C.W. Fisher

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by Marjorie Spicer Big Hill Country Pg 228 

Charles Wellington (C. W.) Fisher was born near London, Ontario, in 1871. His parents came to Canada from Perthshire, Scotland. At the age of 28 years, Charles came west to the Cochrane area. 

In 1899 Charles purchased the Merino Ranch and a large amount of business property in Cochrane. He stocked his ranch with registered Shorthorn cattle and after tearing down the trading store owned by James Johnstone and Tom Quigley, he put up a large business block, known as the Fisher Block. The building had a store, hardware, meat market, business offices, doctors’ offices, and in later years the Union Bank, the telephone office and the office of the Cochrane Advocate. Besides all these businesses a room was reserved as Liberal Campaign headquarters. 

After putting up the business block Charles sold the Merino ranch to A. McPherson. 

In 1905 Charles entered the political field. Alberta had been declared a province and a cabinet was being formed. Charles, who was a strong Liberal and had a lot of Liberal supporters in Cochrane and the surrounding area, decided to run as a representative for the Cochrane area. He won it, and in 1906 became the first Speaker of the House and remained as such until 1919. 

Soon after his election to parliament, Charles married Miss Marjorie Powell, niece of Mrs. Fred Carling. Charles purchased land north of 

the village including the “Big Hill” and he made plans to build a large stone house for his bride. Stonemasons were brought over from England to cut the stone and help build the house. When the family moved into the house, maids were hired to run the household and cooks were brought over from England. 

The Fishers lived lavishly, did a great deal of entertaining, and one of the highlights of the season was a wolf hunt each fall. There were never any wolves captured as far as anyone can recall. 

The children had their own pony to drive, a carriage was imported from New York for the children to ride in, and a special barn was built to house the pony and the carriage. The children used to drive to Cochrane School with their pony and carriage. 

Mrs. Fisher and her family moved to Victoria in 1917. She found life in Cochrane too lonesome while her husband was in Edmonton. Charles died in 1919 as a result of an attack of the flu. Mrs. Fisher never did return to Cochrane to live. The large house and the land were operated by Mr. Fisher’s half-brother, Tom, for a number of years. 

Charles Fisher and his wife had five children, three boys and two girls. 

The Fisher home and the land were sold around 1932 to Mr. Tweddle and in the 1940s it was sold to Harry and Jack McConachie. They made several improvements to the house and the grounds, and in the late 1940s they sold it to the Franciscan Order, and it is now known as the Mount St. Francis Retreat. 

Cochrane fought many battles to remain on Map

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from A Peep into the Past by Gordon and Belle Hall Vol. 1 pg 59

In 1895 Cochrane could boast of its first church, built by members of the Roman Catholic faith, to be followed by an Anglican church moved from deserted Mitford in 1899 and the establishment of a Presbyterian Church in 1927. In 1898 Jim and Joe Murphy built a new house known as the Murphy House. It became a famous landmark and stood where Bowridge Motors Garage is. It burned down in 1927. 

Then in 1901, C.W. Fisher established Cochrane’s first implement business. The following year a Mrs. R. Smith started a maternity hospital in her house and it was operated for a short time by Dr. Toronto. The same year the first brick kiln was in Cochrane by Pete Collins. An unorganized hamlet until 1903, Cochrane was incorporated that year. Old records show $ 100 was spent on streets in 1904 and at the same time the salary of the overseer was set at $15 per year. The overseer’s salary took a major rise to $25 in 1905 when the village enjoyed a minor boom with the building of a second hotel, a livery stable and the establishment of a medical practice by Dr. A.W. Parks. The year 1908 saw a smallpox epidemic strike, and it was necessary to establish a quarantine camp near the Bow River where patients were housed in tents with wooden floors. Guards had to be hired to keep relatives away and when the epidemic subsided – after 25 residents had been stricken – it took the village two years to pay back the money borrowed to operate the camp. 

In 1908 Duncan Shelley opened the Shelly Quarry which supplied the sandstone for some of Calgary’s early buildings and it remained in operation until 1914. In March 1909 Cochrane gained in stature when J. Mewhot started a weekly paper called the Cochrane Advocate. The paper had 16 editors over a span of 14 years before it finally folded. Most of the editors were also the owners and nearly all went bankrupt. The same year the paper was started, the village formed a fire department. Robert Hewett was appointed fire chief, also a village constable at a salary of $5 dollars a year plus fee. Property for a fire hall and council chambers was acquired for $150 and the building for $429. 

In 1910 the Union Bank opened a branch in Cochrane. The Royal Bank absorbed the Union Bank in 1925 and continues today. In the same year 1910, Dr. Park became house physician of a small hospital. In 1911 the first garage which could accommodate four cars was built, a creamery association was formed and a small sawmill started. The 1911 census showed a population of 395 and more or less stayed that way until 1941. By 1914 the industrial expansion based on bricks, coal, sandstone and timber had ended and the First World War struck Cochrane a crippling blow when many of its citizens enlisted. It was many years before the village recovered, in fact, not until after the Second World War. 

 

Cochrane Historic Events from anniversary calendar
Population of Cochrane from CHAPS Pamphlet

Wearmouth Family

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Dennis and Maida Wearmouth Family By Dennis Wearmouth 

I was born April 14th, 1933, the 6th child of Tom and Anne Wearmouth. The only way I went to school was on horseback, sometimes double with my sister Shirley and brother Bill. The school was Glendale, a 3-mile ride. When I was 15 years old, I left school to stay home and helped milk cows and farm with my Dad, brother Dick and sister Winnie. In 1954 Dick and I bought the E Sec 35 Twp 26 Range 3 W5M from Bob and Mabel Turner. We paid $16,000. and had 3 years to pay for it. In 1957 I bought Dick out. I moved up there from home, fixed up the barn and Dad gave me 15 cows and 200 lbs. of quota and I started milking cows. Maida and I were married on February 22, 1958. We built a loafing barn in 1962. In 1964 we built a modern 1200 sq. ft. home for $15,000. We bought the NW Sec 12 Twp 26 Range 3 W5M for $19,000.00 from Bus Kline on borrowed money from the Farm Credit at 6% interest. The milk cows were sold in 1979 and we‘ve had a small cow-calf operation since. We used a team of horses for chores etc. until 1966. Our first trees were planted on our land in 1965. 

Maida Cope was born in Bonnyville, Alberta on September 6th, 1936. She moved to the Munson district with her parents Homer and Doreen Cope. There she attended Morning Glory School for grade one, to Munson School by bus till grade nine and to Drumheller High School. She moved to Calgary in 1953 and worked as a secretary until February 1958 when she married Dennis. We have three children: Mary Gail was born January 21, 1959, and attended Westbrook School and Cochrane High School. She was employed as a legal secretary until her marriage to Scott Edgelow. They have one daughter, Alison. Gail and Scott were divorced in 2000 and Gail now lives in Calgary. 

Wanda Margaret was born December 14, 1960, and attended Westbrook School and Cochrane High School, later graduating from Delmar Beauty School. Wanda married Kevin Larsen from Standard, Alberta in July of 1984. They have four children: Cassie, Tyrel, Orin and Kane. Wanda owns and operates a barbershop in Roblin, Manitoba and she and Kevin presently own a lovely ranch in Shell Valley, Manitoba. 

Tom Dennis was born on April 1, 1965, and attended Westbrook School and Cochrane High School. He married Jana George from Redvers, Saskatchewan in 1992. They have three children: Dawson, Deja and Dione. Tom has a son Dylan who was born in June 1989. Jana is employed as a nurse part-time at the Children’s Hospital in Calgary. Tom owns an oil well-servicing company. They live in the area near Dennis and Maida. 

Memories of the Wearmouths  by T.R. (Dick) Wearmouth in 2006 at age 91 years 

My parents came from England. Mother, Annie Standring, along with her brother John and sisters Betty and Maggie, came as youngsters, with their parents, Richard and Mary Ann (Polly) Standring in 1902. They came by ship from Bury, Lancashire and spent some time in Montreal before coming to Calgary. Richard and his brother Joe, both homesteaded on Lochend Road. 

Dad, Tom Wearmouth, came from County Durham in March 1906. He was 30 years old. He homesteaded on SW Sec 2 Twp 26 R3 W5M. For ten dollars, a person was given a quarter section (160 acres). If in three years, some land was broke, a residence built and you lived there, you obtained the title. That is how much of this area was settled. 

Dad worked at the Glenbow Quarry while proving his homestead. He started farming with a saddle horse, a cow, two pigs, some chickens and twenty-five cents. He knew a lot about horses and dogs. He was a hard worker. One year he used three horses to pull a twelve-inch walking plough. He ploughed 100 acres, for a neighbour, walking behind the plough, holding onto the two handles. It must have taken many days. 

Many years before, a huge fire had burned through the Glendale, Bearspaw and Westminster districts. It burned for months destroying trees and grass, even burning plant roots beneath the ground. This left raised areas, which would sink when run over. It was called the Burnt Ground. 

Tom Wearmouth and Annie Standring were married June 1913. They had seven children; Winnie, Dick, Hugh, Walter, Bill, Dennis and Shirley. 

They had a mixed farm, then started milking cows and shipping cream to Calgary. When the herd got larger, milk was shipped in eight-gallon cans. We shipped milk for over thirty years and always had the highest standard for grade and cleanliness. Norman Newsome hauled our milk for many years. 

Hugh and I milked the cows (by hand) and later Walter, Bill and Dennis. Later milking machines were used. It was a never-ending job, morning and evening every day. But it provided a cheque every two weeks. 

We attended Glendale School. It was one room, but later another room was added. 

When Winnie started school she had a small white horse called Snowball. Mother rode along with her for the first few days. It was 3 1/2 miles through the fields. I thought school was fun as we met other kids along the way. Fun! Not so in the cold of the winter. We wore heavy, warm clothes. There were anywhere from three to thirty students. There was a barn for horses. In the winter we took the bridles into the school to keep the bits warm. When Hugh and I were a little older, we would stand up on the horses, even when galloping. We rode bareback as our parents would not allow us to 

use saddles. Mother’s little sister, Dorothy, had been dragged when her foot caught in the stirrup. 

Winnie and I had finished school when one cold day a fire started in the basement of the school. Everyone got out. Hugh went back in and brought out his bridle and some coats. He gave the coats to some of the younger children and rode home, very cold 1 am sure. Another one-room Glendale School was built on Glendale Road and stayed open until the 1960s. 

Mother, besides looking after seven children, was very active. She loved the outdoors and loved riding and going to gymkhanas. She was an excellent horsewoman. She milked cows, churned butter, baked bread, had a large garden and picked berries. She sewed clothing, made quilts and made soap. This is all without modern conveniences. No electricity, running water or gas heating. Mother was also active in the community. The organizational meeting of the Glendale Women ‘s Institute was held at our house in May 1925. Some of the original members were Mother, Grandma Standring, Aunt Ellen Standring, Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Hanes, Mrs. W. Hutchison, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Woodson, Mrs. Cullings, and Mrs.Fenton. The Glendale Women’s Institute is still active today. My mother was a wonderful person and loved by so many. We lost her to cancer in 1937. This was a devastating blow to our family. We had to pick up the pieces and carry on.

I feel Dad was very fortunate to have a daughter like Winnie. She was in her early twenties and took on the responsibilities of seeing to the needs of her younger siblings. Dad was still in control but Winnie and I were there to help and support him. We enjoyed the part we played in their lives and have so many good memories.

My first job away from home was herding sheep for Sim Gillespie. I was about twelve years old. I rode my horse and used their dog. I boarded there and went home Saturday. The 500 sheep were in a section of land. I kept them together in the day and put them in a big corral in the evening. Then I milked a cow before the haymakers came home. I had to quit to go to school. I got a ten-dollar bill when I left. 

In 1926 Dad bought a Ford car. When I was sixteen I drove to a dance at the school. Later I met Vernon Jensen. He said I was driving pretty fast and that he could not keep up. I was going 40 miles per hour. 

In the early days, all hay was wild (prairie wool). It was cut with horse-drawn mowers with a six-foot cutting bar. A knife went back and forth over the guards. The knife was taken out often to sharpen. The hay was raked then a sweep was used. A team was at each end and the hay swept up to a stacker. Chains were lengthened and the teams went on each side of the stacker. The hay dropped down to make a stack. Later stationary balers were used, then balers pulled by a tractor and later some silage was made. 

One summer when Hugh and I were still school age, we helped hay at Hutchinsons of Big Hill Creek. Uncle John had three teams for mowing and stacking. Hugh and I helped stack hay and rode to Cochrane for parts. Mr. Hutchinson had a lot of land growing good prairie wool. In order to get a heavy crop, it was only cut every second year. He had three or four outfits haying. When we were done, we went home to harvest the oats. Then we started hauling hay home. We got it home before winter. 

It was difficult to get grain ground. We would sack the grain and take it to Tom Standrings, to be ground. Then we would fill the sacks and take it back home. Tom would clean the grinder, get some clean wheat, grind it and sell it for porridge. It was very good. 

One dry year feed was hard to get. A farmer about twelve miles north said he would sell a load of straw for $2.00. Hugh would leave early in the morning with a team and an extra horse hooked on the outside. He would get a big load, pay the two dollars and be home before dark. A real day’s work. 

Hugh and I broke horses. We would get three green horses from Rattray’s and break them. We would have one to sell (about $15.00) or to keep. Once I got a beautiful, spirited horse to break. It was over four years old. Hugh came and snubbed it to his saddle horn. I climbed on and around and around the field we went. It seemed to quiet down. A few days later after I had finished chores, I saddled up and headed out. I went to the highway and headed east and just kept going. The Calgary Stampede was on. I rode right through the downtown to the Rodeo Grounds. I talked to Gordon Dingwall for a while. Within an hour I was back on my horse and heading home. As soon as I was close to home, the horse began to buck. Guess he was happy to be home.

One year I got a job with Rawlinsons, fencing, looking after sheep, cows and horses. Just before Christmas, I went to Calgary to shop. With $10.00 in my pocket, I bought presents for the Rawlinsons and all of my family. This was 1936. 

One of the jobs I did was road dragging. That is what it was called. A heavy drag was pulled over the rough dirt road to smooth it. Others before me had used four horses and so did I. But it was slow going so I used six horses and speeded up the process. I was bounced around when there were rocks on the road. I did that job for many years. 

I used a horse-drawn binder to cut the grain. I never used a whip but I did keep a tin of small pebbles under the seat of the binder. If a horse needed waking, I tossed a pebble on his rump. My horses did not need much persuading to go. A feed of oats twice a day is the best waker-upper for a horse. 

Later in the 1940s and fifties, it was action with my siblings, Walter, Bill, Dennis and Shirley. There are lots of stories of those days but they can tell their own. 

Hugh left to marry Vernice Towers in the early 1940s. They ranched at Jumping Pound until Hugh passed away in 2005. Vernice resides in the Bethany Lodge. Walter married Kay Whitnack and they still reside on their farm near Cochrane. Bill was a house mover and demolition man. He resided in Calgary until passing away in 1997. 

Dennis married Maida Cope and they still reside on their farm on Lochend Road. Shirley was a nurse. She married Bob Thomas. They now reside on the homestead site. 

This story tells how things were in the early days. My mother had appendicitis. 

Dr. Park came and did the operation on the kitchen table. Dad asked him if he was nervous. The Doctor said,” I was very scared”. The Parks were very good friends of our family. 

My Dad had a brother, George Wearmouth. He was a very handyman. He lived at Spencer Creek, west of Cochrane for some time. Hugh and I would go there in the summer. He showed us how to fish. He also made dandelion wine. He was friends with the Morley Indians. Roland Gissing was also a good friend. Uncle George was an artist and Roland would give him advice. George moved to Vancouver to live with his sister, Ruth.

Tom Wearmouth was one of the first members of King Solomon Lodge No. 41, Cochrane, Alberta. It was formed in December 4, 1908. Dad received his fifty-year pin in 1959. In May 2004, my two brothers, Hugh and Walter and I (Dick) received our fifty-year pins at a presentation and banquet in Cochrane. Dad passed away in 1962 at age 87 years. 

Winnie and I were left on the farm. Winnie lived on the homestead until 1989 when she went to Big Hill Lodge. Later she was in the Bethany Care Centre. She passed away there in 1993. 

I needed more land for beef cattle. I started a herd of Horned Herefords. I bought and sold a ranch at Claresholm before getting a ranch near Sangudo. I moved there in I took my horses and cattle. I had two truckloads of machinery. There were 200 acres ready to seed. I did not have a lot of hay. There was lots of fencing and fixing corrals and barn. The house was in poor shape. Paul Balzer brought a skid shack in to make a house. Later when Pearl and I married, he built us a house. 

I met Pearl when she was working for a veterinarian in Sangudo. I was accused of having a lot of sick animals and needing a lot of vet supplies that year. We married in 1973 and moved to my Hard Struggle Ranch. My stepson Doug was a young boy then. We ranched and increased our herd and bought more land. I soon felt at home in this area and made a new life with Pearl, We have lots of good friends and have kept very busy over the years. We moved close to Rochford Bridge and Doug lived on the Ranch. He married Debbie. She teaches school but also helps run the ranch. Pearl and I now live in a Senior‘s complex in Barrhead. Wow!

Walter and Kathryn Wearmouth 

Kay and Walter were married in 1948. The wedding party was held at the Delacour Hall northwest of Calgary. We worked for George Clifford milking cows till May 1949. We then moved to the Bearspaw district and operated a dairy farm for Frank Newsome. Milk was put in eight-gallon milk cans, cooled in a water trough and shipped to the Union Milk Company in Calgary. Norman Newsome was hauling the milk in the area at that time. We stayed there for three years. While there our two daughters were born; Anne in 1949 and Marion in 1951. 

Frank and Mary Newsome lived across the road where Stan Church now lives. While there, electric power came to the area, simplifying such things as pumping water, running milking machines etc. We also got a fridge. Some of those winters we had a lot of snow and the traffic used the fields more than the roads sometimes driving between the house and the barn. Ernie Dickey, who farmed north of Bearspaw Road, ran a locally owned blower/snowplow. 

In 1952 we moved to the Westminster District to operate a dairy farm for Stan and Frances Vincent. We were there for three years. About that time a group of local men took up curling in Cochrane. Some of the weather we put up with just to go curling makes me wonder why (youth, I guess!) George Vincent was hauling our milk at this time. We were milking about 30 Holstein cows. 

On May 1, 1995, our dream came true. We had bought 320 acres N Sec 7 Twp 26 Range 3 W5M from Gus Cullings. With it we also bought milk cows, milk quota, saddle horse, tractor and machinery. We were about 3 1/2 miles NE of Cochrane and on our own! We were becoming involved in the community – Kay in 

the Glendale Women‘s Institute and Walt in the Bearspaw Lions Club. In September of that year, Anne started school at Bearspaw‘s one-room schoolhouse (total enrolment 24), going by a school bus driven by Cliff Gillespie. Her first teacher was Helen Scott, who had been Walter‘s grade five teacher as Helen Rowan. Marion started school in 1957, also at Bearspaw. We were milking about 30 cows and Harvey Hogarth hauled our milk. For a few years, we combined our efforts and machinery with Doug Master for haying. 

Close neighbours were the Lloyd Fenton family, the Joe Bowhays, the Henry Whitfields and Charlie Robinson. 

In 1958 we bought 430 acres from Ernie Thompson NW Sec 32 Twp 25 Range 3 W5M and part of S Sec 5 Twp 26 Range 3 W5M all south of Highway 1A. Bob and Shirley Thomas (Walter’s sister) operated the Culling farm and Kay and Walter milked about 45 cows on the Thompson place. Jack Beeby hauled our milk. We did our haying with our neighbour Jack Hawkwood. Close neighbours were the Norman Mackenzie family, the George Armstrongs, the George Washingtons, the Tim Bancrofts and the Neil Harvies. In 1962 the bulk tanks came into being for our milk, the milk trucks were tankers and pumped the milk from the farm tank into the truck tank. Our two sons were born, Roy in 1958 and Allan in 1962. 

In 1962 we moved back to the Culling Farm. In 1964 we sold the dairy herd and quota and gradually went into beef cattle and have been ever since. In 1964 we built a Quonset and in 1965 we built a new house, 1300 sq. ft. for $15,000.00. Thanks to the Farm Improvement Loan at 5% it has been our home ever since. 

In those years we were busy farming, raising four children, involved in 4-H, baseball, hockey, music, Women’s Institute, Lions Club and curling. As time went on we did some travelling to the southwest deserts of the United States, the Yukon, North West Territory, Alaska and Eastern Canada. We have been fortunate in having wonderful neighbours from farm and town and more modern neighbours on acreages and small holdings with the neighbourliness and community spirit of our great west.  

At this writing, January 2008, our children are spread out somewhat. Anne and Bruce Brander live at James River east of Sundre. Anne has two children, Alana in Calgary and Colin with wife Keri and son Kale at Kamloops. Marion and Harry Fehr live in our yard. Marion has four children: Carl and Jen with three children: Lucas, Joshua and Katey on Maurelle Island off the coast of Vancouver Island. Keri lives in New Westminster, British Columbia. Laura (Preston Smith) lives in Calgary and D.J. (Jessica) in Cochrane. Harry has two children and five grandchildren. Roy and Lucille and son Mason live in Airdrie, Roy also has two daughters, Tamara (Sheldon Grollmus) with sons Ethan and Quinton, who live at Buffalo Lake and Candice and Shawn Cornell in Red Deer. Allan and Nina have three girls: Holly, Cindy and Julie. They live east of Olds. 

Yee Lee Laundry

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Author unknown pg 61 More Big Hill Country

One of the businesses usually established in a pioneer village, that served a very real need, especially to the single men of the area, was a laundry. It was almost always run by a Chinese man. Cochrane’s laundryman, Yee Lee, lived and worked in a log shack set well back from the main street on the present site of Graham’s Building. Behind his house were several clotheslines which were nearly always filled with sparkling clean washing. In later years, Yee Lee owned a washing machine, but for most of the 30 years he was in business he scrubbed the clothes by hand. He toiled long hours everyday washing, ironing and folding clothes for his customers. Many a bachelor went to a dance in a white shirt carefully laundered by Yee Lee earlier that day! 

After the Second World War, Yee Lee returned to China for a visit. When he came back to Cochrane, he found the rapid changes in the 1950s had even caught up with the laundry business and there was no more work for him. He moved to Calgary in 1956, where he passed away about four years later. 

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The ads are scans of copies of The Cochrane Advocate from 1913. Our histories make no mention of the restaurant. It seems we have more research to do.

2022 Membership Drive concludes

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CHAPS 2022 Membership Drive has drawn to a close. Thanks to everyone that chose to get involved by becoming a member or renewing their membership.

I was part of the nighttime crew for one shift at the recent Casino. I was impressed that eight of our supporters donated their time for just that shift in our major fundraiser for CHAPS and the Cochrane Historical Museum. Thanks to Donna Morris who organized and all the volunteers who got involved over the two days and nights.

I also want to share a story of why I continue to be a member. I have been using Google Earth Pro to better visualize historic Cochrane. We often get asked where certain buildings are located by interested people and the media. Since businesses have been in multiple locations in the last 120 years there is often confusion.

I’m thinking that by using Google Earth Pro, our photo archives and the map overlays in the back of Big Hill Country we can do a better job of answering these questions. For me, a question I’ve always had was quickly answered.

 

All Saints Church with St Mary’s in background.

This photo and the location of the two churches always puzzled me. While building a pre-1900 view of Cochrane this question was quickly resolved.

The photos below show All Saints was on the corner of 2nd Ave and 2nd street, while St Marys was north across 2nd street.

If you’d like to get involved, just follow this link to our membership page.

Cochrane pre 1900 overlay

All Saints and St Marys on overlay

St Mary's photo on top of pre 1900 overlay

Summer employment opportunity 2022

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The Cochrane Historical and Archival Preservation Society
(CHAPS) is offering a summer employment opportunity as a museum assistant at the Cochrane Museum, #80 Highway 1A, Cochrane AB from
June 1 – Sept 5, 2022.

This full time position (35 hrs/wk) requires the successful candidate to work weekends when the Museum is open to the public. Primarily duties at these times involve facilitation of the Museum operations including opening/closing, greeting visitors and interacting with our guests to ensure a quality visitor experience.

During closed hours the successful candidate will engage in activities that support the maintenance and enhancement of the museum and archival collection. This may include researching, organizing, and preserving various aspects of the collection.

The ideal candidate will possess a mature and responsible attitude, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to work independently. Basic knowledge and competency in computer skills is necessary. Previous work in a library or archival environment is an asset and general interest in local history is beneficial.

The Museum offers a competitive salary, clean indoor working environment and a supportive management style. Outside of the Museum public hours, a flexible work schedule can be arranged.

Please submit a resume and references by April 15 to: lynn@chapscochrane.com Candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

Agness Hammond

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Ghost River Ranch by Agness Hammond pg 314 Big Hill Country 1977

My sister Tilda and I bought the Ghost River Ranch from the Gillies family in the early 1930s. We had a couple of saddle horses and needed somewhere to keep them. For a while we boarded horses, then I bought my first cow and calf from Mrs. Roland Gissing for the large sum of ten dollars! After that I used to get newborn calves from the dairy at Canmore, bringing them home tied in sacks, in the back of the old car. 

We also raised horses, among them, little “Chick,” who won many stake races, and “The Bard,” who went to shows throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, winning many jumping classes. 

My brand is Reversed F, Hanging Y, which was originally issued to my grandfather in the 1880s. 

In 1941 Tilda left for India, where she married Captain Hugh Millar, and where they spent most of the War years. They then returned to Canada, and their son, Torchy, was born in Calgary. Afterwards, they were stationed in various parts of England and Canada, and I bought out Tilda’s share of the ranch. 

Having horses wherever they were stationed, Torchy naturally took to riding and has represented Canada at two Olympics, being on the team that won the Gold Medal in 1968. He also won an individual Bronze Medal. 

Tilda and her husband are now retired and have a quarter section of the ranch where they have built their home, “Runaway Hill.” 

During the years I built up the cattle herd, with the help of the people who worked for me. George Hope, the long-time blacksmith of Cochrane, was probably the first. Elmer and Mamie Pratt were here for several years, and Elmer broke most of my Belgian horses. Another family, the Morrises, had five children. The children attended Beaupré School, and drove “Tom” in the buggy; when he retired they drove “Old Cush,” whom we borrowed from Poynters. 

We have had many pleasant visits with our country neighbours. I remember driving in the buggy to Helen McDonald’s and always being invited in for fresh baked buns or cake. It was Helen, who, with me, started the Ghost River Pony Club gymkhana. The first one was held in the field in front of the ranch house, and was primarily for junior riders, as we felt all other shows had little to attract the young. 

We rode up to Guy Gibson’s to enquire about his handmade furniture and were immediately invited in for a cup of tea. Finding no milk in the house, he grabbed the cream jug, ran outside, and filled it from his goat. Guy built my beautiful log cabin, which burned to the ground some years later, and Steve Hope (George’s brother) made all the hand-wrought latches and hinges that decorated the cabin. 

Jack and Tootie Poynter were always ready to go on a midnight ride or on a wiener roast. Enie Gissing always greeted us when we walked down the hill to look at Roland’s paintings. The Gissings spent two years in our little cottage while building their new home after the fire which destroyed so many of Roland’s paintings. George and Norma Pocaterra would often stop in on their way to their cabin up the river. 

For several years I ran a summer camp for girls, teaching them how to ride and care for their horses. 

Besides raising and showing horses, I raised and showed dogs all over Canada and the United States. Many of them won championships and obedience degrees.

Ernie Pratt sweeping hay at the Ghost River Ranch

I have been actively involved with the Calgary S.P.C.A., the Alberta S.P.C.A. and many other humane associations. 

Throughout the years I have done paintings and sculpturing which have gone to various parts of Canada, the United States and England. 

Recently I started a museum of horse artifacts on the ranch. 

The first edition of the Calgary Herald, dated August 31, 1883, had an advertisement describing “land lying north of the Bow River and east of the Ghost River” as a horse ranch containing the best winter grazing east of the Rockies. As I am now raising Welsh ponies, I like to feel that it is still a horse ranch, with the best winter grazing east of the Rockies. 

Related reading

Popup Museum at Library Feb 2022

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The Cochrane Historical Museum has been closed since the onset of the pandemic. Lynda Alderman, of the museum committee, had the idea for a popup museum display at the Cochrane Library. 

Mike Taylor, Lonnie Basiuk, Shannon Want and Lynn Ferguson followed up on the suggestion with the train station diorama and information board to be in the library for the next couple of weeks.

Lonnie also brought along his father’s conductor uniform.

Dave and Diana Hardiman, the creators of the diorama came by to approve the move. 

It appears we’ll be able to open the Museum this summer so please make a trip to the Museum part of your plans. If you’d like to get involved please contact us.

Mike & Lonnie setting up display
Cochrane Historical Museum Display board
Conductor Uniform loaned by Lonnie Basiuk

Want to get involved?

The Cochrane Historical Museum is run by volunteers.
Click Here

Ghost River Pony Club

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 by Mrs. Jack Poynter pg 307 Big Hill Country

For many years gymkhanas were held on what was known as the D. P. McDonald picnic grounds on the Mount Royal Ranch. When they were discontinued, Helen McDonald and Agness Hammond decided, in 1947, to form a pony club for contestants 18 years and under. 

The first shows were held at Agness Hammond’s Ghost River Ranch (thus the name “The Ghost River Pony Club”). Agness received a cheque from Eric Harvie, a well-known Calgary oilman so that all entrants would receive a prize of some sort at the first show. For some years the prizes were donated by interested people. 

Later the show was held on the Beaupre School grounds, now owned by the Beaupre Community Association. The show has been held there the third Sunday of August each year with the full co-operation of the weatherman to date. 

Now, horse show and gymkhana events include all ages with some 26 English and Western classes. 

Over the years many prominent judges have donated their services, judging classes with as high as fifty-four entries in one class. 

Contestants pay only one entry fee for the horse, and one entry fee for the rider; this entitles them to take part in the day’s events and numerous classes. 

By the late 1950s, the Club was in a financial position to purchase trophies as well as rosette ribbons for first, second, and third winners; ribbons for fourths, fifths, and sixths are given, depending upon the number of contestants in the class. 

Over the years it has been considered one of the better shows in southern Alberta with as high as 124 horses being entered. Many entries are from contestants who travel the horse show and gymkhana circuits, making keen competition. Two former contestants who have represented Canada on the Olympic Equestrian Team are Barbara Kerr (neé Simpson) and Torchy Miller (nephew of Agness Hammond). Torchy received his first trophy here. 

Barbara Kerr 1969 Photo Wikipedia
Torchy Millar on Le Dauphin

The Ghost River Pony Club has had many enthusiastic members and workers throughout the years; many have moved away, but return every year to visit and renew old friendships – some even have children and grandchildren competing. 

In 1975 the Club had 24 members. This is a non-profit organization with hard-working dedicated members. For years, two generations of members were common; now there are two families represented by third-generation members. 

by Dorothy Edge pg 167 More Big Hill Country

After the annual McDonald Picnic held on the Mount Royal Ranch in the Beaupre district ended in 1946, the late Agness Hammond, Ghost River Ranch, and late Helen McDonald, Mount Royal Ranch, neighbours, decided there really should be a local horse show and gymkhana in the area for children, so, in 1947, they set the wheels in motion and by August 29, 1948, the first show was held on the Ghost River Ranch, with lots of assistance from others. (See Page 307, Big Hill Country.) 

The following details were taken from submissions sent to me for inclusion in GRPC’s scrapbook of memoirs. 

A large crowd was in attendance and competition was keen at the horse show and gymkhana staged at Ghost River Sunday under ideal weather conditions. Many Calgary horse owners shipped their ponies to the ranch for the event and judge Miss Joan Arnold and Ian S. Brown of Calgary experienced a busy afternoon. Two spills were recorded during the afternoon, but the riders escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a shaking up. Ken Macmillan’s horse spilled in the stock horse event and Jaye Bowlen came a cropper in one of the jumping events. The youngest competitor at the show was Carolyn Kerfoot from the Grand Valley district, the winner in the lead line pony class. A number of useful prizes and trophies were awarded to the winning contestants as follows: 

winner in the lead line pony class. A number of useful prizes and trophies were awarded to the winning contestants as follows: 

Best pony ridden by a boy or girl, 10 years and under 

  1. Ken Macmillan 
  2. Dorothy Bryant 
  3. Morna Riley 
  4. Mary Whittaker 

Best pony ridden by boy or girl, 10 years to 16

  1. Anita Eyma 
  2. Edith Edge 
  3. Frank Edge 
  4. Mary Saucier 

Best riding horse, ridden by boy or girl 16 years to 20 

  1. Donna Johnson 
  2. Kaye Bowlen 
  3. Edith Edge 
  4. Peggy Johnson. 

Best maiden pony or horse, open to first and second prize winners of first three classes

  1. Ken Macmillan 
  2. Anita Eyma 
  3. Dorothy Bryant. 

Best boy or girl rider, 10 years and under, open to those who have never won a first or second at any recognized show

  1. Johnny Poynter 
  2. Bill Ullery 
  3. Mary Whitaker 
  4. Dorothy Bryant 

Best boy or girl rider, 11 to 16,same stipulations 

  1. Frank Edge 
  2. Anita Eyma 
  3. Mary Saucier 
  4. Jay Eyma. 

Best boy or girl rider 16 years and under, open to all 

  1. Sheila Robertson 
  2. Peggy Johnson; 
  3. Marilyn Macmillan 
  4. Dolores Bowlen. 

Open to horse or pony ridden by rider any age open to all horses on grounds 

  1. Anne Marshall on Dynamite 
  2. Peggy Jean Robertson on Beauty 
  3. Donna Johnson on Claudia 
  4. Jaye Bowlen on Peggy. 

Stock Horse Class ridden by boy or girl 14 years of age or under 

  1. Peggy Jean Robertson 
  2. Jay Eyma 
  3. Jaye Bowlen 
  4. Anita Eyma. 

Stock Horse Class ridden by boy or girl 15 to 20 

  1. Stewart Robertson 
  2. Peggy Johnson 
  3. Joy Gainor 
  4. Donna Johnson. 

Jumping open to all boys or girls 14 years and under 

  1. Jay Eyma 
  2. Peggy Jean Robertson 
  3. Jay Eyma 
  4. Frank Edge.

Novice Jumping 15 to 20 years 

  1. and 2. Leon Delbeke 
  2. Stewart Robertson 
  3. Peggy Johnson. 

Bareback Jumping open to boys or girls, any age

  1. Peggy Jean Robertson 
  2. Leon Delbeke 
  3. Joy Gainor 
  4. Leon Delbeke. 

Open Jumping – open to all 

  1. Eddie Bowlen on Peggy 
  2. Joy Gainor on Allah 
  3. Jay Eyma on June
  4. Jay Eyma on Kitty. 

Lead Line Class boys or girls six years of age and under 

  1. Carolyn Kerfoot 
  2. Mary Copithorne 
  3. Luke Lindoe 
  4. Bryan Coleman. 

Horse Judging Contest boys and girls 14 years of age and under

Anita Eyma. 

Horse Judging Contest boys or girls 15 to 20

Joy Gainor. 

Gymkhana Events By Anita Eyma Kessler, 1998. 

Leading Race boys and girls 12 years of age and under 

  1. Jay Eyma 
  2. Anita Eyma 
  3. Ken Macmillan 
  4. Johnny Poynter. 

Musical Chairs boys and girls 14 years of age and under 

  1. Peggy Jean Robertson 
  2. Edward Jull 
  3. Sheila Robertson 
  4. Anita Eyma. 

Musical Chairs boys and girls 15 to 20 

  1. Stewart Robertson 
  2. Dolores Bowlen 
  3. Neil Harvie 
  4. Edith Edge. 

Walk, Trot, and Run Race boys and girls 13 to 20 

  1. Joy Gainor 
  2. Donna Johnson 
  3. Norman Edge 
  4. Douglas Johnson. 

Potato Race boys and girls 14 years and under 

  1. Peggy Jean Robertson 
  2. Anita Eyma 
  3. Cliff Butler 
  4. Johnny Poynter. 

Potato Race open to boys and girls 15 years and over 

  1. Larry Way 
  2. Donna Johnson 
  3. Neil Harvie 
  4. Bob Orr. 

Bending Race boys and girls 15 years and over 

  1. Don Edge 
  2. Larry Way 
  3. Neil Harvie. 

Guy Gibson’s Challenge Trophy bareback relay race, boys and girls 12 to 16 years 

  1. Jay Eyma 
  2. Bob Orr 
  3. Peggy Johnson 
  4. Peggy Jean Robertson 

Indian Riding Class 

  1. Johnny Lefthand 
  2. Sykes Powerface 
  3. Ross Smalleyes 
  4. David Bearspaw 
  5. Alfred Labelle. 

The Ghost River pony show was not only a learning experience but was also one of the few social opportunities available fifty years ago. For many of us in the surrounding valleys, the only two social events were the Ghost River Horse Show and the Morley Stampede. Dog Pound was for the adventurous among us. If the weather was rainy, we held our breath approaching the difficult spots in the poor roads. A spring running across the wagon trail near Grandma Ford’s in Jackass Canyon could be our undoing. If the old car slid down the incline, we were done and had missed out on seeing people and having fun. We needed Dave Bryant and his machinery then, but that came much later, with resultant good roads. 

Getting to Beaupre Creek School in the summer was enjoyable. It was only a four-mile ride on horseback. Riding there during the winter of the school term, together with some years with as few as eight students and a very young or a very old teacher, was not always as pleasant. Thank goodness for the coal and wood stove.

In the beginning, clothing to show was just whatever we had. Often, western boots went into English saddle stirrups. Ill-fitting jeans and a shirt made up the rest of the ensemble for growing competitors. Horses and tack were very important, however, parents did their best to provide a fine animal and serviceable saddle, both of which were used all year round to work the ranch. 

My brother, Jay, could get the most out of a jumper. Even our “kid’s pony,” Tiny, would cheerfully clear hurdles for him. Donna (Johnson) Butters described Tiny as a “good honest mare.” The greatest satisfaction for me came from winning the horse-judging contest at the first gymkhana, being I was too timid to attempt riding over jumps. 

Pierre, my father, took his responsibilities as an officer of the Pony Club very seriously. His capabilities and conscientiousness were a wonderful and lasting example to his children and perhaps even to others. He would have been so pleased that the organization and all the good it stood for survived for fifty years and will not be forgotten by those who participated. There could be no finer legacy than the spirit of the Ghost River Pony Club.” 

The late Pierre Eyma preparing for the potato race. He always wore a yellow shirt so anyone needing help could find him easily. Beaupre Creek School Grounds 1950. Photo courtesy Anita Eyma Kessler

The Ghost River Pony Club’s 50th Anniversary and final show were held at the Beaupre community grounds on August 16, 1998, in memory of Agness Hammond and Helen McDonald. Announcer Maureen Wills conveyed accolades in their memory. And she remembered Vivienne Ullery, who contested in her last show here at age 80. Two senior members in attendance, Marie Eyma and Jim Kerfoot, were recognized for their outstanding contributions over the years. A special tribute was extended to Tilda Millar (Agness Hammond’s sister, and Torchy Millar’s mother) for donating funds to ensure trophies and ribbons were extra special for the final show, and to Griffin Valley Ranch for donating the Lead Line Class trophies. She then called on President Don Edge, who presented Chris Montague from the Cochrane Lions with a plaque thanking them for handling the concession booth for ‘umpteen years. 

Show organizers were President Donald Edge, Past President Linda Beddoes, Vice-President John Poynter, Secretary-treasurer Dorothy Edge, Publicity Kathy Wills and fellow directors Ann Hindes, Suzy Poynter, Cindy Renwick, Bob and Mary-Jane Pogue, Grant McNabb. Pat and Val Scholefield, Maureen Wills, Erik Burners, and Hamish Kerfoot. Our judges were Bud Wyatt, Western, and John Simpson, English. The later grew up competing in this show and were pleased to help and shared their memories with everyone. In appreciation, the two judges and each director received a bronze belt buckle made by the late Mac MacKenzie that incorporated Cathy Wills’ insignia of the lovely gold commemorative 50th Anniversary pin she designed as a souvenir for all the patrons.

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Everybody loved the GRPC horse show and gymkhana and a large crowd attended the 50th show. Sixty-eight contestants entered. Donna (Johnson) Butters was a keen competitor in 1948 and in 1998. Several four generations of family members competed at this show over the years. 

Ghost River Pony Club

 Results of 50th Anniversary and Final Show August 16, 1998. 

Halter Class – Foal 

  1. Kathy Fenton 
  2. Laura Hughes. 

Halter Class – Yearling 

  1. Gloria Cross 
  2. Holly White 
  3. Laura Hughes 
  4. Kathy Fenton 
  5. Duncan Kerfoot. 

Halter Class – Two-year-old 

  1. Kathy Fenton. 

Halter Class – Mares, three years old and over 14 hands and over 

  1. Mary Pearson 
  2. Laura Hughes 
  3. Wayne Jubb 
  4. Patsy Parker 
  5. Catherine Stewart 
  6. Clem Kirk. 

Halter Class – Geldings, three years old and over, 14 hands and over 

  1. Heather Craig 
  2. Twylla Bruhn 
  3. Janice Hepburn 
  4. Duncan Kerfoot 
  5. Robin Willet 
  6. Marri Keith. 

Halter Class – Mares and Geldings, three years and over, 14 hands and over 

  1. Brenna Managhan 
  2. Curtis Kronlund 
  3. Liam Kronlund 
  4. Jordon Tresidder 
  5. Ian Stewart. 

English Equitation – 17 years and over (horse not to count) 

  1. Rosemarie Jubb 
  2. Donna Butters 
  3. Patsy Parker 
  4. Heather Craig 
  5. Leslie Anderson 
  6. Janice Hepburn 

Western Equitation – 9 to 12 years (horse not to count) 

  1. Kayla Welsh 
  2. Courtney Arneson 
  3. Justine Simpson
  4. J. D. Watt
  5. Danielle Kilbourn 
  6. Tyler Fyten 

Western Equitation – 13 to 16 years (horse not to count) 

  1. Alison Barr
  2. Claire Arneson
  3. Kim Groves. 

Western Equitation – 8 years and under (horse not to count) 

  1. Carlee Edge 
  2. Susan Griffin 
  3. Austin Fyten 
  4. Tereasa Keith 
  5. Montana Renwick 
  6. Amber Lynn Beeby 

English Equitation – 9 to 12 years (horse not to count) 

  1. Catherine Stewart 
  2. Jessica Kronlund 
  3. Curtis Knonlund 
  4. Brenna Monaghan 
  5. Danielle Kilbourn.

Western Equitation – 17 years and over (horse not to count) 

  1. Rosemarie Jubb 
  2. Holly White 
  3. Leslie Anderson 
  4. Anita Panjwani 
  5. Ron Hanson 
  6. Sonja Hustad 

English Equitation – 8 years and under, (horse not to count) 

  1. Elizabeth Stewart 
  2. Liam Kronlund 
  3. Ian Stewart. 

Western Equitation – 13 to 16 years (horse not to count) 

  1. Megan Wiltshire 
  2. Colby Simpson 
  3. Sarah Willet 
  4. Marri Keith 

Lead Line Class 

Carlee Edge, Okie Iredale, Caitlin Fyten, Sam Edge, Skylar Iredale, Carlee Poynter, Jordon Jubb, Emily Adlington, Amber Lorenz, Colby Stonham, Braden Poynter. They all won prizes. 

Junior English Pleasure – 16 years and under 

  1. Alison Barr 
  2. Curtis Knonlund 
  3. Claire Arneson 
  4. Catherine Stewart 
  5. Kim Groves 
  6. Jessica Knonlund 

Senior Western Pleasure – 17 years and over 

  1. Holly White 
  2. Rosemarie Jubb 
  3. Janice Hepburn 
  4. Leslie Anderson 
  5. Twylla Bruhn 
  6. Anita Panjwani 

Pony Class – 14 years and under (12.2 hands and under) 

  1. Liam Knonlund 
  2. Brenna Monaghan 
  3. Susan Griffin 
  4. Jordon Tresidder 

Senior English Pleasure – 17 years and over 

  1. Donna Butters 
  2. Mary Hilderbrandt 

Junior Western Pleasure – 16 years and under 

  1. Courtney Arneson 
  2. Kayla Welsh 
  3. Justine Simpson 
  4. Colby Simpson 
  5. Sarah Willet 
  6. Megan Wiltshire 

Sack Race – 5 years and under 

  1. Susan Griffin 
  2. Carlee Edge 
  3. Sam Edge 
  4. Colby Stonham 
  5. Emily Adlington
  6. Okie Iredale 

Sack Race – 6 to 8 years 

  1. Samantha Watt 
  2. Ian Stewart 
  3. Teresa Keith 
  4. Montana Renwick 
  5. Jordon Tresidder 
  6. Liam Knonlund 

Junior Jumping – 10 years and under 

  1. Curtis Knonlund 
  2. Elizabeth Stewart 
  3. Liam Knonlund 
  4. Brenna Managhan. 

Intermediate Jumping – 11 to 14 years inclusive 

  1. Catherine Stewart 
  2. Jessica Knonlund 
  3. Claire Arneson. 

Senior Jumping – 15 years and over 

  1. Alyssa Butters 
  2. Jessica Knonlund 
  3. Alison Barr. 

Junior Pole Bending Race-10 years and under 

  1. Riley Jones 
  2. Elizabeth Stewart 
  3. Samantha Watt 
  4. Susan Griffin 

Intermediate Pole Bending Race 11 to 14 years inclusive: 

  1. Courtney Arneson 
  2. Colby Simpson.

Senior Pole Bending Race – 15 years and over 

  1. Stephanie McKinnon 
  2. Ron Hanson 
  3. Twylla Bruhn. 

Junior Potato Race – 10 years and under 

  1. Riley Jones 
  2. Carolyn Kolb 
  3. Samantha Watt 
  4. Susan Griffin 

Intermediate Potato Race 11 to 14 years, inclusive 

  1. Colby Simpson 
  2. Danielle Kilbourn 
  3. Pat Griffin 
  4. Claire Arneson 

Senior Potato Race – 15 years and over 

  1. Ron Hanson 
  2. Ken Iredale 
  3. Corrine Coverdale 
  4. Laura Hughes. 

Junior Musical Tires – 11 to 14 years, inclusive 

  1. Mary Keith
  2. Catherine Stewart
  3. J.D. Watt
  4. Colby Simpson
  5. Meaghan Groves
  6. Claire Arneson. 

Senior musical Tires – 15 years and over 

  1. Megan Wiltshire 
  2. Ron Hanson 
  3. Brandy Wiltshire 
  4. Kathy Fenton 
  5. Joe Simpson 
  6. Terry Edge 

Junior Stake Race – 11 to 14 years, inclusive 

  1. Colby Simpson 
  2. Claire Arneson
  3. J. D. Watt 
  4. Courtney Arneson. 

Intermediate Stake Race – 15 to 20 years, inclusive 

  1. Corinne Coverdale 
  2. Whitney Repic. 

Senior Ladies Stake Race – 21 years and over 

  1. Stephanie McKinnon 
  2. Laura Hughes 
  3. Lauren McArthur. 

Senior Mens Stake Race – 21 years and over 

  1. Ron Hanson 
  2. Ken Iredale 
  3. Terry Edge. 

Ghost River Special (open to first place winners of last four stake races) 

  1. Stephanie McKinnon 
  2. Ron Hanson 
  3. Colby Simpson. 

Gene Hanson related a story about what happened to them one time at an earlier gymkhana. In those days there was no concession booth and everybody brought a picnic lunch. His wife, Sally, was busy preparing a fairly elaborate tailgate lunch and placed a beautiful big ham on the tailgate and walked back to the cab of the truck to get something else. Upon returning, she spotted someone’s dog running across the field with the entire ham in its mouth. 

The late Jack Poynter always looked after the hitching ring and was pretty sticky about unruly horses. One time when he was letting contestants into the show ring, little Marty Edge’s horse acted up and bucked around a bit. Noticing this, Jack needed to free the area of this unruly horse. The late Amy Begg, who handled the post entries that year, was thoroughly enjoying the rodeo and waving her arm saying, “Look, look at that kid ride his horse, just like his dad!” Jack, diligently doing his job with safety on his mind, didn’t quite condone it like Amy and the spectators. When Jack’s health was starting to fail, Don Edge apprenticed under him and ably continued Jack’s long-time tenure at the hitching ring using his own brand of wit. 

Don and I hosted an après gymkhana get-together with many friends and old-timers at our house. We were all having a great time reminiscing when we heard pounding on the roof and, lo’ and behold, it was one big hailstorm. Bob Pogue says it was, “Don and Dorothy’s half million-dollar party” because everyone’s vehicle received hail damage. It was quite a day! We decided we’d been blessed by all the Pony Club’s former organizers who had passed on before us, as they must have been looking down and held back the hailstorm until the 50th show ended. 

The Club dissolved and residual funds were donated to the Cochrane Humane Society, and to the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society’s one-square-foot program to help build the new community indoor riding arena’ at Cochrane, hence GRPC’s name is visible in the Hoof Print Gallery. To complete the finale, we branded GHOST RIVER PONY CLUB on a permanently preserved brick on the Historic Brand Wall at the Western Heritage Centre, now the Cochrane Town Office.

Ghost River Pony Club Branded Brick Program

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Bell-Irvings

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by Percy Kerfoot pg 355 Bill Hill Country 

My grandfather Bell-Irving, on my mother’s side had large holdings in South America in a textile manufacturing industry, in Demerara, Georgetown, Guiana (now Guyana). The foreman of this plant let the insurance lapse and everything was lost in a fire. Instead of being well-off the family had to watch its spending. As a result it was decided to educate the family, or some of them in Germany, as good education was cheaper there. 

All Saints Cochrane Cemetery Mitford

My uncle, Harry Bell-Irving, graduated as a civil engineer and worked in that capacity for the C.P.R. from Regina to Vancouver. My uncle Duncan was a doctor and practised in Vancouver. He and Uncle Harry started the Anglo British Columbia Packing Company. My uncle Will was in partnership with my dad in a very large lease from the Government. They bought stock enough to stock this lease and the Government cancelled the lease. They were left with too many cattle for the land they owned and lost money quite heavily. The Government offered them a chance to buy leased land at one dollar an acre but they were not able to buy much. By building a dam on Grand Valley creek and digging ditches to prove that the land could be irrigated, they could buy additional land at one dollar per acre. The little dam was on the SE 14 27-27-5-5. 

At first, my grandmother Bell-Irving had a half section which is now under Glenmore Lake. She called the place Bonny Blink. After my mother married my father, W. D. Kerfoot, Grandmother sold her land to Joe Robinson of the Chipman Ranche and homesteaded just west of my parent’s home in the Valley, and had a log house built. This she used for a summer home. She spent the winters in Banff. 

My father had an Indian [sic], named Moses, working for him. One day Moses went to Morley, expecting to be back the next day. After four days passed with no sign of him, Archie and I became very worried and were sure that he had become lost. The next weekend my grandmother took us with her to Banff and on Sunday morning we went to church. In his sermon, the minister told that Moses wandered for forty days in the great and terrible wilderness. Little Archie stood up in church and announced, “No he didn’t! He came back last Friday.” 

I am the “baby” of the clan – born in 1900. Some of the stories of the past I was told, some I remember myself. When I was a baby we had a large coyote hound named Joe that was broken to drive. He pulled me around on a sleigh with a box on it. One day Joe sighted a coyote and away we went on high, till we hit an A fence which stopped everything. In later years Joe used to haul our sleigh up the hill which was both high and steep. He would gallop down behind the sleigh. After doing this about three times Joe would get lost. 

In those days grub lining was a common practice. In the late fall, a man would ride in and stay all winter, doing some chores and cutting wood for a warm bed and grub. Ed Thompson, who had a small ranch, had a man come in to stay the winter. In the spring, Ed arrived over at our house in a bad temper and told my mother his boarder had left, taking Ed’s bridle and silver-mounted spurs with him. 

My mother said, “What’s the matter with the man. Has he got kleptomania?” There was a pause and then Ed said, “I don’t know if he got that but he got most everything else in the house.”

photo Courtesy Cochrane Today

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Chapman Brothers

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by Ruth Vanderburgh Big Hill Country pg 208

Andrew and Robert Chapman, twins, were born in Argyll, Scotland. They came to Canada, arriving in Calgary in 1899. Robert went on to Banff, Alberta, and found work in a general store owned at that time by Dave White. Andrew remained in Calgary, finding work with the C.P.R. where he remained until 1902, at which time he decided to go to Banff and join his brother, Robert. In 1903, in partnership with Dave White, Andrew came to Cochrane and set up a general store business. Robert came to Cochrane with him and went into the carpenter business. The carpenter business proved to be more lucrative so Andrew sold out his interest in the store and he and Robert formed a contracting business and worked in and around the Cochrane area. Their first large building was the C. W. Fisher block. In 1909 they built the Saint Andrews United Church. Other buildings erected by them, some still standing, are the Gulf Garage, and the two-storey brick house beside the garage, where Mr. and Mrs. Chapman made their home. The garage was built in 1918. In 1916 they built a butcher shop for Ernie Andison; this is used today for a laundromat. They put up many farm buildings, among them a frame house and barn for the Countess Bubna and a large home for Arthur Crawford. 

Andrew went into local politics and in 1906 became the Mayor of Cochrane village. In 1912 he became Postmaster, a position he held until 1949. When they built the Chapman Brothers Garage, Robert took over the management of it and continued to operate it until it was sold to Marshall and Jim Baptie in 1935. 

Andrew was a member of the Orangemen’s Order, Superintendent of the Sunday School, and both he and his brother took a keen interest in curling. Robert was an avid fisherman. Soon after the sale of their garage, Robert passed away. He had never married. 

In 1918 Andrew married Margaret Seal. She joined him as Postmistress and worked with him until his retirement in 1949. Andrew was also Police Magistrate in Cochrane for six years. He and his wife did not have any children. 

Upon retirement from the Post Office, Andrew and his wife moved to Victoria, British Columbia. Margaret passed away in 1959 and Andrew in 1961. Both were cremated and their ashes were strewn on the Juan de Fuca Straits, near Vancouver. 

The following was taken from Andrew Chapman’s memoirs and was sent by his sister-in-law, Ruth Vanderburgh. 

In 1903 when I arrived in Cochrane there were three churches, all well attended, one store and one hotel. People were honest folk then, a locked door just wasn’t. The Presbyterian Church 

School Tax Receipt June 1905 signed A. Chapman

which I attended, had services in the afternoon and evening. It became too small and a new one was built and except on special occasions, it has been too big ever since. We had no police force in residence back in 1903, but there was an occasional patrol made by the N.W.M.P. I do not want you to think because of what I have said that there was not any crime; we had a murder in 1905, a man of Hungarian nationality was working on the C.P.R. section all summer and one night he disappeared. He was in the butcher shop in the evening and when he left the shop that was the last time he was seen alive. The next morning the section foreman was short one man, and while questioning his crew he noticed that one of the men had a badly scratched face. When asked about it, the man said he had scratched it on some brush. About three days later the man with his face scratched, up and disappeared. The mounted police were notified. They suspected murder and a search took place. Several local townspeople and the mounted police went out but they were unable to find anything. In the spring, Mr. Howard who was a partner in the store business with me, went out to look at his horses on the flats west of town; he came upon what appeared to be a grave. He came back to the store, told me what he had found, and we called the police in, also the section foreman, Mr. Barrett. Even though it was late at night we went out to the spot. Using shovels and lanterns we started to open up the grave. When we got all the loose earth out there was nobody; we decided that the body had been removed and taken somewhere else so we went towards the creek, and we found a hat which the foreman said was the hat worn by the missing man. We never found the man, but when the fishing season opened up, two boys were fishing along the river. One boy was standing on a big rock and when he looked down there was the body. Needless to say, a track record was broken. That same boy became an engineer on the C.P.R. in later years and we often joked about it. 

About 1908 a smallpox epidemic broke out. The family that was delivering milk to the people in town came down with it first and it spread like fire. Tents were put up down by the river and everyone with smallpox was sent there. I recall guards being put on the roads entering the town so people could not come into the town; guards were even at the railway station. One of the teachers was Miss MacIntosh and she got smallpox. When the epidemic was over, members of the village council had to go to every house with disinfectant. All those residing in the house had to have a bath using it, no bathrooms in those days, just a galvanized tub in the middle of the kitchen floor. When everyone was thoroughly disinfected, the children went back to school. 

A second hotel was built and this was indirectly the cause of a riot. Cowboys of the area formed the habit of having a few drinks at one and then going to the other to see if the liquor was any better. On this particular day, there was an extra gang of C.P.R. workers in town. They were doing the same as the cowboys, going from one place to the other. Both groups met on the sidewalk about midway and neither would let the other pass so a real fight broke out. The C.P.R. workers went to their boarding cars and armed themselves with guns and knives. They came back with every intention of cleaning up on the cowboys. The bricks for putting on the outside of the hotel were all in piles around the building. The cowboys used them for their ammunition; it did the job all right, men soon started scattering, then a chap stepped out on the hotel verandah and with the use of a scatter gun soon dispersed the remaining rioters. Ed Cole, a very innocent bystander, was stabbed in the abdomen. The police were called and some N.W.M.P. arrived from Calgary on a handcar. They disarmed all the workers. Mr. Cole had been taken to Mrs. Howards. He was unable to make a positive identification as to who stabbed him, however, the injured recovered, but some of the Italian workers were sent to jail for awhile.

Research pays off for military historian

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CHAPS was recently contacted by Garrett Lapp, an amateur military historian about photos of Henry McEachen. Garrett recently acquired McEachen’s World War 1 uniform and medals and wants to put a face to him.

As it turns out, my mother,  Dorothy was a favourite of Henry’s sister Flora and inherited many of her memories. That includes a picture of Henry and other members of her family. It also turns out that Mom had a W.W.1 uniform in her closet for many years and only sold it a few years back.

We’ll provide a copy of the photo to Garrett who in return provided these pictures of Henry’s uniform, medals, buttons and matches that were in the pocket.

History of Henry McEachen 183870 - Garrett Lapp

183870 Pte. Henry G McEachen
10th (Calgary) Battalion CEF

Originally from Cochrane, Alberta Henry traveled to Calgary to enlist on December 13th 1915, a few days after his 19th birthday. He initially trained with the 89th Calgary Battalion before being transferred to the 10th Battalion for service in France. He arrived in the trenches on August 27th, 1916 as the 10th Battalion settled into their positions at the Somme. A month later Henry along with the rest of the 10th Battalion helped take Thiepval Ridge despite numerous German counter attacks. By January after many months of living in the mud and blood of the trenches Henry became seriously ill. He suffered from severe bronchial pneumonia to the point where the doctors feared he might die. The severity of his illness meant he would spend the next eight months recovering in England while the rest of the 10th Battalion would go on to take Vimy Ridge and Hill 70. On August 26th, 1917 Henry finally was well enough to return to the 10th battalion at the front lines. From here until the end of the war Henry remained with his unit fighting during the Battles of Passchendaele, Amiens, and the Last 100 Days Offensive to name a few, miraculously remaining unscathed. After some much needed rest in England and Scotland Henry was finally sent home on April 10th, 1919 receiving his discharge in Calgary on the 23rd.

Henry McEachen W.W. 1 Uniform

He got seriously ill while in France with pneumonia, to the point they thought he might die. Luckily he recovered and returned to the trenches. He saw action at the battles of Passchenedaele, Amiens, and the last 100 days offensive

Garrett Lapp Tweet
Henry McEachen WW1 buttons and matches
Garrett Lapp collection
10th Battalion Calgary Cap and Badge
Henrys Medals and 1st Division pin
10th Calgary Battalion shoulder patch

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Kerfoot Family

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pg 388 Big Hill Country

 by James Duncan Kerfoot 

The story of the Cochrane Ranche relates that in 1882, Col. Walker, the first resident manager, resigned, such resignation to be effective as soon as a suitable replacement could be found. That replacement was found in the person of William Duncan (W. D.) Kerfoot, an experienced stockman, who, on August 10, 1882, at Fort Benton, Montana, signed a contract with the Cochrane Ranche to take over as resident manager.

W.D. Kerfoot was born in 1859 at Providence the family estate in the Shenandoah Valley Virginia, son of James F. Kerfoot, a cavalry captain in General Lee’s Confederate Army. 

“W. D.” had ranched for several years in Montana, and came to Cochrane in 1882 assume his new role. He was an experienced rancher and a great horseman, and some of his exploits are set forth in the recollections of his son, Archie Kerfoot. 

In 1884 he married Adriana Bell-Irving a brought his bride to live in the log house still standing on the old ranch site just west Cochrane. Their first-born, Duncan Irving, bo in Calgary in 1885, was an infant when his father parted company with the ranch and homestead just outside the Cochrane Ranche lease. Grand Valley, on SW14 10-27-5-5, his brother law, Will Bell-Irving, having taken up SE1:21 5-5, some two miles up the valley. Here W. raised a family of six: four sons, Duncan I, Adrian R. (Pat), Archibald D., and Percival C.,

all of whom continued to live in Grand Valley on adjacent properties until after the Second World War, and two daughters, Olive Lee who married a Jumping Pound rancher, Victor Saunders; they now live in Sidney, British Columbia, and Valentine McBean, who married W. R. Wolley Dod in 1927, the son of a pioneer rancher of the Fish Creek area; they are both deceased. Their only child, W. R. Wolley-Dod, is an Alberta Land Surveyor living in Calgary, while the only Saunders child, Jean, makes her home in England. She was once a seeded lawn tennis player for Great Britain. 

Of the second generation, Duncan, who married Margaret M. Melly in Liverpool in 1912, lived most of his life in Grand Valley on the property now known as Providence Ranch. He met his future wife in the Valley, as she had come out to stay with her aunt, Mrs. Oswald Critchley, on the Bell-Irving ranch which had passed to the Critchley family around 1910. Also a keen horseman, Duncan was active in the Cochrane Polo Club for many years, as were all his brothers, especially Archie. Duncan imported a fine Thoroughbred stallion (Vambrace) from England in 1924. Always interested in public service, Duncan was a member of the B.P.O.E. (Elks), and he and his brothers played a part in the building of the Elks Hall, now the Cochrane Community Hall. He was also very active during World War Two as District Chairman of the Canadian War Bonds Drive. Duncan and Margaret raised a family of four in Grand Valley, with two sons and two daughters. Margaret (Peggy) the eldest, married Grant Gibson, a Toronto engineer, in 1937, and they now reside in Thornhill, Ontario. William Duncan (Bill) stayed on the ranch and married Shirley Ireland in 1940, just before going Overseas with the Calgary Highlanders. He was killed in action while serving with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment; this Regiment was nearly wiped out in that action. James Duncan, a Royal Military College, Kingston graduate, served with the Indian Army from 1937-47 and saw service on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1938, and on the Burma front in World War Two. He was severely wounded in Burma in 1944 and eventually invalided out of the service. While in the United Kingdom, he met

and married Margaret McNaughton of Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, and returned with her to take over Providence Ranch from his father, who died January 15, 1946. His mother Margaret, meanwhile moved to Victoria where she lived until her death in 1966. The youngest, Joan, having helped her parents on the ranch throughout the war, married James M. Storey, a local rancher, in 1946, and later moved to Waterton and Twin Butte, where they still reside. 

Adrian (Pat) built his own home close to his widowed mother’s Virginia Ranch home, after marrying Marjorie Sutherland in 1918, and there, raised a family of three. His only son, Ronald J., served with the Calgary Highlanders in Northwest Europe in World War Two, after which he married Frieda Von Besseler in Belgium in 1946. Ronald then went on to a regular army career with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, finally retiring as a Lieut. Col. in 1972, after years of service in the Middle East, Germany, and Viet Nam. They now live in Saanich, British

Columbia and Ron is a real estate salesman. Barbara (1924-1972), Pat’s elder daughter, worked for many years in the oil industry in Calgary and travelled extensively for her employers. Valerie, the younger daughter married Scott Finding, a forest engineer, and they now live in Victoria, British Columbia. Pat’s first wife, Marjorie, died in 1939, and in 1946 he married Dorothy Fraser Thomas of High River, originally of the Jumping Pound district. They later moved to Sidney, British Columbia, where he died in 1959, and she still resides. 

Archie married Anita Helen Bell-Irving in 1927 and ranched on the original family property, Virginia Ranch, in Grand Valley till his retirement to Cochrane in 1958. During these years he first raised and schooled polo ponies, then turned to sheep, and subsequently established a fine herd of registered Herefords, being for many years a prominent contributor to the Calgary Bull Sale. Later he purchased and operated the local hardware store for a number of years. Anita died in 1959 and he married Jessie E. Perry in 1960. 

Percy married Lucy Landale in 1935 and lived in Grand Valley until 1950, ranching, and working for the Calgary Power Company. He raised a family of three, the two girls Jean and Tannis becoming Registered Nurses, and the son, Alex, an electronic engineer. In 1950 he moved to Okotoks where they still reside, after his retirement from the Power Company. 

Some ninety years after W. D. Kerfoot first came to live in the Cochrane District in 1882 there are living some 46 descendants. Two-year

old Jeffrey Duncan is the fifth generation of Duncan Kerfoots to live in the Grand Valley. 

In the summer of 1945 Duncan Kerfoot and his son, Jim, home on leave from India, erected a bronze plaque on a rock face looking west from the Wildcat Ridge and shadowed by an ancient rock pine. This plaque honours the memory of their son and brother, Bill, who was killed in action at Ortona, Italy, on December 23, 1943. 

Every year since 1946, Jim and members of his growing family have visited this site on Remembrance Day, November 11, which day was also Bill’s birthday. 

 

W.D. KERFOOT – by A. D. (Archie) Kerfoot 

My father, W. D. Kerfoot, moved to Montana as a young man and established a cattle ranch. It was not too long before he became involved in the sheep and cattle range war that was going on at that time. I think it was in the early part of 1881 that all his buildings and equipment were burned by sheepmen. Soon after that, he was hired as manager of the Cochrane Ranche arriving here in the fall of 1882. 

It is strange that after leaving Montana because of sheep and cattle feuding, he should be the manager of a large ranch that ran both sheep and cattle, as well as a lot of horses. 

My father went back to Montana and brought back eight thousand sheep for the company. Some twenty-five or more years ago I saw in the Calgary Herald’s column, “Sixty Years Ago”, a description of them trying to swim the sheep across the Elbow River, which was in flood, and the Herald said that the language was very colourful. However, they got the sheep across and home. 

I think it was in 1884 and 1885 that the second Riel Rebellion took place and some of the Indians and half-breeds [sic] got on the warpath. The ranch had a large flock of sheep right where Delbeke’s place was later. The half-breeds [sic] set fires on all sides of the sheep with the result that about twelve hundred sheep were burned to death. As a boy, I can remember Father saying what a horrible sight it was to see these poor beasts running, burning as they ran. There was a very good Scottish sheepherder with two good dogs, and at great danger to himself, as the half-breeds were shooting, he managed to save the bulk of the herd. 

Father had to make a report to the head office and in reply, they said it was unfortunate about the sheep, but had Father fired the herder. Father replied that he had not fired the herder as he considered the herder had done an outstanding job in saving most of the sheep. After several letters back and forth it got down to either you fire the herder or you are through, so Father was fired and promptly sued the company for the balance of his contract, and won his case. In 1885, he moved into Grand Valley and ranched for himself. 

When Father first came here in 1882 Calgary consisted of the police barracks, I. G. Baker’s Store and a few tents, but soon after, the railway came through, and Calgary attained town status. The Alberta Hotel was the focal point in town. It was said that if you waited long enough in the hotel, everyone you knew would eventually come there. 

The hotel was run by a couple called Perley and they owned a large black bear which they had acquired as a cub. They kept it tied up with a collar and chain. The bar was always open so it is likely that Father was feeling no pain when someone rushed in and said that the bear was loose and terrifying people on Eighth Avenue, then Stephen Avenue. At this time everybody either rode or drove horses so there were hitching rails along the side of the streets. Father got on his horse and after considerable trouble managed to get close enough to rope the bear and tie it to a post. Then he told Mr. Perley to put the collar back on the bear, but the bear had been scared by the people and would have no part of the collar. Father went into the drug store and bought some chloroform, and watching his chance, dashed in and chloroformed the bear, whereupon Mr. Perley put the collar back on the bear, but sad to say, Father had done too good a job and the bear never woke up. Father was treated as something of a hero by the townspeople but not by Mr. Perley who had been very fond of his bear. 

While I do not pretend to know when the last buffalo was killed on the prairies, I do know that my father killed an old bull, between 1882 and 1886, which he believed to be the last buffalo in the Cochrane District. 

When I was a small boy I can remember being thrilled with various hunting stories of my father’s events which took place in Montana before he came here, in some of which he had very close calls. It would be gratifying to be able to tell an exciting story of the last buffalo killed in this district, but such is not the case. 

Father and some other riders ran onto this old bull while gathering cattle, and as none of them had a rifle along they corralled him with a large bunch of cattle, (which may not have been as simple as it sounds), in the Cochrane Ranche home corrals, where Dad shot him. 

An advertisement which appeared in the Calgary Herald on December 10th, 1884, reads as follows: 

BRITISH AMERICAN RANCHE COMPANY Limited Horse brand C on the left shoulder. Vent – Inverted on left hip. Range – Bow River, N.W.T. Address – Calgary, N.W.T. 

Well-broken horses of all classes are constantly on hand. The undersigned will attend at the Calgary House every Monday to meet parties desiring to purchase horses. A number of good pack horses for sale.

W.D. KERFOOT, Manager In looking for the above advertisement in the old Herald of 1884 I found an interesting article deploring the way the buffalo had been destroyed and saying a few head had been seen recently near Morley, so it was probably after 1884 when my father killed what he believed to be the last one in this district. 

At Fort Benton, Montana, my father entered into an agreement with Jas. A. Cochrane representing the Cochrane Ranche Co. When they took the cattle to the lease south of Macleod they changed the name of the north ranch to Bow River Co. From Frank White’s diary: “May 4th, 1883, Arranged with Kerfoot about plan of round 

up and got him to name his price as Manager of Bow River Co. $2500. and House. Feb. 19, 1884, Meeting of projectors of British American Ranche Company and they concluded to buy the Bow River property from Cochrane Ranche Co. at $55,000.” 

(Senator Cochrane was President of both companies. The cattle were moved to the Kootenai range so that the company could get another 100,000-acre lease down there). 

From Frank White’s diary: “April 9th, 1884, Big Hill, A. M. talking with Kerfoot and looking over the horses.” 

I gathered that Father did not look back on his position with the Company with any great pleasure as it was run from Eastern Canada, and the Company seemed to have the happy knack of getting together a lot of good men and then ignoring their recommendations, usually with heavy loss to themselves. 

My father was considered to be one of the top horsemen of his day and had broken horses most of his life, so it was strange that he should be killed by a gentle horse while riding in the parade at the summer show in Calgary. As the parade passed the grandstand the band started up and scared his horse, causing it to rear up and fall over a cow, breaking Father’s back. He died in 1908. 

My brother-in-law was given an extraordinary education. After attending a good school in England and studying piano there, he was sent to France to learn to speak French and study music – then to Germany to study German and music. As his father had a large business in Russia, Vic finally went to Russia where he became fluent in Russian and kept on with his music. 

It would seem that he had been trained for the diplomatic service or for a career as a concert pianist, but actually, his parents sent him off to Western Canada to take up a homestead. Although ill-equipped for this life, he homesteaded in the Jumping Pound district. 

He was courting my sister, Olive, who claims that whenever he took her driving, little Archie was sent along too. The couple had other troubles. Many on the Jumping Pound line and on the Grand Valley line listened in on their conversations. As the day of the wedding drew near the local interest became intense. To thwart them Vic would send and receive messages through my mother, both speaking in German. South of the river they found a teacher who knew German and would translate for them. So that was out. Duncan, who was running our ranch, had working for him a man named McBride who spoke perfect French, so he and Vic relayed the messages in French. Then a French-speaking neighbour was found to tell the news. About this time Mrs. Saunders came over for the wedding and was staying with us, so the conversations were now between her and her son, in Russian. This stymied everyone on both sides of the river. 

No one even knew what language they were speaking 

Olive and Vic Saunders were married in 1910. 

THE ORDEAL OF W. D. KERFOOT — by A. R. (Pat) Kerfoot 

From Frank White’s Diary: Dec. 31st, 1882. Kerfoot got in after being lost two days and a night. (26 below) 

This laconic comment in the diary which appeared in “Canadian Cattlemen” prompted W. D. Kerfoot’s son, Pat, to write to the magazine as follows: 

As you will remember, Mr. White made very brief mention of W. D. Kerfoot having been lost for two days and a night in a blizzard but said nothing of how horse and rider had weathered the storm. 

In the hope of finding further details, I looked through some of my father’s diaries but found that they were all of a later date. However, I have heard my father speak of this unpleasant little jaunt many times, and it may be of interest to you and your readers to have these few particulars. 

My father was, at that time, manager of the Cochrane Ranche which as old-timers will remember was situated below Big Hill. That fall a number of cattle had been shipped in from Ontario and, in very poor condition, had been turned out on the range north of Cochrane. Just two days before the New Year, my father rode up to look over this herd and had arrived at a point near where Bottrel is now located, when the blizzard struck. In the blinding whirl of snow, his one chance was to hit for the head of Big Hill Valley and follow it down to the ranch. This he tried to do but must have swung too far to the east, for he missed it completely. 

For two days and a night, he wandered on, sometimes riding and sometimes walking to ease his horse but never daring to stop or rest. He knew the risk if he stopped, for once before, when living in Montana, he had had one leg frozen under similar circumstances and as a result was lame in one leg. I can well remember him saying that he was six feet tall when he stood on one leg and five foot eleven when he stood on the other. 

By the end of the second day his horse could no longer be ridden and in fact, could scarcely be kept moving. However, my father hung onto him for he realized that if his own strength gave out he might have to throw the horse to give himself a windbreak and a bit of warmth. 

Fortunately, on the second day, the storm stopped, just before dark, as suddenly as it had begun. My father had no idea where he was and could scarcely see for the ice and snow on his face. However, he kept moving in the direction which he hoped was south and by good luck was met, just before dark, by a rider who was the first person out of Calgary since the storm. I have forgotten this man’s name, but he un 

doubtedly saved my father’s life, for he put him on his own horse and walked beside him while they covered the four miles south into Calgary. My father’s horse had first been unsaddled and turned loose in the hope that he would be able to follow them in, but the poor brute was too far gone and was found dead the next day when a rider was sent out for him. 

My father, except for a few frostbites, was none the worse for his long exposure. However, he told me that on reaching town he found that his palate had become quite numb from eating snow and, this, to a man who enjoyed an occasional hooker of Scotch, must have been pretty trying, I imagine, especially after such an experience. 

I trust that the foregoing may be of some interest. 

William Camden Family

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by Cyril Camden pg 207 Big Hill Country 

My father, William Camden, was born in England and came to Canada at an early age, residing in Winnipeg. He returned to England for a short time and then, accompanied by his wife Ellen, returned to Canada, this time to Calgary in 1912. 

Dad was a stonemason and a stonecutter by profession. He helped in the building of several sandstone buildings in Calgary including the King George School. In 1915, at the request of Charles Fisher, Dad came to Cochrane to work on the large sandstone home that Charles Fisher 

King George School

was building. This home is now being used by the Franciscan Order. 

The family moved to a farm presently owned by Bob Beynon Jr., just west of Cochrane. While there Dad had a dairy business and supplied milk to the residents of Cochrane. He sold his dairy to George Bunney and went back to carpenter work, and the family moved into town. There were four children, George, Elsie, Cyril and Doris. 

Dad helped to construct many buildings in the Cochrane area, and being an expert stonemason, also built many fireplaces in homes around Cochrane, Exshaw and Banff. He helped to build Andison’s Store after the Fisher Block burned. At the request of the Kerfoot family, Dad built a memorial in the Wildcat Hills for a member of the family lost in World War II. For some time Dad was employed at the Exshaw Cement Plant. 

We children all attended school in Cochrane. Doris became a teacher and taught school at Beaupre and Cochrane. She is Mrs. Estabrooks and she and her husband have two children, Ross and Beverly. Elsie never married. She was employed by the Federal Government for many years. 

George and his wife Iris live in Calgary, where George has been a salesman since moving to the city. Prior to leaving Cochrane, he worked at the Chapman Garage. They have two children, Bud and Carol. I enlisted in the Armed 

Services in World War II and after completing war duty became postmaster at Cochrane, a position I held for ten years. I married Mildred Wallace and we have two children, a son Cam and a daughter Wendy. We now farm north of Cochrane. 

Dad was keenly interested in sports of all kinds, but he especially enjoyed curling. He was a member of the Oddfellows and the Masonic Lodges in Cochrane. Mother and Dad were members of All Saints Anglican Church. 

Elsie and Mother both passed away in 1957 and Dad in 1971.

Wallace family

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by Marion Jensen pg 781 More Big Hill Country 1945-1980

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. 

William had put a down payment on a quarter section Sec 12 Twp 25 Range 4 W5M in 1902. His mortgage was held by the North of Scotland Canadian Mortgage Company that handled Canadian Pacific Railway land sales. He paid 8 1/2% interest on land in what was then the Northwest Territories. 

However, it wasn’t until 1905 they sold their little farm near Pakenham in Lanark County, Ontario, and William, loading a boxcar with settler’s effects, headed west. Sarah and the two boys, Harris and Willie, stayed with relatives until William found a farmhouse just west of where the Springbank United Church now stands. They settled there because the Brushy Ridge land had no buildings or houses. William spent the winter hauling hay to feed his cattle five miles to the west. The winter of 1906 was so mild he rarely needed gloves but the winter of 1907 was a different story and his moustache would be a frozen mass when he returned from feeding his livestock. 

The two boys went to school at Springbank until the family moved to the Brushy Ridge land in 1907. The first buildings were of log construction, the house and hen house had sod roofs and they hauled their water from a nearby spring with horse and stoneboat. The house, which still stands, although renovated in the 1960s, was built in 1907 with lumber William hauled from Quigley’s mill north of Cochrane. Carpenters Bill Coates and Bob Anderson earned $2.00 per day! 

The barn was added a couple of years later. In the early 1930’s son, William (Bill) added a cow barn to the south side of the building his Dad had erected, and the original was used as a horse barn. One hundred years later both are still in good condition. 

After marrying Nora Callaway in 1929, Bill and Nora milked cows, shipping cream to Cochrane and to Model Dairies in Calgary. The cream was picked up and delivered to the city by brother-in-law Johnny Arnell who would often pick up grocery orders from William’s Brothers on his return trip. As did most families in the community, Nora and Bill kept chickens, a few turkeys and some range cattle in addition to the small dairy herd. Cows were milked by hand and the cream separator was operated by hand. Electricity arrived in the mid-forties. 

In 1929 William made his last delivery of hay to a livery stable in Calgary by team and wagon. 

Bill and Nora had five children: Marion (Jensen), Kathleen (Beynon), Donna (Morris), Nora Lea (Sinclair), William. Nora Lea died in 1995. The children rode to school at Brushy Ridge until grade nine when they were sent to Calgary high schools. Although there were high schools at Cochrane and Springbank, roads were too bad for school buses. The school division paid the tuition but board and room were the family’s responsibility. 

The farm is now operated by the third generation of the family, William (Bill) Wallace, his wife Kristin and their two daughters, Sarah and Lesley. 

The centennial of the province, coinciding with the farm’s 100th anniversary, created an opportunity to look back and to appreciate the contribution our grand parents, parents and the pioneers of the community made to the history of Alberta. Sarah and William were born just a few years before Confederation and could never have imagined in those horse and buggy days the changes that have occurred in 138 years. They would be amazed to see Calgary and acreage development swallowing up viable farm land. Where once there was a thriving dairy industry, only one operation remains. Much of Springbank is in acreages or commercial development. 

The Wallace farming history that goes back to County Connaught in Ireland will end too. Nora and Bill’s children are the fourth generation Canadian on that side of the family: our great-great-grandparents, Andrew and Isabella, immigrated in the early 1800s to farm in Lanark County, Ontario. Of all their descendants, most of whom farmed, only Bill Wallace remains in the business, and the farm William and Sarah began will soon disappear as the city encroaches more and more on rural land. 

 

The Wallace Farm 100 Years By Kathleen Beynon 

The Wallace family celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the farm their grandparents homesteaded in August of 2005. Sarah and William came west from Lanark, Ontario in 1905, the same year Alberta became a province. 

A group of Edmonton journalists published a book called “Alberta, One Hundred Years a Home”. The picture on the dust cover is a picture of the Wallace Family: William (son of Sarah and William), Kathleen, Donna, Nora Lea, William Jr. Marion and Mother (Nora) are missing. The dog’s name was Jelly Beans. 

The descendants of William and Nora Wallace are all still living in Alberta, except one. Carla Beynon lives in Regina and is an Anchor for CTV, but she is still an Alberta-wanna-be. Alberta is definitely a hundred years a home for our family. 

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Why become or renew CHAPS Membership -2022

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Its time for our 2022 CHAPS Membership drive. We’ve changed our fiscal year to match the calendar year so from here on come January your membership needs renewal.

What do I get out of being a member of CHAPS?

First, some background. While I did grow up here, I left when I was 17 and returned just a few years ago. I am semi-retired and needed something meaningful to fill my time. I became a Director of CHAPS and fell into the role of social media co-coordinator. I was involved in the website refresher project and re-print stories from Big Hill Country, More Big Hill Country, Cochrane Advocate and the Gordon and Belle Hall’s A Peep into the Past newsletter.

I’ve learned that the history of Cochrane and area is as rich as any book or movie. We’ve had royalty from many countries, some of the first and largest ranches in the Canadian west, immigrants from all over have made this place their home, we’ve faced pandemics before, storms, fires and floods have swept the area, we’ve had famous criminals and the policemen that kept the peace. We’ve got stories of early hospitals, how the town evolved, cowboys, artists, poets, horse racing, polo and politicians.

I now know why many of our streets, buildings and landmarks are named the way they are. The people that pioneered this area are real to me and I think that’s important.

CHAPS needs you support to continue operation of the Cochrane Historical Museum. While closed during the pandemic, we still have ongoing costs. We are planning to open this summer if safe to do so and will want to employ students as guides.

So please become or renew your membership. Use the button to get directions on how to do so. Oh, and we have a position on the Executive to fill so please help us out.

You can also help us extend our reach by sharing and commenting on any of our social media sites. It really helps to get our message out. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as well as our website.

Thanks for your time, I hope to see you soon when we resume our monthly meetings.

Memberships

Robert and Kathleen Beynon Family

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by Kathleen Beynon Page 292 More Big Hill Country 1945-1980

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.

The Beynons lived on the farm on the Horse Creek road until the girls, Molly and Ada, had to go to school They then bought 21 acres west of town that had to be the site of the old brickyard (now the community of Glenbow) and lived there until the girls finished school. They moved back to Horse Creek and Bob rode his horse to Cochrane to finish his education. 

When he was eight years old his mother took him to Wales for a visit. On the boat, he would slip away to another deck where passengers taught him to play crib and poker. As a teenager he would work for local farmers doing whatever had to be done: plowing, haying or stooking. After chores, he’d ride to Cochrane to play hockey or baseball. 

My Uncle Johnny Arnell umpired and coached hockey games and on occasion, I got to go with his family to the games. That’s how I met Bob. I was born and raised south of the river in the Brushy Ridge district. Our family of five rode the two and a half miles to Brushy Ridge School until we reached grade nine. Then we were sent to Calgary. The School Division paid our tuition but board and room were not included so we stayed with our Grandmother Sarah Wallace in the Killarney district. 

In November 1950 Bob and I were married. We moved to the Horse Creek farm while Sophie and Jack, Bob’s parents, moved into the little brick house on the Cochrane property. During our two years on the farm, our first daughter, Elaine, was born. While I was in the hospital a terrible hailstorm went through the district, breaking windows and destroying roofing. 

In 1951 Bob got a job with Shell Oil at Jumping Pound. He had to drive to Cochrane to catch a ride or take his turn driving. Bob’s first job with Shell was loading sulphur which was trucked into Cochrane from the Jumping Pound plant and dumped by the tracks. He was one of those loading it on boxcars with a front-end loader. It was a terrible job, the sulphur made his eyes red and sore. And it was smelly. Anything silver in the house turned black from his clothes and hands. Bob worked for Shell for 25 years and, after retiring, did some consulting. He went to Little Rock, Arkansas to start a plant there and later did the same thing in Peace River. After that, he tried real estate and sold houses in Cochrane and Exshaw. 

In the beginning, I was left on the farm with no vehicle and no phone, in an un-insulated drafty old house. Later we moved to town to the little house by the cenotaph and it was here that four more children were added to the family: Cathy, Dwight, Nancy, and Trevor. With only two bedrooms and a postage-size kitchen in the 900 square foot house we decided to build. 

In 1961 Bob’s mother was still in the little brick house and we built beside her. In 1979 our land was annexed into Cochrane, but we kept two lots. However, the brick house was demolished. I saved bricks for a flowerbed and each child got some of them. 

In 1979, with Dorothy Anderson, I started a fabric store, “The Fab Bric House”, located in the Old Chapman house and later moved to the Westwinds Shopping Centre. We carried on with it for 14 years. 

As a youth Bob played hockey and ball and rode as an outrider for Gordon Dingwall. We both golfed and curled. We loved to dance and went to one almost every weekend. We travelled to Australia, Hawaii and the British Isles. We had many parties in our new home after hockey, curling games and on New Year’s Eve. 

Bob died on April 27, 2005. The Horse Creek farm is sold, but Trevor is still currently living there. I continue to live in our house in Glenbow. Elaine lives in Calgary, Cathy in Peace River, Dwight in Dartique, and Nancy in Devon. Our family has grown to include 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Mens Baseball 1940
Bob skipping sheet 3

Photos courtesy CHAPS Archive

2021’s Favourite Stories Top 5

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Here are 2021’s favourite stories as selected by you. 

Click on any photo, title, or button to see the full article.

Robbers Roost 1934

5. The Eymas

One day in desperation Pierre decided to go to Delbeke and tell him in no uncertain terms to keep his cattle in his own field. Pierre changed his mind when he got to Delbekes and claims he got even with him because Marie Delbeke, the oldest daughter, is now Pierre’s wife. 

The Eymas
Norman and Shirley Edge Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame

4. Norman and Shirley Edge

 With the formation of the Western Heritage Centre, a joint venture of the Historical Association and the Stockmen’s Foundation, Shirley was its first president. The memorable 1990 Cattle Drive to raise funds for this centre was indeed most successful. Both Norman and Shirley were inducted into the Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame in October 2007. 

Norman and Shirley Edge
Dartigue Hall - Mrs. Florence Stearns

3. Dartigue Lodge

Before 1933 dances and parties were held in homes or the one-roomed schools. As the population in the district increased the houses were all too small for parties. Often all the furniture in the houses was set outside on party night, which was fine if it didn’t rain.

Dartigue Lodge

2. Clarence and Rose McGonigle

Rose and Clarence have taken on many responsibilities in service clubs, the church and sports groups, including actively campaigning for new facilities that have been built for sports and activities new to the area. 

Clarence and Rose McGonigle
Grahams Pharmacy. Alice and Bob

1. Grahams Pharmacy

In those days there was no mixed drinking allowed in Calgary bars so people travelled to Cochrane to the local hotel. Many ladies in distress were left on the streets of Cochrane by their companions.

Graham's Pharmacy

2021’s Top Stories Part 1

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We hope you enjoy Part 1 of 2021’s top stories as selected by you. Stay tuned tomorrow for our top 5.

Click on any photo, title or button to see the entire article.

Towers and Wearmouth Cattle being run in for branding

10. Towers family

Leslie was born in a log house at the junction of the Bow and Elbow rivers at Calgary in 1884. At that time Calgary was mostly tents. Leaving Calgary, Frank began to accumulate some cattle and by the time the C.P.R. reached Mitford, he had approximately 90 head. The railway inspector came along one day and told him he could not hold two jobs and advised him to take up land and look after his cattle.

Towers family

9. Ghost Ranger Station – Hills

Disoriented hunters were common and often a source of amusement, as in their words “they weren’t lost, just didn’t know where they’d left their vehicle.” They always got out okay, though after a couple of nights in the bush huddling by a campfire or taking refuge in an old trapper shack, their faces and clothes often so black with soot their own wives probably couldn’t recognize them.

Ghost Ranger Station - Hills
Cochrane $20 Dollar Specimen featuring Norman Frank Edge

8. Talk about Traditions, Edge family

During the 1974 Calgary Stampede, Norman, together with Eddie Watrin and Pete Vandermeer was honoured as old-time cowboys. Each was presented with a framed picture and Silver cufflinks. The inscription reads: “Norman Edge in appreciation for your contribution to rodeo, Calgary Exhibition and Stampede 1974.”

Traditions, Edge Family
Cattle drive on the Copithorne Ranch - Flickr

7. Copithorne a true Alberta builder

Building the Fort Vermilion bridge was one of Clarence’s major projects as highway’s minister. This is the largest, most northerly bridge in North America

Copithorne, Alberta Builder
Kitchen

6. Bates Bar J Ranch

We went on trail rides every morning and afternoon, went swimming at the swimmin’ hole, ate in the common area, slept in chilly dorms, learned how to build shelters out of boughs, shot bows and arrows, and went on hayrides. Just about the perfect place for kids.

Bates Bar J Ranch

There they are, 5 of our most popular stories from 2021. We hope you find them entertaining and stay tuned tomorrow for our top 5.

Cochrane Roots of Roland Gissing

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pg 56 A Peep into the Past Vol 2 1994 Gordon and Belle Hall

Roland Gissing was born in England in the year 1895, the son of Algernon Gissing. He was a nephew of the well-known English novelist and critic George Gissing and a brother of Alvin Gissing, who, for a short time was in 1927 owner and editor of the Cochrane Advocate. 

Roland came to Canada in 1913 hoping to make living as a cowboy. He worked at various ranches in the district and even tried homesteading in the Raven River country west of Innisfail. In 1916 Gissing went to the western United States. There he became friends with Will James the writer and cowboy artist. Here Roland became interested in sketching cowboys and horses. 

In late 1918 Roland Gissing joined the forces but contacted the Spanish flu in Quebec and was discharged. In 1919 he was back in Alberta where he had many friends who called him Gus. Gus worked at Delbecks and Brooks sawmill and D.P. McDonald calf camp. 

Gissing bought some land just north of the Ghost Lake bridge on the east side of the lake. He helped Major Mortimer who ran a roadhouse on the south of Gissing’s property. He was rewarded with a set of oil paints that had once belonged to Lionel Barrymore. Gissing started to paint in earnest at this point. He sketched cowboys and horses but his main interest was oils. In 1925 myself and my father went to the West Coast with the Peter Welsh stable of show horses in which father was a trainer. Gus gave us 25 pencil and ink sketches to take with us to try and sell them at $1 each. There were two left and Gissing gave them to us and I still have them. 

“If you see an oil painting so truly beautiful that it makes you proud, and perhaps a little homesick for the Alberta foothills, then it is probably a Gissing landscape.”

A broadcast over CFCN, CFRN, CKRD, CJOC Tweet
Roland Gissing courtesy Glenbow Archives

Gissing’s first exhibition was held in Booths Galleries in Calgary in 1925 and was quite successful, but it was not until 1932 that he was able to make a good living at art. His art has been exhibited and sold all over the world and has won many awards. In 1933 Roland married Enie Gillies, one of his nearest neighbours. Some of his hobbies included weaving on a loom he built himself. He prepared and dyed wool and wove saddle blankets. He made model trains, exact in every detail and with every type of passenger and freight cars. He built lengthy railway tracks beside his house with bridges and tunnels. His four-wheel-drive locomotives of the British type were a wonder to behold. 

Disaster struck on Friday, March 3, 1944, when Gissing’s house and studio burned. They lost their home, art, library and steam trains. Gissing built a new home but soon sold out and went to Okotoks. Enie Gissing passed away in the 1960s and Roland remarried. His new wife was Ester Glockgin (nee Skogheim), a native of Hardisty. Roland died in 1967 and Ester still makes her home in Calgary

Frank Hennessey, Gordon Davies & Hamish McNaughton Kerfoot with unknown Gissing painting
Roland Gissing Paintings 1928

Additional reading

A history of the Bow River Horse Ranch

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pg 5 A peep into the past Vol 2, 1994 Gordon and Belle Hall

The Bow River Horse Ranch was a spinoff of the Cochrane Ranche. It took over the leases held by the British American Ranch Co. The British American Ranch was formed in 1884 by the original shareholders of the Cochrane Ranche. In 1888 a new company known as the Bow River Ranch Co. was formed and took over the British American Ranch leases. This new ranch occupied part of the old Cochrane Ranche territory and extended eight to 10 miles along the south side of the Bow River. John Morrison was the manager from 1888 – 1890 after which time Mr. Goddard was appointed to the post. Gilbert Edwin Goddard was born in 1861 in South Devon England. In 1881 he left England and after working in the U.S.A. for a time, came to Canada and in 1888 became a bookkeeper at the Bow River Horse Ranch. 

In 1893 Goddard formed a partnership with two brothers, E.H. and W.P. Warner and acquired control of the Bow River Horse Ranch. The Warners were from Quorn Hall Loughborough, England, the same part of England the promoters of the Quorn Ranch came from. Gilbert Goddard married Luella Grasse, the only daughter of Peter Grasse at Innisfail in 1900. She was an accomplished horsewoman. Goddard built up the ranch with barns, fences and corrals. French Coach and Clyde horses were imported and bred for sale to the mounted police and on the English market. Purebred Angus cattle were imported, and crops of oats and barley were raised. Goddard was remembered by a large lake named after him. Goddard Lake lay north and a bit west of the Springbank Airport. The old Banff Coach Road ran around the north side of the lake. However, the lake has now dried up and the lake bottom has been farmed. In 1918 the ranch was sold to a prince from Naples, Italy and the Goddard family moved to Victoria B.C. The prince, however, couldn’t pay for it and the ranch was repossessed. 

In 1925 it was finally sold to Barons Joseph and Endre Csavasay, Hungarian noblemen. Many ranchers of the early days had at some time worked on the Bow River Horse Ranch. Teddy Harrison of Jumping Pound, Alex Mackay of Cochrane and Clem Gardner at age 17. These are just a few who have worked at the Bow River Horse Ranch.

Images courtesy former Glenbow Archive

Beside stables. Barons Josef and Endre Csavossy purchased Bow River Horse Ranch, Cochrane area, Alberta in 1925. They changed the name to Bow River Ranch since they did not intend to focus on raising horses. Legacy Identifier: na-1019-23 Unique identifier: CU174714
Beside barns. Barons Josef and Endre Csavossy purchased Bow River Horse Ranch, Cochrane area, Alberta in 1925. They changed the name to Bow River Ranch since they did not intend to focus on raising horses. Legacy Identifier: na-1019-22 Unique identifier: CU174807
Staircase right. Barons Josef and Endre Csavossy purchased Bow River Horse Ranch, Cochrane area, Alberta in 1925. They changed the name to Bow River Ranch since they did not intend to focus on raising horses. Legacy Identifier: na-4312-36 Unique identifier: CU1118588
Bow River Ranch Dining Room 1900

Just Home Ranch home to many families

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pg 40 A Peep into the Past 1990 Vol 1 by Gordon and Belle Hall

 

The Justhome Ranch was the brainchild of Harry and Jack McConachie. They bought the C.W. Fisher mansion and property from Jack Tweddle in or about the early ’40s. They also bought three-quarter sections on the north side of the Big Hill Creek, also a section of land on Horse Creek, known as the old Garson section. 

They built a big barn and sheds, also workers residences on the C.W. Fisher site and also finished the big stone house. Harry and Jack had two or three carpenters working steadily. The foreman of the carpenters was a Bob Henderson. The McConachie’s were related to Grant McConachie, president of CP Airlines. Grant McConachie started out as a bush pilot and Uncle Harry bought his first airplane, and also financed him in his ventures. 

The Justhome Ranch was home to a number of families: the Sam Bloods, the George Morris family, Jim McPeak family, Scotty and Terry McConachie, Charles and Olive Clark and Pete Tindal and family, to name a few. Across the creek where the Boothby’s now live was Bob and Mary Hogarth Sr. The McConachies built a big barn on this property too, as well as a large modern granary and machine shed. 

 

Boothby Ranch Barn and Outbuildings built by McConachies

They stocked the ranch with cattle from the Justamere Farms at Camrose. Horses were Percherons from Jonathan Fox at Lloydminister, American Saddle Horse from Fulkerth at Didsbury and sheep from the P.J. Rock Farms at Drumheller. 

I started working at the home place in the fall of 1943, and Belle and I, and Ronnie lived in the stone cottage next to the big stone house. Our pay was $100 per month plus eggs and milk and free lodging. The McConachie’s left quite a bit of money in the country one way or another. They broke about 500 acres of land on the north quarters and on one field got 105 bushels per acre of oats.

Drawing titled Meadow Creek from A Peep into the Past

An amusing thing happened one fall. Old Jack at noon collected the workers in various fields and brought them home for lunch. He was supposed to take us out again at 1 p.m.; however, Jack loved to have a snooze after lunch and sometimes it was 1:30 p.m. before he showed up. This galled Harry, so one day, while everyone was having lunch, he placed a smoke bomb under the hood of the Chev panel attaching the fuse to the sparkplug. Jack arrives about 1:30, turns on the key and poof, there was black smoke coming from under the hood. Jack jumped out yelling “fire,” and the workers were running for fire extinguishers. However, upon raising the hood, the joke was discovered. 

The McConachie’s kept the property until 1949 when the home ranch was sold to the Franciscan order as a retreat house. The land north of the Big Hill Creek was sold to the Boothby’s and progeny from the Percheron horses are being raised by Jack Bates of the Bates Bar J Ranch. 

JW Boothby buys Just Home Ranch

More Reading

Rocks and Stones littered Main Street in Early Years

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pg 58 A Peep into the Past Vol. 1 1990 Gordon and Belle Hall

The main street in Cochrane, in the early days, was something to be desired. The street was dirt with huge rocks and stones on it, plus many mud holes when it rained. The first main street ran from one end of the village to the other. In the east end of the village, the avenue called Pope Avenue, which runs north and south or north from the new R.C.M.P. building was the road going through town and up the hill. It ran up the hill to the first plateau, went on the south side of Copithorne’s place and made a wide sweep around the hill to the east. 

In later years, about 1927, it was made farther up the hill, near the village, to where it turns now down into town, in line with the new post office, then west down the main street. In front of the new post office, the village fathers planted an eight-inch round post in the center of the street, then put boards around the post to make a square box, which was about six feet high. The signpost acquired the name of the “Silent Policeman”. The Silent Policeman had a sign and arrow on it pointing out the route to Calgary. The post stood there until the next Halloween when some small fry (not me this time) got a large wooden toilet on some kind of wagon or truck. They backed up to the Silent Policeman and dumped the toilet over it. The post of the Policeman came up through the hole, and there she sat. 

The next morning, someone had put up the dining room sign from the hotel over the door of the shanty. There was quite an uproar as to how the toilet could be raised up over the post. Chapman Bros. garage tow truck was brought into play as it was the only apparatus in town with a winch on it; a hand winch at that. It took the better part of the day to get the toilet high enough to clear the post. Then after all this work, the town fathers thought they should put a cement Policeman there. They built it big and strong; about four feet across at the base and about two feet at the top. In the face of this huge block, the workmen installed a big red reflector. One of the local farmers, who had too much to drink at the local watering hole, drew up to it with his car and waited half hour for the light to change to green. However, as time went on and traffic got heavier, there were some bad accidents on the turn at the bottom of the hill such as the Police barracks smash. The powers that be decided to move some houses and make a straight run through town. That is the way the road is now, with some more changes contemplated.

Silent Policeman 1920
Copithorne Diary on current site of Glen Eagles Golf Course
CPR Station from Main Street. Webster family photo

Small Pox swept village in 1908

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pg 35 A peep into the past by Gordon and Belle Hall 1990

There were not too many buildings in evidence in Cochrane in a picture taken in 1895. The Anglican and Catholic churches are in the picture., along with a few houses, and the building where MacKay’s Ice Cream is located. The Murphy House or hotel is in the picture, along with about eight 10 other houses. 

From this point until the first world war, was boom time for the little village. Around 1900 the Orangemen from the Orange Lodge #1813 built the hall that the Rebekah Lodge had. This hall was used for many years for dances, concerts, minstrel shows and many other activities. The lighting for the hall was gas lamps. These lamps hung on the wall and with copper lines were fed from a pressure tank. Kerosene lamps were also used. 

In 1908 a smallpox epidemic hit the village, and going through the old council minute books, I find council ordered a supply of tents from Calgary. The tents were erected down near the Bow River and the smallpox patients were all put in isolation there. Whoever looked after the patients were not allowed near the town, and foodsstuff and medicine was left near the compound. May be a tough way to do things, but smallpox was very deadly. 

Medical Record 1916 E. Davies No smallpox scars

More reading

The roaring game has changed in Cochrane

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pg 34 A Peep into the Past Vol.1 Gordon and Belle Hall

The “roaring game” curling was known as. It took up the winter as a sport. The old rink was located the next lot south of where the senior centre or old post office is and in early years just north of the blacksmith shop. 

It was natural ice with water being hauled up from the creamery well by a tank wagon. With a sidewalk down between two sheets of ice. five barrels of water were placed about 15 feet apart, then filled with water and all turned over at once. This flow of water, about 225 or so gallons, levelled itself and froze. 

One amusing thing happened when I was working for Frank Fletcher, the carpenter, in 1930. We were sharpening saws in our shop, which was Bailey’s Old Bakery which stood where the senior centre stands. Seems the curlers had gotten tired of hauling water and were digging a well in or under the coal bin in the front part of the rink. Whoever was digging had struck a massive rock about the feet down, and they had hired Arthur Kirkland from Cochrane Lake area to cope with it. Arthur decided to blow it up with dynamite. Baron Cyvossey had a Tiger Moth airplane which he used to fly up the river from his home at Bow River Horse Ranch. Guess what. This day here comes the Baron about 200 feet up, and of course, everyone went outside to see the plane. 

He just got overhead when Arthur’s dynamite cut loose, Now Kirkland may have been a good well man, but he must have put enough powder into blow up half of Cochrane. Rocks and dirt and pieces of the roof of the shed went sky-high, and there wasn’t a world war vet who wasn’t laying in a ditch or wherever else they could find. Anyhow, Arthur got rid of the boulder, the rink got a well, and put a pump in and had their own water to make ice with. People found out later that the Baron wasn’t trying to bomb Cochrane after all. 

Chinook winds were hard on curling ice, the sheets of ice would become sheets of water until another cold snap came along, then curling resumed. It seemed every one of any importance curled, like the Chapman brothers, Bob and Andy, the Beynons, the Davis’s, F.L. Gainer from the station, Jim Maguire, Earl Whittle, Arthur Crawford, the Moores, Earl Gammon and many more. 

There were a few club rocks but a lot of curlers had their own, some large, up to 48 pounds down to 42 pounds. I remember a small pair of black granite rocks about 38 pounds that belonged to Father Hermus. The ladies were involved too: Mrs. Maguire, the McNamee’s, Elsie Camden, my own sister Doris Hall, Vi Hogarth and Mrs. Garson, to name a few.

Cochrane Curling Rink 1970s

The Simpson Cup was played for by the men. Banff Canmore and Cochrane, they played 16 ends. Whoever won took the cup home. Then there was always the McDonald Briar playdowns. The Banff Carnival was good for a week’s curling. Weather permitting, there would be one or two teams going to Banff. Our own bonspiel was a week long affair with two sheets of ice at the rink and then they would make another four or so on the skating rink, outside mind you. 

Visiting teams brought their own rocks, as did teams going to Banff or Calgary had to take rocks with them. There was usually coffee to be had at the clubhouse and somebody would be playing crib or king pedro which I haven’t seen played since. 

As the year’s passed, a new rink was built by the United Church, artificial ice was installed, the style of curling changed. We got the slide delivery which I think aims the rock instead of throwing it from the hack. Shirt sleeve curling, the rink was warmer, better lighting, and of course more money for dues. Now, we have gone to a fully modern rink with less curlers it seems, and I am sure they have no more fun than we had years ago playing the roaring game.

Curling Rink W Laidlaw (caretaker), Unknown, E Davies

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