Ranch

While playing a few practice chukkers with Will Rogers Junior at Will Rogers State Park in the Pacific Palisades, California, Don observed the rustic fireplace in the late Will Rogers’s ranch house and patterned ours after it. 

8. History of St. Andrews Church

“Thomas Davies was superintendent and teacher about 1915. He wore his hair longish and it and his beard were white.” Vivian, a very young child then, thought God must look like Mr. Davies. He traveled in a buggy pulled by his buckskin pony.

7. Catholic Church in the Cochrane Area

In the summer of 1874, another great event was taking place; the North West Mounted Police were establishing themselves in the Northwest Territories. Having assisted at the annual retreat in St. Albert, Father Scollen, in company with Father Bonald and Louis Dazé, arrived back at the Elbow River Mission on November 2, 1874. Father Bonald was put in charge of the Mission, while the others organized a hunting party to get provisions for the winter. During this hunting trip, Louis Dazé was frozen to death in a snowstorm on November 22, 1874. 

6. William Robinson Family

I can recall the flu epidemic in 1918. Grandma Quigley was kept busy nursing all the ill members of her family. She went from house to house tending to them all.

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