A Peep at the Area’s Pioneering Ranches

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from a Collection of Historic Poems and Short Stories by Gordon and Belle Hall Volume II.

It is very interesting to research some of the very early ranchers in Alberta. The Dominion Land Act of 1872 opened up the west to homesteaders. The north immediately began to settle. However, due to Blackfoot hostility, the area south of the Bow River remained empty of white men [sic] except for a few traders and “Wolfers” from south of the border. The first fort at Spitze (High River) was built by the whiskey trader “One Spot’ Samples in 1865. 

With the coming of the North West Mounted Police in 1874, things quieted down, the whiskey traders were muzzled. However, the area was not safe for settlers until after the signing of the Treaty of 1877 which put the Blackfoot on reservations [sic]. In 1879 Tom Lynch and George Emerson trailed 1,000 head of cattle from Montana and established the Rocking P Ranch four miles west of High River. About the same time, O.H. Smith established a ranch on the upper Highwood. In 1882 he sold it to Fred Ings. The next year Stimson started the Bar U. Although Fred Ings and his brother Walter named their spread the Rio Alta Ranch almost a century later it was still known locally as O.H. brand was one of the first four brands registered and is the oldest brand in Alberta. During the early eighties, thousands of head of cattle and horses were trailed from the States. Crossed with British bulls, those tough Longhorns formed the foundations of Alberta’s cattle industry. As the railroad pushed westward the government encouraged settlement. 

The Cochrane Ranche Co. was formed sometime prior to 1881. Their headquarters was one mile west of the present town of Cochrane, with the present boundaries the site is closer than one mile. In the spring of 1881 Major Walker went to the States and purchased 6,800 head of cattle at a price of $18 per head, to be delivered at the border. The I.G. Baker Co. contracted to deliver the cattle to the Cochrane Ranche for $2,50 per head. The drive consisted of 30 cowboys, and 300 head of horses. Arriving at Cochrane Ranche after a hard drive on which many of the cattle perished, and although it was a mild winter, many more cattle perished. A second herd was brought up from the States the following year. Poindexter and Orr undertook to deliver the new herd to the Cochrane Ranche at $2.75 a head. The winter of 1882-83 was a disaster for Cochrane Ranche and thousands of cattle died, due mainly to the chinook winds which put a crust on the snow, and the fact that the new herd arrived here late in October after the winter had started. The following year, 1884, the Ranche was moved to a new location near Waterton Lakes. 

Gilbert Ranch 1950 formerly Cochrane Ranche

Digitally Preserving Alberta’s Diverse Cultural Heritage has a very interesting article on the history and research done on the site and includes the above photo of the Ranche Site.

Jean Dartigue

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JEAN D’ARTIGUE ALSO NAMED JOHN D’ARTIGUE PEYRON BROCQ – by Ellen Buckler 

Jean D’Artigue, known locally as John D’Artigue, was born in France in 1855 and educated to be a teacher. He travelled to Canada and answered an advertisement in a newspaper calling for volunteers for The North West Mounted Police. His experiences are recorded in a book he wrote after his discharge from the Police Force and published in Toronto by Hunter Rose and Company. 

Jean D’Artigue was the author of Six Years in the Canadian North West.” This book was the first book ever written concerning the North West Mounted Police and the first book ever written about the Force by a man who had served in its ranks. On April 14, 1874, at the age of 20, Jean D’Artigue was accepted into the North West Mounted Police Force. Enlisting in Montreal, he headed West to Manitoba in July of 1874, to join the Force’s famous march West. He was a member of “A” Troop, which travelled northwest to Fort Edmonton. 

Mr. D’Artigue attempted to furnish the Canadian public with an account of the trials, privations, and adventures which the men encountered and the results of the great expedition. He tells of the journey into the far North West and his acquaintance with the Indians in their primeval state, and the return from Fort Saskatchewan by boat and rail to Quebec. 

Mr. D’Artigue’s experiences on the vast grasslands came to an end on April 14, 1880, when he took his discharge. He sailed for Liverpool in the fall of 1880 en route to his native France. 

In the early 1880s, Jean D’Artigue returned to Western Canada and settled on Spencer Creek, a short distance north of the Bow River. In 1883 he moved north to the Dog Pound Creek to settle. 

The land was later surveyed as SE 14 24-28-5 5. Alex McLachlin built his house for him. 

In 1884 he returned to France and brought his two nephews, Charles and John Pedeprat, and his brother and sister-in-law back to Canada with him. In 1888 John D’Artigue’s brother and his wife moved away from the Dog Pound area. 

In 1890 Jean D’Artigue mortgaged his homestead to secure $225.00 with interest at 15% per year. He held an auction sale in 1895 to finish paying this debt. 

Mr. and Mrs. Shea, also Mr. and Mrs. Piere and daughter Sammy lived with Jean for a while. Mrs. Shea and Mrs. Piere were his nieces. Sammy did very well with her studies, as her great uncle taught her while she stayed with him. The Pieres returned to France. Mr. and Mrs. Shea moved to the Beaver Dam area. When Mr. Shea passed away Mrs. Shea married Barney Madden. It is rumoured that Mr. Shea asked Mr. Madden to look after his wife when he was gone, or if he didn’t, he’d come back and haunt him. She is remembered by neighbours as “that friendly French lady who always did her wash in the Beaver Dam Creek.” 

Mrs. Agnes Hutchinson remembers going with her father Charles Perrenoud to Mr. D’Artigue’s place to buy wine. Mr. D’Artigue had a tube through the wall from a barrel in the kitchen to his bedroom so he could have a sip in bed. She also remembers lifting the lid off the canner on the stove and seeing furry bodies boiling up, whole gophers, presumably for the chickens. Her uncle, Vincent Phipps, looked after Walter Hutchinson’s cattle on the D’Artigue place upon the Dog Pound and talks of being given too much wine in the corral. 

“One time when Mr. D’Artigue stayed with us (Perrenouds), he read the Range Men by L. V. Kelly, and he enjoyed reading about General Steele, as he once travelled with him. One time they came to a river that was rough. Mr. D’Artigue fastened a rope around his waist and swam across. He said he was very strong at that time. The horses and carts then followed, then the other livestock. One time when a horse died while pulling a cart, it had to be replaced by a cow. General Steele didn’t think much of that, but Mr. D’Artigue thought it was a big joke.” 

 

Mrs. Perrenoud remembers John D’Artigue quite well. He was a big strong man who hated cameras, but the private detective portraying “Cannon” on television reminds her of him. He was a great walker and always walked around the country to visit or on business. 

In January 1914, Jean D’Artigue took out his Canadian citizenship. 

Mrs. Mary Houghton remembers Mr. D’Artigue as being very friendly especially with young people. Her sister and brother-in-law, the Jim Myrams, were his neighbours. When Cecil Myram had the croup, Mr. D’Artigue fixed up some mixture, using homemade brandy and other things, it was a sure cure. Mrs. Houghton rode the range checking on the cattle and remembers the snake fence of rails all around the D’Artigue property. Mr. D’Artigue took in bulls to pasture for the winter. In the summer he made sandals from ends of apple boxes, which he wore in the summer. He froze his feet very severely when he was lost in a storm while he was with the Mounted Police. He spent months in the hospital in Fort Saskatchewan. This may have been the reason for making his own sandals. He later suffered from rheumatism. 

In the spring of 1914, a public road was built through the D’Artigue land. Mr. D’Artigue rented land to Mrs. Oldaker. Later D. M. McRae, Fred Sholtz, A. Harrison, M. S. Matthews, John Morgan, and Jim Reeve also rented it. Mr. D’Artigue had protected the beaver. There were about 50 of them destroying the timber, so Mr. Harrison was issued a permit in 1921 to trap 20 beaver, but all pelts were to be sent to the Department of Agriculture in Edmonton.

The D’Artigue School District No. 3814 was formed with A. G. Butler as secretary-treasurer. Later D. M. McRae, A. Wells, and S. Tyrell held this office. As the school was never built, most families with school children moved out closer to a school. In later years a school bus served this area and Bill Postlethwaite bused children first to Chapelton, then to the Consolidated School at Westbrook. 

Mr. D’Artigue went to California in the winter, as he was finding the winters harsh and his health was declining. He’d bring back cases of huge oranges which he’d hand out to children and friends. Often children had never had an orange before so it was especially treasured. 

Mr. D’Artigue never married. Maybe the time he first went to an Indian settlement, where a white man had never been, was an experience he never forgot. As a special gift, the chief offered him an Indian maiden for a wife. He didn’t want to offend them, but he had to do some talking to get out of the situation unattached. By explaining he’d have to get permission from his superior, he was able to leave and made a point of not returning to that area. 

In 1921 Mr. D’Artigue returned to France and on June 6, 1924, he passed away at the age of 69. He had written six books that were published, but not all were translated into English. There is a French copy at the Glenbow Foundation Library. In 1930 his ranch was sold to Lloyd Birkett. This land is now owned by a former mayor of Calgary, Jack Leslie. The Dartigue Lodge, where many good times have been had and still continue to be, was named in his memory.

Dartigue Lodge

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from Big Hill Country, Cochrane and Area 1977 pg 461

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. 

In 1933 Paul Swanson, Cliff and Ben Henry, Joe and Fred Taylor called a meeting regarding the building of a community hall. Everyone agreed that the need for a community hall in the district was long overdue. 

Deeded land was donated by the Henry Brothers on the northwest corner of the NW14 18 28-4-5 and a log hall was built and opened in 1934. The hall was named Dartigue, after Jean D’Artigue who was one of the first homesteaders in the area. 

The logs were hauled from the bush back of Paul Swanson’s ranch. Everyone in the district turned out to help. Some of the helpers were: Paul Swanson, Arthur Wells, Howard Southwood, George Nelson, Alex Moore, Charlie Copithorne, Dave Bryant, Jimmie Reeve and sons, Joe and Fred Taylor, Don Patterson, Rolfe Tempany, George Sherriff, Ben and Cliff Henry, Sam Pratt, Guy Gano, Harry Viney, Joe Gray and sons,  Ollie Tidball, Milford Boucher, Fred Howard, Les Chadderton, Pearl and Lloyd Birkett, Henry Whitfield, Billy and George McKay, Harvey Perrin, Slim Moore, Harry Wright, Tom and Johnny Zuccolo, Hank Fricke, Sam McDonald, Ed Bundt, Mac Allan, and Ken Florer. 

The log work on the four corners was done by Milford Boucher, Dave Bryant, Harvey Perrin and Jim Reeve. Alex Moore and Dave Bryant hewed the top logs flat so the rafters could be placed. The rafters were hauled to Zuccolo’s where Tom and John sawed one side of the rafters flat so the open-beam ceiling would have a log effect. Hank Fricke and Zuccolos sawed and donated most of the lumber. 

At first, the floor was just of ordinary boards, but soon enough money was raised to install a hardwood dance floor which was sold to the community at cost. George Sherriff took care of the outdoor plumbing. 

Mrs. Birkett, who lived just across the road from the hall, saw to it that the boys had lots of hot coffee and tea. 

Winter employment during the 1930s was almost nil, and young and old alike enjoyed having something worthwhile to do and did not mind donating their help. 

The women in the district under the leadership of Ivy Swanson made a quilt for a raffle and collected donations from Cochrane and Calgary. Woolworths donated the cups; Black’s Jewellers donated a lovely clock which was later stolen. Other places of business gave similar donations. 

The neatest little log balcony was built on the inside of the west end and it was faced with rows of tiny, six-inch willow branches nailed across the front. The words “Dartigue Lodge” were placed in the centre and were also made of little willow twigs. This tedious work was done by a man staying with the Henry brothers. His name was Turk. 

The first dance in the hall was held in the fall of 1934. So many people came, one could hardly dance, and everyone was wishing the hall had been built bigger. 

For several years as many people came with horses as with cars. On cold nights horses were best, as cars had to be started about every hour to keep the water in the radiators from freezing. 

Many young people rode to the dances. At that time girls just didn’t dance in their overalls, so girls that rode would change into their dresses up on the balcony. On cold nights the dances lasted until daylight. 

For years the music was supplied by Gene Winchell’s orchestra; Mr. Howard, piano-only; the Bosch orchestra from Water Valley; and sometimes Gazeley’s orchestra, all of whom supplied good old-time music. For a few years during the war, the hall was not used very much. Finally, the Handy Annie Ladies’ group cleaned and polished the inside of the hall and held benefit dances there. 

The hall has been broken into several times. Unfortunately, there are some who do not appreciate the hard toil it took to build the hall for their convenience. The last time the hall was broken into a very valuable picture, painted by Granny Winchell, and a picture of the workers standing on the top logs of the hall before it was finished, were stolen. Paul Swanson, now 84 years old, has offered a reward to anyone knowing where these pictures are.

From Google Earth
from facebook

Rose and Clarence McGonigle

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Thanks to RW Dickason for becoming a member, volunteering for CHAPS and getting involved in the retelling of this story from More Big Hill Country 1945-1980 .

Clarence McGonigle, the seventh child and fifth son of William and Kate McGonigle, was born in the homestead shack with Mrs. Bush as a midwife on December 30, 1916. With the exception of two years in high school at Bedford Collegiate in Saskatoon, childhood and adolescence were spent on the home farm. 

Rose Marie Becotte was born on September 17, 1920, in the Unity Hospital in Saskatchewan. She was the second child of four born to Adelard and Florida Becotte. Rose was seven and one-half years old when the family moved close enough to the Seagram School so she could attend for twelve years. 

Clarence McGonigle and Rose Becotte were married on February 10, 1943, at Unity, Saskatchewan on a -40 degree winter day. After several years on a rented farm and the arrival of three daughters, the family moved to Turner Valley, Alberta in 1947. In 1950 further opportunities in the Gas and Oil industry attracted the family to Cochrane, Alberta. Clarence worked on the construction of a processing plant for the Shell Oil Company. 

After construction, employment as an operator followed, Which lasted for twenty-five years. Clarence retired in 1976. Rose still resides in the West Valley Community in Cochrane on McGonigle Place West. 

During the ensuing years the family grew to eleven, five girls and six boys in the following order: Flora, Patsy and Sheila born before moving to Alberta; Clarice born while living in Turner Valley; and Glen, Dan, Lyle, Meryl, Shawn, and twins Murray and Mary born while living in Cochrane, Alberta. After all eleven children were on their own, Rose went to work at the Big Hill Lodge where she made enough money for her first long holiday to Eastern Canada. Since then Rose has travelled to many countries and most continents of the world. 

All five girls were active in community youth groups, which included Girl Guides, C.G.I.T., band and the Church choir, as well as being active in local sports such as basketball, volleyball, swimming, badminton and hockey. 

The six boys were all involved in Boy Scouts, the School Band and local sports teams; hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, badminton and football. 

Flora graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Education. She married Darrell Newsome in 1967 and they live on a farm in Cremona, Alberta. They have three girls and one boy. All four children are married and Darrell and Flora have six grandchildren. 

Pat graduated from the Holy Cross Hospital as a Registered Nurse. She married Bill Bateman and they live on a ranch in the Jumping Pound District, south of Cochrane, Alberta. They have two sons and one daughter. They also have two grandsons. 

Sheila graduated from the Holy Cross Hospital as a Registered Nurse. She married Gary Walroth and they lived most of their married life in Kelowna, British Columbia. They have two daughters, one son, and two grandsons. 

Clarice attended the University of Calgary in accounting and works as an accountant in Grand Prairie, Alberta. She married Harvey Biehn and they have two daughters, one son and two grandchildren. 

Glen attended Olds College and is now a Correctional Officer at the Remand Center, Calgary Alberta. Glen married Vivian Jehn and they have one son and one daughter. 

Dan graduated from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology as an electronics technician and has worked for Alberta Government Telephone and Telus and is currently in management with Telus. He married Rosemarie Gilchrest and between them, they have two sons and two daughters. Dan and Rosemarie have three grandchildren. 

Lyle attended the University of Saskatoon and graduated as a veterinarian. He then attended the University of Alberta and graduated as a medical doctor. He is now a pediatrician in Edmonton. He married Donna Scott and between them, they have three sons and two daughters. At this time they have eight grandchildren. 

Meryl went to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in the electronics field. He is in management in the manufacturing industry. He has one son and one daughter. 

Shawn attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and became a machinist. He is now manager of France Compressor Products servicing the oil industry. He is married to Wendy Thon and they have one daughter and one granddaughter. 

Murray also attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in the powerline trade. He is now in management for Enmax Power Corporation to Lynn Mac Donald and they live on an acreage near Strathmore with their many horses, dogs and cats. 

Mary graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Education degree and is teaching in Springbank. She married Pat Magee and they have two sons and one daughter. They live on an acreage in the Sibbald Flats area west of Jumping Pound. 

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 not only belonged to many organizations but took on a leading role in most: Group Committee Chairman of Boy Scouts, Recreation Board President for five years, twice Noble Grand of Odd Fellows, co-chairman of Cochrane Ranche Society, Vice-chairman of Heritage Association, Big Hill Lodge Activity Society, started and led a local 4-H Horse Club, first Vice-President of the Agricultural Society, and Superintendent of Sunday School for many years, to name a few. Clarence was also recognized and honoured for some of these positions: Cochrane’s Citizen of the Year in 1982, an outstanding service honour from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Lions Club Melvin Jones Award and he was one of four Canadians who received a special St. John’s Ambulance citation from Governor General George Vanier for his work as a first aid instructor. Rose also volunteered and received recognition, especially for her work with the Lioness Club in Cochrane, a Life Membership. This was all accomplished while raising and educating eleven children! 

Rose recalls Cochrane when they first moved here in 1950. “There was no water, no gas, no pavement, no inside plumbing and we had boardwalks on the main street.” They had to haul water or melt snow for all their water needs. At that time Cochrane had between four hundred and five hundred people. 

One of the best memories of their years in Cochrane was participating in the Hooves of History Cattle Drive in 1990. Clarence rode his horse and Rose rode in the wagon. The years living in Cochrane have been busy and happy. 

Vivian McGonigle passed away in 1990, Clarence McGonigle in 1993, and Gary Walroth in 2001.

Presidents Message 2020 Year End

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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought new kinds of challenges to the Cochrane Historical Museum, especially if we have to remain shut for any length of time. How best can we evolve to reflect the current situation? How can free flow display rooms be converted into directional paths? What might our role be post-Covid-19? These are critical questions that fall within the remit of our museum’s role in our community. The current crisis has forced the Board of Directors to consider questions that have been emergent in this current situation and we have been responding to them, to help our museum remain firm in front of any storm but also lead to emerge stronger and more resilient. 

These are truly unprecedented times, and thanks to the determination and selfless acts of our volunteers, our Society is more secure and more grounded. Being a volunteer is a demanding task, so thank you for contributing so much of your time, energy, and efforts. You did an excellent job and you are so appreciated. 

The role of our museum in education, communication, research, heritage preservation, and our social responsibility is enormous. Thus, it is the responsibility of all of us to support our Society so that we can face the post-Covid-19 challenges. Last year the world turned upside down may next year turn it back again 

Even as we face unprecedented challenges and fears in the years to come, the show must, and will, go on. I thank you once again and wish you all the very best. 

Thank you, 

Larry Want

Presidents Message for year end July 31, 2020

The recent cataclysmic past year has been a true test of our resilience, and certainly some of the most challenging of our lives and careers. Like so many museums and cultural institutions around the world, we temporarily closed our doors, which lead to concern about our future, but it is also an overwhelming sense of solidarity, knowing that we are all in this together. I believe that our Society and our museum play a crucial role in seeing our community through these tough times.

Our volunteers have jumped into action to bring history into community lives. The Cochrane Historical Museum has launched social media campaigns, drawing on our collections of pictures, stories, and artifacts for moments of nostalgic memories to create interest, engagement, moments of inspiration, hope, and even a touch of humor. 

This campaign is a desire to reveal valuable and entertaining content to our readers, to grow and nourish a relationship and get the word out about our Society. Our virtual tour showroom presents the Cochrane Historical Museum in a new and interactive way providing a new exciting experience for the audience. 

The contributions volunteers’ have made to support our Society have been extraordinary-and I wanted to let you know these efforts are recognized and very much appreciated. The Cochrane Historical 

Museum displays are the result of our volunteers’ incredible examples of their creativity, expression, ingenuity and imagination. 

Coronavirus has forced individuals and our community to revaluate our priorities. If you have the means to do so, consider donating and buying a membership to our museum. Our very survival may depend on it. 

Thank you, 

Larry Want 

CHAPS needs a secretary

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Duties normally take just 3 hours a month and include:

– Main duty is attending meetings and taking minutes doing up agendas.
– Keep and update membership list.
– Organize and send out AGM notices
– Check CHAPS emails and forward to appropriate person
– Check CHAPS phone for messages and forward to appropriate person ( not a lot of use at this point)
– Keep and maintain CHAPS office

Usually 2 – 3 hours a week depending on meetings. Time is in small increments, usually in your own schedule.

Clarence and Irene Copithorne

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Thanks to Donna Jordan Orr who has become a member of CHAPS and gotten involved in research by scanning this article from More Big Hill Country on Irene and Clarence Copithorne.

Clarence was the youngest son of Richard and Sophia Georgina (Wills) Copithorne and was born on November 12, 1920 in the little brick hospital in Cochrane, where Ed and Ruth Davies later made their home.

He was educated in the log school called the Little Jumping Pound about a four mile ride from home. When he arrived at school, he tied his horse to the bush and went into the school. Weather played a very big factor and in his home if it was twenty degrees below Fahrenheit you didn’t have to go to school, therefore the degrees on the thermometer were very important to a boy who was not academically inclined. Later the school was moved to within a half mile of his home so he walked to school.


Clarence did not remember his mother since she died when he was two years old. He was raised by his sisters Margaret and Annie. When his father died in April 1936 of a ruptured appendix it was a great blow to him. He was only 16 years old.


Sunday evenings, the family gathered around the piano for sing songs and often the neighbours, the Edge boys, Tom Bateman and others would gather together. Dave Lawson and Percy played the violin and Jack Copithorne played the drums for an entertaining fun evening. With his sisters he often went down to Jack Copithorne’s to listen to the hockey games on the radio which was a highlight for Clarence and made him a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan. After the game they were treated to cake, cookies and cocoa by Jack’s wife Nan, part of the “good old days” that were really good!


The first public office he held was that of Secretary/Treasurer of the Jumping Pound Forestry Grazing Association, a position he held until 1971. Clarence joined the Masonic Lodge of King Solomon, in Cochrane and later became Master of the Lodge.


In 1946 Clarence married Irene Robertson, eldest daughter of Don and Yvonne Robertson of Calgary. They met while attending Olds School of Agriculture. Clarence and Irene set up their ranch headquarters on the Joe Clemens homestead on the Jumping Pound Creek.Clarence had started to build their home in September of 1945. It was a small two roomed house that they moved into, travelling across country from the main road near to his father’s homestead.


The first summer they were married Irene had a tough indoctrination into ranch life, with two hay crews and a crew of carpenters to cook for. As they were building a barn and then started on a new house which would become their permanent home, Irene cooked for 27 men all summer. Clarence often wondered why did not leave him at that point. It was either because 25 miles to Calgary was a long distance in those days and mobility, in the way of vehicles, was scarce plus the fact that Irene was not an enthusiastic horse back rider that she stayed as she didn’t care to walk. Maybe love was blind!!

Along with the busy life of setting up a home, planting trees and building all the things that go with constructing a ranch, there seemed to be a regular occurrence of children being born. Each year for three years one appeared. First Don, then Roy and Margery arrived. Then there was a two year gap and along came Wendy, then Jo-Anne and finally Sue.


The children were all normal healthy little ones and enjoyed many of the activities that their father did. They all competed in the local gymkhanas and Springbank 4-H Beef Club. Getting six children and six calves bathed and fitted for showing at one time proved to be quite a challenge. However they enjoyed every minute. Clarence at this time was active in the Cochrane Light Horse Association and served as President for two years.


Onward from 1946, Clarence was very active and involved in the Springbank Rural Electrification Association for which he served as President for 25 years. This was probably one of the most beneficial ideas devised “to help revolutionize the farming in Alberta.” He used to say, “It put the lights on in Rural Alberta.”


In the late 1950’s Clarence and some of his neighbours got into a hassle with Calgary Power over rights of land ownership. It started out as a dispute whether Calgary Power could expropriate land without notification to the owner. A most lengthy quarrel developed which ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada. The REA lost, however one bit of satisfaction they did have was that it was a compulsory case for all law students in Canada to study because of its extraordinary nature. After this case Clarence was involved with several expropriations with oil and gas companies in the area regarding pipelines and property rights. It seemed under the statutes, the decks were stacked against the farmers receiving a fair deal from expropriation procedures. Probably from the experience of these proceedings, vanity and anger crossed and one evening 40 or so neighbours arrived at his home and asked him to run for election in the 1967 Provincial Election in the Constituency of Banff/Cochrane. F.L. Gainor was retiring and so Clarence agreed to run as an Independent in the Banff/Cochrane Constituency. He was duly elected and joined the Alberta Government as an Independent representing Banff/Cochrane. In 1970 he joined the Conservatives to run in his second election after successfully winning again was appointed Minister of Highways and Transport.


When Clarence became involved in politics, his involvement in the many community affairs that he was committed to ended. After he took his oath of office as the newly appointed Minister of Highways and Transport, a reporter asked him “What qualified you to be the Minister of Highways?” Clarence answered “I was wondering the same thing but I have graded thousands of miles of road in Alberta with the bottom of my car and the face of my windshield and that is what qualified me to be the Minister of Highways.” It brought a great laugh from those who heard the story and the interview with the press was over for the first day.


On his retirement from politics Clarence formed the Cochrane Ranche Historical Society and was the ram-rod in getting the Ranche designated a historic site. He was able to see his dream of the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site officially opened on their 33rd Wedding Anniversary.

Clarence passed away on June 4th, 1979 in the Foothills Hospital after a lengthy illness.


Irene and Clarence’s family is as follows: Donald Gordon Copithorne married Patti Frederikson from Millet, Alberta where they still reside. They have three children; Brandon, Shane and Kaitlin. Don sells Real Estate.


Roy Adam Copithorne married Judy Lewis Eastend Eastend, Saskatchewan in 1975 and they have four children. Their daughter Bernadette married Hamish from New Zealand and son Malcolm Clarence, born 1982 is working on the ranch with his father. Daughter Beverley graduated from the University of Alberta with her Education Degree. Their youngest daughter Katy attended university in the Maritimes and is a Chef.


Margery Yvonne Copithorne married Robert “Bob” John Richmond in 1970 and they live in Fort Collins, Colorado. They have a daughter Carla Jean, born 1972 who married Kieren Stutley and they have a daughter December 6, 2005. Carla and Kieren and family live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Margery and Bob have a son Clinton Robert born 1973 and he is single.


Wendy Irene Copithorne married David Neil Hawes and lived in and around Salmon Arm, British Columbia. They have two boys and one girl. Rhett David born 1976, is an Oil Rigger Manager. He married Kelly Clermont and they have a cute little boy, Evan David.


Wendy and Dave’s second son Tyler Neil, born 1978, is single and is a Rugby Star living in Alcante, Spain. Their daughter Shannon, born 1982 is single, lives in Springbank, Alberta and is very active in Barrel Racing. Wendy and Dave now live in Jumping Pound.


Jo-Anne Copithorne married Robert Hugh Paterson and they have two sons, Clarence Hugh born June 8, 1989 and David James born August 1, 1991. JoAnne and Rob and their family reside on the family ranch in the Jumping Pound district.


Lillian Susan Copithorne “Sue” married John Simpkin in 1975. They farm at Hamaruka, Alberta and have three children: Jillian Irene, Mark John and Emily Cecilia.


Irene still resides in the home that she and Clarence built when they were married. She enjoys entertaining, playing bridge and the company of her two grandsons, Clarence and David, who live close by her on the ranch with their parents.

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Copithorne, a true Alberta builder

Vern and Evelyn Lambert

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By Evelyn (Beadle) Lambert More Big Hill Country

Having started his life in the Munson/Drumheller area, Vern and his brothers Ray and Gordon and their mother Daisy, took up residence in Springbank. Vern attended school in Bowness. 

On July 22, 1949, he arrived in the Cochrane area where he went to work with George Harrison at the Bar DL Ranch. Later on, he went logging with Bill Richards and from there to the Alf Scott Sawmill in Cochrane. In 1951 he, along with many other Cochrane men, worked on the construction of the Shell Jumping Pound Gas Plant, his foreman being Leonard (Shorty) Kinch. In 1951 Vern went to work for the Town of Cochrane, installing the sewer and waterworks, working with Jack Steel, Arthur Kirkland, George Morris and Ted Lee, to name a few. 

Vern and his brothers were very musical. In 1953 they started their own Country and Western Band which consisted of Vern, Ray, Gordon, Al McMahon and Fred Steinmetz at the beginning with Ted Westerson joining the Lambert Brothers later on. They played all around Alberta, keeping very busy every weekend. Finally, in July 1980 they decided to cease the band business. Then later on Vern played drums for George Fox for one year, before George moved down east. 

In 1954 Vern went to work for Precision Construction in Calgary, building and repairing buildings. His brother Ray and Ed Davies also worked there. 

In 1957 Vern and Ray started their own construction company (Lambert Brothers Construction). They purchased 2 acres from the Town of Cochrane and built their own shop. Some of their first hired help were Bill Postlethwaite, Jim Postlethwaite, Don Patterson, Alf Brown, Al McMahon, Phil Cook, Hugh Hillman, Jim Brodie, Basil Powers and Hank Bakker. They built many houses, R.E. Moores Food Store, St. Mary’s Church (later called Nan Boothby Library), Scott Lake Garage and numerous other projects. 

During the mid-1960’s Vern and Gerald Tustian broke many horses. 

In 1967 Lambert Brothers sold their shop and Vern and I purchased a quarter section of land NW Sec 36 Twp 26 Range 5 W5M plus lease from Phil Austin in beautiful Grand Valley. We had a small ranching operation while Vern continued doing construction and playing in a band. 

During 1986 and 1987 construction of the Mountain View Car Wash and Chiropractic Building in Cochrane was done with the help of Mac Leask Jr., Dan Fenton, Jim Rutledge and Gordon Quinn. Then Vern teamed up with Ed Schmidt in 1988 doing more construction projects until September 1995 when he decided to stay home to look after his cattle and general ranch work and repairs 

Vern and I (Evelyn Beadle) were married in 1953. I was born in the Beadle house on the farm and was delivered by Mrs. Walter Beard, a friend of the family. I attended the Cochrane Lake School until they decided to bus us into the Cochrane Brick School in Cochrane. Our bus drivers were Eddie Rowe and Bill Gogs. 

In 1950 I went to work in the Cochrane Post Office for the summer holidays. My wages were $37.50 a month. I enjoyed the work very much and 29 years later I was still there. During those early years worked with Cyril Camden, Andy Chapman, Dorothy Springett, Bernice Reid, Bob Hogarth, Lloyd and Vi Des Jardine, Gordon Hall and Margaret McDowall, to name a few. 

In those days we had to push the mail cart to the Canadian Pacific Railway station to meet the train every day in order to pick up the mail. 

Wanting a change in 1979 I decided to work for Cochrane’s first I.G.A., later at Kerfoot and Downs Hardware and then to Lorne Helmig’s Esso Station. 

In 1981 I was asked to apply for the Rural Mail contract. which I acquired and did with the help of Winnie Conaboy, Jean Copithorne, Joyce Schmidt, Kathy Harbridge, Mary Anne Beaton, my Dad (Alex Beadle and nephew John Lambert. The two routes covered a distance of 100 miles. RR2 consisted of the Lochend areas and RR1 consisted of the Bottrel and Horse Creek areas. In September 1995 I decided to retire after 14 years of delivering mail, making a total of 43 years working for the Cochrane Postal Department. 

In May 2000 I joined the Cowgirl Cattle Company, an enterprising group of ladies from Cochrane and surrounding areas.

Norman and Shirley Edge

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from More Big Hill Country

Beaupre Creek Ranch NE Sec 28 Twp 26 Rge 5 W5M.

Big Hill Country continues and the history of the Norman Edge family follows. But first, we must bring you up to date on where we came from. Norman’s mother Margaret (better known as “Peggy”) was born in Grand Valley, just over the hill from our home, in 1896. Her father had come to Calgary from South Uist, Scotland in 1887. See Big Hill Country page 400 for the Morrison Story. Norman’s Dad, Clem was born in 1890 in Derbyshire, England, one of ten children. He came to Canada with his brother in 1904 when he was just fourteen. He married Peggy Morrison in 1922 at the Catholic Church in Cochrane. They had five children Donald, Margaret (who died of a heart seizure at nine months of age,) Norman, Edith, and Frank. See Page 297 in Big Hill Country for their history and photos. 

That brings you up to date to understand where we are continuing with Norman Edge’s history. In Big Hill Country we recorded that he married Shirley Moore of Calgary in 1955 and they had four children: Duane, Jackie-Lou, Lyle, and Marty. Shirley has asked each one of them to continue their lives in print for her as they know much better than she what they found really interesting in their lives once they left home. 

Rodeo is still a high priority in their family. Once Norman quit bull riding he started judging and has travelled all over Canada and the United States in his career. He was asked to judge the World Cup of Rodeo in Australia, the stock at the National Finals in Oklahoma City, the first rodeo in the New Madison Square Gardens, the Canadian National Finals and many more. 

Although Shirley was never a rodeo contestant, she was involved as a rodeo secretary, and timer, and was instrumental in developing the CRES (central entry system) for the Professional Rodeo Association. She carried a press card and wrote for the Canadian Rodeo News covering the National Finals in Oklahoma City, U.S.A. Shirley was the convener of the convention that accompanied the First Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton. This rodeo was six days long and she had to organize daily luncheons, breakfasts, hospital visits, sporting events, cabarets and the final awards banquet that was the largest in Edmonton at the time, hosting 1200 guests. 

Norman and Shirley were also involved in the formation of the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. It has been a long road to develop the organization and Shirley has held the position of Secretary and President over the years. 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. 

The two of them are still ranching on the Beaupre Creek Ranch about 14 km. west of Cochrane. Norman is still involved in the film industry working on western movies doing special skills, the varied jobs of a wrangler, that range from working with the horses or other livestock, teaching the actors to ride and feel comfortable on a horse, harnessing and driving teams and wagon and many other things. He really enjoys himself when he is working on films but mostly because he can renew friendships with other workers that he may not have seen since the last film. Our son Marty, partners with us on the ranch. He and Norman have a good working arrangement where one of them is always here to look after business. 

Once their children were raised, Shirley decided to take up painting with the Cochrane Art Club. It has been quite an experience for her and she has thoroughly enjoyed it for the past 30 years. She works mostly in Oil and Acrylics but likes to pursue watercolour as well. She has received several awards for her work and an interesting commission from the Government of Alberta. Their lives haven’t changed much over the years, ranching is still their first priority but they each have a few other interests to keep their lives interesting.

Norman and Shirley were the first couple inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2007

Related Blogs

Ermina Maria Cochrane

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Michael Martin, great-great Grandson of Matthew Cochrane recently got in touch with CHAPS President Larry Want. He provided more information on the history of the Cochrane Ranche Company and some details on his lineage.

Here is his email to CHAPS.

”One of Senator Cochrane’s daughters (Ermina Maria) married my great-grandfather Charles Cassils in 1876 so I thought I’d get in touch. The history of Cochrane Ranche after the original ranche folded and its property was sold off to the Mormon Church didn’t end in the early part of the 1900’s….

The Cassils branch of the Cochrane family lived in Montreal and that’s where I live.

The Senator had nine children as far as I’m aware – I think this website is mostly correct: https://baladodecouverte.com/circuits/356/poi/2987/matthew-henry-cochrane but I don’t have a Cochrane family tree – only a Cassils one that goes back as far as Charles and Ermina Maria. Here’s an early picture of her….

The Senator died in 1903 in Compton, south-east of Montreal (where he was born) and I think his sons sold off his farm there called ‘Hillhurst’.

The company itself sold its assets to the Mormons, not the Senator – and the company was wound up in about 1909 or so. In the winding up process, they didn’t realize that the Ranche owned mineral rights in the Pincher Creek area and those rights were left dormant until oil and gas drilling in the 1950’s brought them to light. When that occurred, a shareholders list was re-constituted and the Cochrane Ranche (1962) Company was formed – it’s now called Cochrane Ranche Inc. and for my many and varied sins, I’m its current President. Many shareholders are Senator Cochrane descendants or those of families he persuaded to invest in the original 1888 Ranche.

Family members of mine have visited there – I’m not sure of the Museum but the cowboy statue for sure. I’m not in Montreal at the moment but I do have some 100+ year old papers which I’ll look over when I am back there towards the end of June. The corporation isn’t having much success these days with current prices being so low. ”

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Cochrane Ranche significance to Alberta history

The Royal Bank of Canada in Cochrane

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from More Big Hill Country 1945-1980

The Village of Cochrane had only been in existence for four years when the Union Bank of Canada arrived in 1907 to set up a branch. Frequently referred to as the pioneer bank of Western Canada, the Union Bank followed Canada’s railway across the Prairies and had the distinction of being the first bank to provide an extensive branch system throughout the Prairie Provinces. After Cochrane gained village status in 1903, its growth took off making it only a matter of time before banking services came to the area; and the Union Bank was the first bank on the scene. 

The arrival of the Union Bank would signal the start of a new era for Cochrane. For a time, the branch not only served the residents of Cochrane; the Bank Staff also travelled via horseback to provide on-site banking services to a coal mine located three miles from the branch. 

In the early 1900s, banking was considered a highly respectable and dignified profession for a gentleman to set his sights on. Young men, starting at the ages of 16 or 17, were eager to acquire junior positions with a banking establishment as a means to moving into the professional ranks and increasing one’s social standing. 

Their roots were rural or small-town and they were very often the second or third sons of farmers, who 

foresaw little chance of inheriting the family home stead and were eager to find respectability. Starting off as junior with a salary of $150 -$250 per year was a far cry above the wages to be had from labour intensive positions. Through meticulous work, a junior at the bank could work his way up the ladder, eventually obtaining the position of Branch Manager. This was considered quite an achievement in one’s banking career, as the Manager was the public face of the Bank in the town. Plus the increase in salary was agreeable; a rural Bank Manager’s salary could range from around $100 to $1,400 per annum in the early 1900’s. 

On September 1, 1925, the Union Bank of Canada merged with Royal Bank and the latter bank continued to operate out of the same building. Three years later, the Branch was destroyed by fire. A new building was erected on the same site shortly thereafter, and Bank business was conducted from these new premises for the next forty-nine years. During that time, the Branch was renovated in 1964 and expanded in 1969. 

In the mid-1970s, the Branch’s quarters had become cramped and there was no room for further expansion. In 1976, the bank leased space in a mall complex that was being built. On March 7, 1977, RBC celebrated the grand opening of its new premises in the Cochrane Valley Shopping Center. The Branch continued to grow and on November 30, 1995, it moved to its current location at 130 1st Avenue West. 

Royal Bank Managers

  • R.W. Widdoes 1907-1909

  • T.C. Patterson 1909-1926

  • R.C. Jamieson 1926-1928
  • C.G.M. McBey 1928-1934
  • J.K Atkinson 1934-1938
  • A.H. O‘Keefe 1938-1946
  • A.J. Allen 1946-1952
  • J.W. Clark 1952-1955
  • G.W. Woods 1955-1966
  • C.M. Moe 1969-1972
  • E.L, Archer 1972-1976
  • M.E. Robertson 1976-1984
  • L.R. Harding 1984-1989
  • W.R. Lyse 1989-1997
  • K.M. Zimmel 1997-1998
  • R.G. Parker 1998-2000
  • M.J. Semple 2000-2003

  • J.D. Walton 2003 – 

     

Royal Bank by Gayle Want

The bank had outgrown the mall location. Although there were already bank machines in the foyer, it needed a building that would accommodate a drive-through machine as well. The corner at 130 – 1st Avenue West was perfect.

It’s on the same street, only 100 yards from the corner the bank started on 100 years ago. That location has always been a hub of activity.

In 1898, the Murphy Brothers built the Murphy House which was later called the Alberta Hotel there. It was a large three-story hotel that hosted many functions. On December 12, 1927, it burned to the ground. Only 10 months later on October 1, 1928, the Fisher Block that housed the Royal Bank was destroyed by fire. 

There were two old buildings on the lot in 1994 that had to be demolished to build the new bank. One was the old Webb and Milligan ESSO garage building and gas pumps, as well as the old brick Alberta Government Telephone building. The bricks from the Telephone building were made here in Cochrane by the Collin’s Brickyards. They were salvaged during demolition and were used to build the corner signage and benches. There is a historical plaque with a picture of the brickyards and Mr. Collin’s on it. 

It’s still a very busy corner and you often see folks visiting or resting on those benches on warm sunny days. 

Tidbits gathered from bank employees Joanne Fenton, Vicki Deeton, Gloria Johnson, Cheri Lyse as told to Gayle Want.

It was considered quite a privilege to work for the bank in a small town for men or women. 

The first woman to work in the banking industry was Jennie Moore in 1904. The first female bank manager in Cochrane bank was MJ. (Maggie) Semple from 2000-2003. 

At one time the bank staff had to get bank permission to get married. 

At one time the bank staff were not allowed to socialize or drink in the local taverns or beer parlours 

Dress codes for women were relaxed some in the 1970s when they could wear dress pants. 

They had to have a top or jacket that would be long enough to cover their buttocks. 

Cochrane’s first automatic banking machine in the 1980s was serviced by two staff members who would be on-call evenings and weekends. Pagers were carried for contacting staff. The contents of the machines were verified each morning by bank staff. 

The bank always encouraged staff to take courses and upgrade their skills.

Notes found in George Wood's Momentos

Compiled by Marilyn Woods Whittle

The objective of all dedicated employees should be to thoroughly analyze all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems and move swiftly to solve them if called upon. 

However… 

When you are up to your ass in alligators it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp 

– Started career in Pierson, Manitoba May 15, 1922.

– Arrived in Cochrane on February 28, 1955.

– Retired from Cochrane March 31, 1966.

– Relieved in 68 branches and retired again on February 23, 1976.

– The Bank was used on Saturday mornings as a place for bake sales. Church ladies group took turns and the baked items were sold quickly. 

– Two bachelor brothers had their first phone installed. The one brother was angry that his brother had made many phone calls so he arrived at the bank to pay his bills and he said to George, I just told him (my brother) “What’s the point of having a telephone if you ain’t gonna use it”. 

– Another client with very limited eyesight arrived at the bank and always got George to write out the cheques for his bills. He would then remove his thick glasses, put his nose right on the desk and sign the cheques. 

– The McGonigles – Rose came to the bank with her family allowance cheque and deposited the money into each child’s account. The picture shows 9 children. The last children were twins, a boy and a girl. 

– The Bank offered a course from Queens University – “Queens University in accordance with the authority given by the Canadian Bankers Association does hereby certify that has duly passed with Honours the examinations for the Certificate of the Association, has thereby become an Associate of the

Canadian Bankers Association”. 

– George also took many legal courses via correspondence from Queens. He helped probate the will of many locals. 

– The RCMP received information that the bank in Cochrane was to be robbed. George Woods was the bank manager. In consultation with the RCMP, they decided that George should arrive as usual. The RCMP would hide in the ditch across the street from the bank. Two men in trench coats approached the bank, peered in the window and banged on the door. George came to the door, opened it, the RCMP (a two-man detachment at the time) sprang from the ditch with their guns drawn. The two men were bank inspectors. They were very impressed with the security in Cochrane. The “robbers” never arrived. 

In 1959 the bank decided that it had to replace the safe door. A contractor was hired. Yvon de Carle was an employee and George Woods was the bank manager. Yvon slept at the bank to protect the contents for the duration of the renovation.

The Eymas

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From Big Hill Country

Not only Queen Juliana enjoys a visit to the Eymas but so do people in all walks of life. 

The Eymas, who now live on the Chinook Ranch, are very pleased with their home and surroundings but are a bit sorry they did not continue to call their ranch the “Robber’s Roost” as it was called in earlier days. Pierre realizes he did not know the history of the place when he came or he would have done just that. 

Pierre was born in Leerdam, Holland, in 1905. In 1924, after attending College in Holland, he came to Canada on a C.P.R. ship, the S.S. Melita. He was one of the first Hollanders to immigrate to Canada. 

He went to Quilchena on Nicola Lake, in British Columbia, to learn about fur farming. Later he came back to Calgary and started the Chinook Silver Fox Farm on land adjoining Harry Hays’ farm, just south of the old polo grounds. He imported silver fox breeding stock from Prince Edward Island for $2,000 a pair. 

When Pierre first came to Calgary he was anxious to meet young people. The streetcar that used to come out to the loop at Kingsland on Macleod Trail, stopped quite a distance from any house. He thought maybe it would be a good idea to get in his Model T and give some of the girls that got off a ride. He drove up to the loop and sure enough, a lovely blonde girl got off just loaded with parcels. She accepted his kindness and he drove her home, doing his damndest to get a date but with no luck. One day he was asked by a neighbouring fox farmer, Henri Andersen, to give him a hand. Pierre was asked for dinner, and to come in and meet the wife. When Pierre was introduced to Henri’s wife, Nini, the girl he had driven home, all he could say was, “Mrs.!” 

In 1932 Pierre came to Cochrane and bought a quarter section of land for the exorbitant price of $5.50 an acre from Jim Baptie of Exshaw. The going price for the land was $2.50 to $3.00 an acre. The cabin on the land had been called “Robber’s Roost” and the place was referred to as the Old Mill. Apparently, Tom Quigley had had a sawmill on the property and after that, it became a haven where single men, with no fixed abode, made their home in between jobs, which, in the 1930s, were hard to find. The story has been told about one cowboy riding in hoping to get a good dinner on his way to the Dog Pound Stampede. Seeing a clean shirt on the line, he decided he was no longer hungry, exchanged his dirty shirt for the clean, and rode on. People say the boys staying there would give you the shirt off their back but sometimes it was your own shirt. 

Pierre decided to come and live at Cochrane so he built himself a four-wheeled trailer to pull behind his Chev roadster. He moved seventy foxes, all his pens and equipment to Cochrane, a distance of fifty miles, making 52 trips in all. No easy task when it rained, as the Cochrane Hill had not been hard-surfaced and sometimes the ruts crisscrossed on the hill were a foot deep. 

On his very first trip, Pierre met a rider who, in a very quiet voice, while chewing his moustache, introduced himself as D. P. Mc Donald. After the usual salutations, D. P. wished him well but warned him whatever he did to watch a certain Dave McDougall. Half an hour later a second rider came galloping up the road and, in a voice that was anything but quiet, introduced himself as Dave McDougall. Before he left he reminded Pierre to be sure and watch that D. P. McDonald. Pierre found himself in the middle between the Hatfields and the McCoys. 

One time Henri Andersen came with Pierre and was so taken up with the country that he went back to Calgary and brought his friend Peter Hansen out. Later Henri and Peter bought land in the next valley. Pierre considers that he is to blame for the Danish Invasion in Beaupré. 

The original Robber’s Roost, although not exactly level, had been well built and the doorstep was a cut round from a huge log which served the purpose very well. Lying on the doorstep were five rods with Roman numerals on them that puzzled Pierre for days. Finally, he asked a friend what they were for. When told they were survey pins and you could be heavily fined for having them in your possession, Pierre soon decided to move them somewhere else. Later he quietly watched a neighbour move one of his survey pins out of the proper hole. After the coast was clear, Pierre put the pin back where it belonged. This fellow never did find out how he lost the land he was figuring to gain. 

His biggest problem when he first came to this district was keeping the neighbour’s cattle and horses out of his field. One lady not only used his corrals to corral her horses without asking but told him off because they were not in good repair. 

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. 

Pierre and Marie were married in 1935. They have three children, Anita, Jay and Clay. Anita married Newt Kessler. They have four children and live in Houston, Texas. Jay married Lynne Smith. They have four children and live in Jackass Canyon in the home place. Clay finishes school and helps his parents on the ranch. 

In 1939 just before World War II was declared, Pierre took his wife and two children, Anita and Jay, aged three and two, back to Holland for a holiday and to meet his parents. Their return tickets were booked for passage on the Duchess of Bedford. The Duchess of Bedford was not able to leave port so her passengers were given a first place on the Athenia. The Eymas, desperate to get back to Canada due to the unrest in Europe, was given the last cabin on the Empress of Australia. The Athenia was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of most of her passengers. World War II was declared the day the Eymas arrived in Montreal. 

Soon after Pierre came to Cochrane he added to his fur-bearing animals by buying platinum foxes and platinum mink. He takes great pride in his show rabbits, pigeons, chickens and guinea pigs and has been engaged in this endeavour since 1913, as an eight-year-old in Holland. His family is very proud, and justifiably so, of the over 1,000 ribbons and trophies he has won over the years. 

The walls in Eymas’ trophy room are covered with hunting trophies and different collections of interest. They have over 60 sets of horns in their place. One thing in the trophy room that is really fascinating is Pierre’s Hans Brinker skates. When he first came to Calgary in 1924 he decided he would join a skating party on Elbow Drive. He quickly strapped on his skates and went skating across the ice. Everyone wondered what the heck because they could not see his skates.

The Eymas now have a new home, and their prize birds have taken over the original Robber’s Roost, which has been enlarged several times during the years. 

Pierre and Marie have been kept busy but have had time to fulfill their interest in community life. Pierre was president of the Ghost River Pony Club for ten years. He was a school trustee for Beaupré Creek School until it closed in 1962, was instrumental in getting the Beaupré Community Association started, and was president of the Association for five years. 

The Eymas have not been fur farming for several years. They raised thoroughbred horses and dairy cattle. The only drawback with the property was the road and gate problem. At first, there were seven gates to open from the main road to their home, a distance of about five miles. Dirt roads were seldom fit for travel by car in the spring or winter, so they left their car at the Hollowood Store and would drive a team and wagon and leave them there while they went to Calgary and back in the car. The team is tied up for hours at the fence resulted in many a runaway with feed and groceries scattered along the trail. 

One of the highlights of their life was the visit of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, in 1967, accompanied by the Ambassadors and Consuls and their wives, from both Canada and Holland. 

The security precautions before and during the visit were most impressive. At one point when the Queen was leaving, one of the detectives spotted a movement in the trees and whipped out his gun. Pierre almost lost one of his best bulls. 

The Dutch Princesses, Queen Juliana’s daughters, attended Pierre’s uncle’s (Kees Boeke) private school in Holland. 

When Queen Juliana was shown through the trophy room she showed an amazing knowledge of hunting and wildlife. 

QUEEN JULIANA'S VISIT (1967) - by Clay Eyma 

 

The visit of Queen Juliana begins like this. One cold, snowy day in March, the Dutch Consuls from Edmonton and Calgary came to visit us. On April 30, they came again and were joined by His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Canada. 

May 12, the Consuls from Edmonton and Calgary called again and informed us that Queen Juliana would visit us May 22, at 2:15 p.m. for fifty minutes. We could not tell a soul as it was top security. 

Mom immediately started to clean the house and do some fancy cooking. Mom also got out her lace tablecloth and china for the big occasion. Dad tidied up the place outside. I cleaned my bedroom. 

May 18, twenty security men, including R.C.M.P. detectives and army officials, arrived to see where to park and where they would be

pictures of the place and who had an interview with Dad. These pictures were shown in Holland the following day. On May 21, four more television men came out to take pictures of the scenery. It was quite an experience to see how plans are made for dignitaries. 

We were informed by the Edmonton Consul that Queen Juliana’s flight would be late and she would arrive at 3.15 p.m. instead of 2.15 p.m. First, the R.C.M.P. police car came up the road. They went up past our house and later came down the road again. A little later a car arrived, stopped by the corral and the men started setting up their cameras. Within minutes a second car stopped at the same place and the men put their cameras up. About ten minutes later we saw a bus coming. When the bus drove up, about thirty reporters and more television men jumped out. By this time we felt that we were invaded. 

About fifteen minutes later two R.C.M.P. Police cars followed by a cavalcade of seven cars came up the road. A small white car drove up to our gate on the walk. The door opened and before anyone could assist her, out stepped Queen Juliana.

Her Majesty’s hair was almost golden in colour. She wore a blue dress with black shoes, a hat and a purse. Her Majesty was introduced to the family while cameramen were pushing and shoving everyone around. Finally, we managed to get into the house. 

After talking a few minutes, the Queen was asked to see the den. In the den, she looked at the deer heads, moose horns, coyote, bear, badger, goat and muskrat hides, and many different varieties of birds. 

While the Queen was in the den, the table was set up and when the Queen came back, coffee was served. We had moose meat sandwiches among other varieties of sandwiches and the Queen chose to eat four moose sandwiches. 

The Queen was to stay fifty minutes but stayed an hour and a half. The cameramen wanted to take pictures inside and asked her permission. Her Majesty said, “Certainly not. You’re not going to spoil my visit when I am enjoying myself.” That sure made the cameramen keep quiet for a while. 

We served coffee and tea to sixteen people who included the Lady-in-Waiting, the Canadian Ambassador to Holland, the Dutch Ambassador to Canada and their wives. There was also an “Equerry” which is a sort of General. He was dressed in a Dutch uniform which was navy blue with a gold braid, and a matching cap. Altogether there were about fifty people including the press and cameramen who were being served lunch outside. 

Her Majesty had to leave as she had another stop and an engagement in Calgary at seven-thirty p.m. The Queen was very charming. Before she left, she asked if she could take greetings to anyone in Holland. Dad replied by asking her to say hello to everyone in Holland for him. 

We were very sorry to see her go so quickly. My father’s uncle was a teacher to the princesses, Her Majesty’s daughters, and several of the Royal Party were acquainted with his relatives in Holland. There were three families picked out of one hundred families, the Lublinkhofs, DeWitts and ourselves. 

NOTE: Written in 1967, the year of the Royal Visit, when Clay was thirteen years of age.

Talk about Traditions! Meet the Edge Family

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by Gordon and Belle Hall

Norman Frank Edge was born in the Brushy Ridge district, one of a family of eight – six boys and two girls. In the year that Norman was born, his father Wm. H. Edge was showing Clydesdale horses at the Territorial Spring Show in Calgary and won with a Clyde stallion named Redburn. N.F. grew up with ranching and grew to love horses. He was raking hay for his father when he was eight years old. 

1983 Canadian Pro Rodeo Inductee Norman Frank Edge

As teenagers, Norman and brother Ollie joined other boys in the district to develop their skills riding at the local stampedes. During the winters of 1925-26, Norman broke polo ponies and remounts for D.P. MacDonald at the Mount Royal Ranch. In 1922 and 1923, Norman and Ollie took in the Jumping Pound stampedes as well as other rodeos. The lure of the big o took them to Calgary in 1924. In 1925 Norman got lucky and won the brahma steer riding and bareback bronc riding events. In 1925 Norman went to the west coast with the Peter Welsh Stampede Co. In 1927 N.F. won the steer riding event again. In 1928 he won the bareback bronc riding and gained permanent possession of a sterling silver trophy donated by Calgary Brewing and Malting Co. 

In 1929 a team consisting of Johnny Munro, Ollie Edge and Norman won the wild horse race in Calgary. In the years from 1923 to 1937, when Norman Edge retired, he had competed in rodeos at Jumping Pound, Calgary, Montreal, Columbus, Ohio, Sundre, Hand Hills, Toronto, Pendleton, Oregon, White City Stadium in London, England, Winnipeg, New Westminister, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Ottawa, Buffalo, New York, Chicago and many others. Rodeo promoters of the day included Guy Weadick, Tex Austin and Peter Welsh. 

Norman was present in 1925 at New Westminister when Bara Lad, trained by my father Syd Hall and owned by Peter Welsh jumped 8 feet 172 inches to a new high jump record. In 1940 Norman and Claudia Lynn were married. Claudia was the second of six children and was born near Suffield Alberta. Claudia Edge has a noted teaching career, teaching at Jumping Pound, Springbank and Cochrane junior-senior high and was a very talented and respected teacher. Claudia and Norman have three sons: Garth, Barry and Lynn. 

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.” Norman and Claudia are both retired now and spend their winters in Arizona. Truly good friends and a fine couple to all.

From A Peep into the Past, A Collection of Historic Poems and Short Stories by Gordon and Belle Hall Vol. II

Cochrane $20 Dollar Specimen featuring Norman Frank Edge

Norman Edge was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1983

Norman Frank Edge Obituary Calgary Herald Mar 31 1996

Copithorne, a true Alberta builder

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by Belle and Allan Hall

Clarence Copithorne was the youngest son of Richard and Sophia Copithorne. Clarence was born in the little brick hospital in Cochrane on Nov. 12, 1920. He received some education at the Little Jumping Pound School, then attending Olds Agricultural School for three years, graduating with a diploma in agriculture. Clarence’s first public office was that of secretary-treasurer of the Jumping Pound Forestry Grazing Association. 

Clarence, along with Percy and Frank Copithorne, was at the official opening of the Shell plant at Jumping Pound in 1951. The Hon. N.E. Tanner, minister of mines and minerals was in attendance also. Clarence Copithorne was a member of the Masonic Order and the Oddfellows Lodge in Cochrane. In 1946 he married Irene Robertson, eldest daughter of Don and Yvonne Robertson, who were the proprietors of the English Shop in Calgary. The Clarence Copithorne’s had six children. In 1967 Copithorne was asked to run in the forthcoming provincial election. He was elected with a small majority to represent the riding of Banff-Cochrane as an Independent. Clarence took over from F.L. Gainor who had retired. In April 1970 Clarence turned Conservative to run in his second election. Peter Lougheed was premier and when Copithorne was elected for a second term, he was appointed minister of highways. 

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. It crosses the Mighty Peace River, is nearly 2,000 feet long and is linked with the road from Slave Lake, which Copithorne was also able to complete. In four years his department was successful in paving 14,065 miles of new road in Alberta. Twelve new major bridges were built in the province, graded 2,000 miles of new road, oiled 4,000 and gravelled 2,400 miles. 

Clarence was largely responsible for the forming of the Cochrane Ranche Park as a historic site. Copithorne’s health had failed and was flown by helicopter to the opening of the park. He passed away a while after the park had been opened. 

Cattle drive on the Copithorne Ranch - Flickr

from A Peep into the Past Vol. II by Gordon and Belle Hall

Clement and Margaret Edge

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by Shirley Edge

Every Sunday one could see a rider heading down the Grand Valley road and, sure enough, it would be Clem Edge going to see his best girl, Peggy Morrison. Clem was a big strapping man who was making his living breaking horses. He was born in Derbyshire, England, on June 6, 1890, and was one of ten children born to Thomas and Mary Ellen Edge (nee Bestwick) who lived in the slate house, “Foufinside”, in Parwich, England. Clem went to school in Parwich. 

When Clem was a young boy in England, he and his brothers would test their courage and have fun racing across the backs of cattle that were in huge pens. The object of the game was to try not to fall down among the milling cattle. 

Clem and an older brother, Sidney (Sid), came to Canada when Clem was just fourteen. They started their life in Canada working for a farmer outside of Winnipeg. The following spring of 1905 they moved out west and Clem worked for the Bow River Horse Ranch breaking horses. Clem’s desire to see the country took him to California where he worked as a farm labourer at San Rafael. In 1908 Clem returned to Canada and took out a homestead, SE14 13-28-6-5, along Dog Pound Creek. Sidney managed to get a homestead, SW14 18-28-5-5, just east of Clem’s and they worked together. These homesteads are now part of the S7 Ranch owned by A. Garfield Stewart. 

On July 29, 1914, Sid’s life was taken when he suffered a heart attack while driving a team and democrat up the Grand Valley road. He was buried in Cochrane. 

Another older brother, William, born in 1880, was in South Africa for a time. He came to Canada to visit Clem and Sid and later settled in Spokane, Washington. He built an apartment block in Spokane; it is still known as the Edge Block. Will met his death when he was shot down on a street in Spokane. 

Clem broke horses for Ozzie and Bill Johnson, and in 1914 he went to work for George Creighton at the Bar C. 

On January 4, 1915, Clem joined the 12th Regiment of the Canadian Mounted Rifles and spent three years Overseas. When he returned from the Army, he worked his homestead, continued breaking and selling horses, and 

resumed his courtship with Peggy Morrison. Clem was a good dancer. He would hitch up the team to the buggy, pick up Peggy and a bunch of the neighbours and head for the Orange Hall to dance to the music of Tom Quigley and Associates. The Morrison and the McEachen girls would take turns renting a room at the Murphy Hotel, so they would have a place to change into their party dresses. 

Clem bought the Boney Thompson place (the Hornbach homestead) at the top of Grand Valley, along with a few cows and horses. At the same time, he purchased more cows and horses and the Bar 50 brand from a neighbour, Billy Bishop. With a place of his own, stocked with cattle, Clem felt he was now in good shape to propose to his girlfriend. Clem and Peggy were married June 14, 1922, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cochrane. Peggy’s sister Mary and her brother John stood up for them. After lunch at the Morrison place with the family and a few of the boys from the Union Bank, they headed to Banff by car for their honeymoon. Peggy was one of the few lucky girls who sported a tiffany-mounted diamond ring. On return from their honeymoon, they gathered up a bunch of their range cows and broke them to milk. Clem continued breaking horses for other people and worked with a road-building gang. 

On March 9, 1924, their daughter, Margaret, was born. Tragedy struck when Margaret died of a heart seizure when she was just nine months old. Georgina Patterson ran two miles up Grand Valley to the Edge home to try and comfort Clem and Peggy. 

In 1926 and 1927 Clem worked as a rodeo judge with the Alberta Stampede Company, owned by Peter Welch, travelling to Toronto, Chicago, Illinois, and Buffalo, New York. He also competed in local bucking contests as a bronc rider.

Their first son, Donald, was born on February 1. 1929. That year Clem and Peggy bought land just north of the 1A highway, S12 21-26-5-5 and 1, 21-26-5-5, from the Burns Foundation Company. It was a good winter in 1929, and Clem and Charlie Pedeprat worked hard to skid enough logs to build a house on this land. Skidding was difficult because there was very little snow. They lived in a tent beside the building site for most of the winter, then Clem started riding home at night. 

Clement Norman arrived on the scene in August 1930, and when Peggy was able to return home from the hospital, they went to live at their new home, on the Bar 50 Ranch. This home was a beautiful log house with a stone fireplace and lots of room. Two extra rounds of logs were put on the house to allow plenty of headroom.

In May of 1932. a daughter, Edith, was born. During the thirties times were tough and life was hard on everyone, but at least in the country, the necessities of life were at hand.  Power bills were of no concern, when it got dark people went to bed. They didn’t worry about lack of coal or an unpaid gas bill; they just headed outdoors and cut more wood. When cows were selling for a mere $10.00 per head they dismissed all thoughts

of income and concentrated on the necessities of life. They milked cows, churned butter, baked bread, killed beef or mutton and grew their own vegetables. A meagre portion of income was realized from the shipments of cream and a solid $2.95 was received for each five-gallon can of cream. Many essential purchases were made possible with the old cream cheque. Clothes were patched and old coats and pants were tenderly turned into patchwork quilts. 

On a cold January 14th, in 1937, a third son, Frank, made his appearance into the Edge family. A few years later Clem and Peggy became second parents to another boy they soon regarded with as much affection and interest as their own. Bobby Orr came from Exshaw to spend several summers with the Edges and soon became a part of the family. He is now married with a family of his own and still comes “home” to visit Peggy at Christmas and on other special occasions. Pictures of Bobby in his childhood, and his graduation from University, hold a spot on the wall among the rest of the family photos. 

Clem had his eye on a Clyde stallion, Stanmore Pride, and traded several horses to Ernie Young from Swalwell, Alberta, for him. Ernie and his daughter Annie (Mrs. Ed. Raby) arrived to gather the horses. Annie was a very capable young girl and because Peggy was having health problems following Frank’s birth, Annie was hired to help with the housework. However, it wasn’t long before she was kept busy outdoors running the Hart-Parr tractor. 

The Edge home was much the same as most other homes in the area, except for one thing.

This was the place where the Beaupré schoolteacher boarded. For the most part, it took quite a hardening-in period, enduring the constant teasing of the Edge boys. Things like finding your horse saddled backwards and serenades like “Goodnight Irene” in the middle of the night led to a long and binding friendship among them all. When Donald first started school he walked a mile across the country to the Beaupré Creek School. Norman rode his pony “Pal” to school and for $2.00 a month he packed a gallon syrup pail of drinking water to the school each day. Eventually, they afforded a water bag which was certainly easier to tote on a saddle horse. Old Pal was long remembered for the many walk, trot and run races he won over the years at the local gymkhanas. Edith and Frank also rode to school. 

There was always lots of repair work to be done around Edges. One day when Jack Stevenson, an Old Country carpenter and cabinet maker, who had built homes for some of the Edges south of the Bow River, was building a set of stairs up to the attic for Peggy, and Donald and Norman were building a roof on the barn, young Frank wandered down to a long cattle shed that had a straw roof. A scattering of straw remained in the feed bunk at one end, and Frank proceeded to build himself a fire in the middle of it. Norman saw there was trouble and came down from the roof of the barn and dragged the unconcerned little Frank out of the shed, and the flames soon engulfed the entire building. The reprimand that followed wasn’t quite so enjoyable. 

Frank also spent a lot of time just sitting on the old ram. The ram was very co-operative; he would stand while Frank climbed aboard, but getting off was another matter. Frank knew the ram would attack with a good bunt when he tried 

Drawing water

to dismount. The rest of the family usually ignored his beck and call – so sit he did! 

During the Second World War, Peggy and a few other women in the area organized the Wildcat Hills Victory Club. Its purpose was to raise money for the Queen’s Canadian Fund. This fund helped to provide cigarettes for our soldiers and milk for the children of Britain. The women would meet once a month to plan fundraising activities and it was the duty of each one to organize and handle one fund-raising event. In October 1941, Peggy chose to have a barn dance in the new barn. The dance was a roaring success. The Wildcat Hills Victory Club, having served its purpose, was dissolved when the War ended. 

During the summers of 1942 to 1945, Donald, 13, and Norman, 12, were hired by Tommy Farell. manager of P. Burns Ranches Limited, to keep tabs on the Burns cattle and check the salt licks in the Burns fields. This land was later purchased by Clem for $7.50 per acre. 

In the fall the boys would help gather and trail 300-odd steers to Cochrane where they were loaded on cattle cars for shipment. Although the Edge boys only helped with this leg of the operation, the fall gathering was indeed a huge one. Cattle were gathered from Burns calf camp at Big Hill Creek and the Rocky Butte on the old George McDonald place and all were loaded out at Cochrane at the same time. Initially, these cattle came from C. K. Ranches, located on what is now known as West Dalhousie in Calgary, and were herded to the various summer camps. 

The Bar 50 was also used as a stopping place for Frank Phillips and his pack string as he moved from Morgan Lewis’s en route to their big game trips down the Elk Valley in British Columbia via the Kananaskis Lakes. For three years starting the fall of 1944, Donald and

Norman spared three weeks to a month’s time from their studies to work for Frank as wranglers and packers on these trips. 

One time, along with Angus and Elmer McDonald, Clem and Norman were cutting the summer supply of ice from the Ghost Dam. Clem slipped and fell on the ice and hollered to the others that he had broken his leg. They all thought he was joking and went on with their work. Further attempts to make them realize he was not just fooling failed, and finally, when he chose a few choice adjectives to describe his problem, they realized that he was in serious trouble. He had, in fact, severely broken his leg. 

When Donald and Norman started high school, their parents drove them to the Cochrane School until Donald got his driver’s license. The boys would pick up Alice Jean Sharpe (Mrs. Harvey King) and drop her off each night. During the War, car parts were hard to get. One winter the transmission went out of the Ford car so Donald and Norman hitch-hiked or rode their saddle horses the nine miles to school. Father Lessard gave them hot soup at noon in return for hauling water and working on the Old Timer newspaper. Father Lessard also taught catechism in the Edge home. Donald finished his education at the Olds School of Agriculture and graduated in 1949. Edith also attended this college and graduated in 1951. Norman turned to rodeo and divided his time between helping his dad on the ranch and travelling to various rodeos, entering the different events. He liked bull riding best and ranked among the top ten bull riders for several years. 

In June 1952, Clem and Peggy decided to drop in on the Austins. They were disappointed when they weren’t asked to stay for tea. Later they learned the reason why, when the Austins were among the many friends who arrived to surprise them with a shower in honour of their 30th Wedding Anniversary. 

The year 1953 was indeed a proud one for Clem and Peggy when Edith became Calgary’s Stampede Queen. She received a scholarship and took a comptometer course and went to work for Socony Mobil Oil of Canada, Ltd. Later she spent three seasons as a camp cook for Brewsters in Banff. 

The first wedding in the family took place in September 1955, when Norman married Shirley Moore of Calgary. The old Liddell (Creighton) place, where Mr. Beaupré and his wife had squatted years before, was to be their new home. They tore down the old Creighton house and used the lumber in their new home. Within the walls, they found a two-by-four with the following inscription: “This house erected for J. G. Creighton by Robert Downey in the year of 1903.” Their ranch is called the Beaupré Creek Ranch and they brand their black white-faced cattle with NE Half Diamond and use Bar 50 for their horse brand.

Only a few families along the lA highway had electricity, so Norman approached Calgary Power and on May 9, 1955, the Beaupré Rural Electrification Association was officially established. It originated with ten members: President, John L. R. McLenahan; Secretary-Treasurer, C. Norman Edge; and Directors: Margaret P. Hess, Bud Ullery, Bob McDougall, J. E. Parsons, Helen McDonald, F. Delbeke, Richard Philp, Henri Andersen and Maurice Johnsen. 

Donald worked for three years with Calgary Power at the Ghost Plant, then he went to Banff to spend the summers working for Claude Brewster as head guide and superintendent. He spent nine winters in Carpenteria, California, working with polo ponies for Pat Linfoot and others. In 1957 Frank spent one season in California working with polo ponies for Mo Lightman. Donald spent that season in Florida. 

In 1955 Frank graduated from St. Mary’s Boys’ School in Calgary. In November 1958, he married Lorraine Brown from Hodgson, Manitoba, who was working as a nursing aide at the Morley Indian Hospital. They live on their High Park Ranch in the Beaupré area and use the Bar 50 and Quarter Circle FJ as their cattle brands and the J Half Diamond as their horse brand. 

While still employed with Claude Brewster, Donald spent three years in the 1960s guiding buffalo hunts in the Northwest Territories. He built two log cabins at Le Grand Detour Point on the Slave River. One hunter, Charlie Stoll, from New York, captured a trophy that was second to the world’s record at that time. Trophy buffalo hunts were inaugurated when Claude received the first permit. Donald was the first licensed guide for buffalo hunts in the N.W.T. Edith, who accompanied him for two seasons, was the first woman to cook on buffalo hunts in the N.W.T. 

After the hunts, Edith returned to the business world and worked for Home Oil Company. She married Quentin Armstrong in October 1965, and they ranch at Nanton, Alberta.

Donald worked as a brand inspector for the Alberta Department of Agriculture at the Calgary Stockyards. He married Dorothy Bryant on March 12, 1966, and they live on the home quarter of the Bar 50 Ranch and run a cow-calf operation with Aberdeen Angus Hereford cross cattle. They use the DM Bar as their cattle brand and DM as their horse brand. Both these brands were registered by Don’s grandfather, Donald Campbell Morrison, in the late 1800s. 

In 1932 Clem lost an eye. A piece of metal flew up and pierced his eyeball when he was repairing the binder, and in 1969 Donald lost the fingers and thumb of his right hand in an accident at harvest time. 

In May of 1966, Clem passed away in the Colonel Belcher Hospital after a lengthy illness. Peggy still resides on the home ranch and is deeply involved in her families’ lives. She was chosen as a pioneer daughter for the year 1975, by the Southern Alberta Pioneers and Their Descendants Association. 

All of the Edges have continued in the ranching industry. Norman continued rodeoing until just recently when he started judging. He has judged rodeos throughout Canada and most of the Western United States. He judged the Expo rodeo in Montreal in 1967 and the first rodeo in the new Madison Square Gardens in New York City in 1968. He was president of the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys’ Association for two years. Both Norman and Donald hold gold cards in this Association. Donald and Frank also do some judging and help at horse shows. Frank is an instructor for boy’s steer riding at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo College. 

The movie industry has also come into the lives of the Edges. Peggy’s log house was used to film a story on the Siberian Snow Tigers. Norman was a technical advisor and a double in “King of the Grizzlies,” a Walt Disney film, and Frank has been a wrangler and special effects man for such movies as “Prime Cut,” “Pioneer Woman,” and “Buffalo Bill and the Indians.” 

Granny, as Peggy is known to everyone, has eleven grandchildren. Norman and Shirley have four children: Duane, Jackie-Lou, Lyle and Marty. Frank and Lorraine also have four children: Terry, Kevin, Bobbi and Brandi. These children are involved in rodeo, and Lyle won the Canadian Junior Calf Roping Championship in 1975. They have all had their hand in the film industry. The Edge children took part in a story about ranch children for the T.V. program “Sesame Street” and it was filmed on the Beaupré Creek Ranch. Lyle also played a part in Walt Disney’s movie, “The Boy Who Talked to Badgers.” Terry, Duane and Kevin recently worked on the “Buffalo Bill and the Indians” movie filmed on the Morley Indian Reservation. Jackie spent last summer working as a camp cook on trail rides out of Banff. Edith and Quentin’s children, Margaret, Clem and Teddy, although still very young, have already been involved in the local horse shows and gymkhanas. 

The tree of life goes on. Old roots give way to new limbs and it is apparent that ranching rodeo, and packing or trail riding in the high country has consistently crept into the lives of the Edges, no matter what the generation. 

 

Edith Edge – Calgary Stampede Queen 1953

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Page 302 Big Hill Country

Edith Edge, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clem Edge of Cochrane, was sponsored by the Cochrane Light Horse Association in 1953 and became Calgary Stampede Queen that year. 

Raised on the Bar 50 Ranch west of Cochrane, Edith learned to ride at an early age and took part in all ranching activities. She was active in the Cochrane Light Horse Association, The Ghost River Pony Club and rode her horse to school. 

In 1953 Edith was adopted by the Stoney Indian Tribe as an Honorary Princess and given the name of “Princess Good Eagle Girl.” *. In the October 1954 issue of Chatelaine Magazine, Edith was chosen as one of three women to represent Alberta in an article on Women of the Year for each province across Canada. 

In 1955 she competed in the Miss Rodeo of Canada Contest which was held at Ft. Macleod during their annual rodeo. She was runner up to the Miss Rodeo Queen, Connie Ivens, from Cardston, who later married Bob Robinson of the Jumping Pound district, south of Cochrane. 

Edith worked for several years as a comptometer operator for an oil company. She also worked on pack trips and trail rides in the Canadian Rockies and held a Class “A” guide’s license for the National Parks. For two years she accompanied her brother, Donald, as a camp cook on Buffalo Hunts in the Northwest Territories. 

She married Quentin Armstrong, of Nanton, in 1965. They raise cattle and horses on a ranch southwest of Nanton where they live with their three children, Margaret, Clem and Teddy.

Mange and the Cattle Dipping Program

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an article from Big Hill Country

At the turn of the century mange in cattle was a serious problem in the eastern and southern parts of the Province where several large ranches were established. Some ranchers would dip their cattle while others would not, consequently mange was always present. So a program of compulsory dipping throughout the whole Province was made law in 1904-06. This plan was instigated by the Federal Government and was to be carried out for two years in succession which would rid the range of mange once and for all. 

 

Mange never occurred in the area between the Bow and Elbow Rivers but nevertheless, all the cattle had to be dipped. 

A dipping tank was constructed in 1904 to government specifications on the SE 14 12-25-5-5 which at that time had been reserved by the government for its water potential. 

The tank was made of cement. Water was pumped in by hand and heated by a series of pipes which were connected to a boiler of sorts that was heated by a wood fire. 

The first ten feet had about four inches of water in it which was to give the animal a little bit of confidence, then there was a sheer drop where complete immersion took place. 

After swimming a distance of about twenty feet or so, the cattle climbed out on a ramp that was long enough to allow most of the water to drain back into the tank. 

Corrals were built at both ends of the tank to provide holding pens so that a continuous flow of cattle would be going through the tank. 

At times there was trouble when a big old cow would get stuck and had to be hauled out by the cowboys with ropes and horses, or perhaps an ornery two-year-old heifer decided to turn back after getting halfway across. 

The solution this dip was made up of had to be inspected and tested for strength and temperature quite often. This was done by a government man who was there at all times. 

A story prevails that after about a week’s work, on the last day of dipping, the tank sprung a leak (unknown to the inspector) and it was almost impossible to keep enough water in for the cattle to immerse. Being the last day, one of the quick-thinking cowboys decided to hold a party in the inspector’s tent. A couple of bottles of liquor were acquired and that took care of all the government regulations, and the inspector. 

Did you like this story about ranching and cowboys? Here are a couple of earlier articles:

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Stories of the Seebe Dam and POW Camp

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by Grace and Allen LeBel

The Historical Resource Committee of the M.D. of Bighorn has put together a fascinating series of videos that captures the oral history of the Bow Valley west of Cochrane.

In this video Grace and Allen LeBel relate stories of the Seebe dams and the prisoner of war camp at Ozada.

This is just one of the videos in this series. Follow the call to action button at the bottom of this blog to see the rest of the playlist.

Picture of carving from an article in Rocky Mountain Outlook.

LeBel playlist

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In case you missed it, we have written about Seebe before:

Bearspaw Service Station

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page 59 More Big Hill Country

The Post War years brought many changes to Calgary and the surrounding area, which inspired many War veterans to start new businesses. These were the times that brought Cliff Gillespie and Norm Newsome together. They started a small business in the Bearspaw area. In approximately 1946 they purchased a small parcel of land from Nick Hamilton. The land was located on the south side of the 1A highway, approximately

10 miles west of Calgary. On this land, they built a garage large enough to house and repair a milk truck they owned. As time went on Cliff Gillespie, who worked as a mechanic, decided to install gas pumps under the White Rose flag, turning the garage into a repair shop. 

In approximately 1947 Norm Newsome left the business and Cliff Gillespie took on a new partner, Ted Cushing. At this time the business took on a new name, the Bearspaw Service Station and a new Oil and Gas Company, Esso, which it is still today. It quickly became a very busy place with local farmers and residents gathering on a daily basis. It was not uncommon to find as many as a dozen people gathered at the station, especially on rainy days. Many world problems were solved at these times. 

In 1952 the service station became busy enough that Cliff and Ted hired Bob Thomas as their first employee and apprentice. In approximately 1963, Cliff bought Ted out and became the sole owner until 1973 when he sold the business. 

Cliff and Ted both built their personal homes on the land site and raised their families there for many years. The Gillespies were west of the garage, and the Cushings were on the east side of the garage. 

Cliff Gillespie and Ted Cushing met overseas during WWII and served in the same unit. Upon returning home from the war, Ted married Kathleen Gillespie (Cliff’s youngest sister) on December 14, 1946. Ted and Kath moved to Vancouver, B.C. shortly after they were married where Ted was going to re-enlist with the Army. Cliff contacted them with a proposal to move back to Bearspaw and open a service station in 1948. Ted agreed to a partnership with Cliff and they opened the Bearspaw Service Station in 1948. The partnership was dissolved between Ted and Cliff in 1963. Cliff continued to work at the service station until 1973, and Ted went to work in Calgary. 

Ted and Kath sold their house in Bearspaw in 1973 and moved to Cochrane, Kath passed away January 14, 1976, and Ted passed away on October 26, 1981. Ted and Kath had three children: Gordon, Lynda and Maureen. Gord married Bev in 1979 and they have two children, Shane (Heather) and Dawn (Joel). Lynda married John Brooks in 1973 and they have two children, Cheryl (Leo) St. Amour and Tracy Lee (Colin). They have one granddaughter, Caitlin St. Amour. Maureen married Gerry Nielsen in 1978 and they have two children, Bradley and Darcy. All their children and families currently reside in Calgary. 

Cliff Gillespie married Dorothy Johanson from Ferintosh in 1947. They raised two children, Leanna and Ronald. After selling the Bearspaw Service Station they moved to Water Valley. Cliff and Dorothy enjoyed the slower pace and became active in their new community. After Cliff’s death in 1981, Dorothy moved to Cochrane where she passed away in 2006. 

Leanna married Lorne Patemore. Ronald married Lynn Ellen Helgason. They have five children: Russel in Calgary, Mark in Spain, Ron Jr. a teacher in Coleman, Alberta, Chad in Nanaimo, British Columbia who is into music, and Tayah. Ron and Lynn live at Chestermere Lake, Alberta and do landscaping. 

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Dances and Hockey and other Stories at the Stoney Nakoda First Nation

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by Wayne Haas; M.D. Bighorn Oral History Project

Another video by the Heritage Resource Committee.

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Wayne Haas talks about growing up in Exshaw, community events and more. Remember to like and subscribe to the MD Bighorns YouTube channel.
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Mitford, The Sawmill and the Town

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from Big Hill Country

T.B.H. Cochrane, son of Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane of England, and his wife, Lady Adela Cochrane, daughter of the Earl of Stadbroke, were the founders of Mitford. The Cochranes were a remittance family that had come to Canada in 1883. They went to the High River area and acquired a large ranch lease of fifty-five thousand acres. This was southwest of High River, centred on Township fifteen, Range four. In 1885 they exchanged this lease for one around Township seventeen, Range six, west of the fourth meridian. There is no record of the leases being stocked. In 1886 the Cochranes decided to enter into the lumbering business and chose the subsequent site of Mitford to set up their sawmill business. 

Early in 1886, Tom Cochrane completed his sawmill. It was located three miles west of the present town of Cochrane, on the north side of the Bow River, a short distance from the point where the Canadian Pacific Railway crosses to the south bank of the Bow River. The sawmill was capable of turning out thirty thousand board feet of lumber per day, Tom Cochrane was associated with Hugh Graham, Francis White, and Archibald McVittie of the Calgary Lumber Company and contracted to supply them with lumber. Plans were made to build a rail line from Grand Valley to the sawmill but in the meantime, logs had to be hauled by teamsters, The sawmill went into operation in July 1886. A small steam engine was purchased and work began on building the track. This track was laid northward up Horse Creek Valley for one mile and then westward to Grand Valley, where a turnabout for the engine was built. The remainder of the track was made of wooden rails and extended northward to the Dog Pound Creek. Small horse-drawn cars were used to haul the logs along the wooden railway to the turnabout. 

There were several small stands of fir on the west side of Grand Valley, about five miles north of the Bow River. However, the ties and rails required for the wooden track very nearly used them up. Further north, on the Dog Pound, the timber was mainly spruce and pine. The result was that the best timber was used for the construction of the railroad and there was very little fir left for lumber. The timber limits lay in Townships 27, 28 and 29, Range five and in Townships 27, and 28 in Range six. The logs were hauled down the wooden track by local settlers who worked at a daily wage. The men were poorly supervised and the enterprise, as a whole, was poorly organized. The cars were continually jumping off the track and since the men were paid regardless of the amount of work done, no one helped the teamster whose car was derailed. The result was, hours were spent in idleness waiting for the track to be cleared. “Betsy” would be kept waiting at the turnabout and the mill would be idle. “Betsy” was the name given the engine that was used to haul the logs on the railway and the line was known as the “Betsy line.” Betsy showed an alarming tendency to jump the track. This always required several hours of work getting it ready for operation again. The grade from Horse Creek Valley was quite steep and the engine often ran away when returning with logs. 

In 1887 the townsite received its name. It was named in honour of Mrs. Percy Mitford, a sister of the first Earl of Egerton. Mrs. Mitford was a friend of Lady Adela and also had a financial interest in the Cochrane enterprises. 

The site that Tom Cochrane chose for the little town was very impracticable. It was at the confluence of the Bow River and the Horse Creek, on a low bench some two hundred yards wide and one half mile long. The steep hill to the north of the river and the townsite abutted on the river at the west end of the bench made an entrance from the north or south very difficult. Horse Creek Valley was narrow and it required considerable labour to build the grade for the “Betsy Track.” On the east, the Canadian Pacific Railway occupied the only good approach to the town, and it too was on a sharp incline. At Mitford, the railway and the river came together on a long angle and as a result, the flat between the river and the railway was very narrow. It was on this flat that Tom Cochrane built a store, hotel and a saloon. The only ford across the river was treacherous and of course, horses could not be taken across the railway bridge. On the south side of the river, the hills rose sharply and there were no satisfactory building sites. There is a certain picturesque beauty about the location but as a townsite, particularly a town that was hoped would expand, it was quite impossible. 

In the year 1888 several buildings were erected, among them a livery stable, as well as the store, and hotel. Prior to that, the Cochranes had built their own home, and several bunkhouses were erected for the men working in the sawmill and the coal mine. There had been some private homes built; these no doubt were for the people that operated businesses there. In 1889 Mitford received a Post Office. The first doctor to arrive in the area was Dr. Hayden who had come in 1888. With the sawmill going and the accidents on the Betsy Line, no doubt the doctor was kept busy. He operated a small drug store in connection with his medical practice.

In the year 1888, a fellow by the name of de Journal operated the store and hotel for Tom Cochrane. In 1890 the sawmill was closed down; it was not a success from the start. Count de Journal left the employ of Cochrane in 1890 and was succeeded by R. Smith in the hotel and A. Martin in the store. Mr. Smith had worked in the sawmill for three years before he started in the hotel. His daughter, Violet, was the first child born at Mitford in 1890. His daughter, Sadie, married L. V. Kelly, author of the book, “The Range Men.” 

 

In 1891 Lady Adela hired Miss Isabel Monilaws of Bruce County, Ontario, to teach school at Mitford. A school was opened in the old saloon, the first school between Calgary and Morleyville. In 1894 the following children attended school at Mitford: Harold, Leslie, Walter and Vera Towers.

 

Their father was a section man at Radnor and later became a rancher at Jumping Pound. Harry Jones and George Skinner, sons of ranchers north of Cochrane. Birdie Radcliffe, whose father operated a creamery at Big Hill Springs, and Mary, Everett and Joseph McNeil of the John McNeil family.

Miss Monilaws taught school for four years and in 1895 married J. Cooper. Mr. Cooper had been employed by Tom Cochrane at the mine and the sawmill and later at the brickyard. At the time of their marriage, Mr. Cooper was living on his ranch a few miles northwest of Mitford.

The Cochranes, having failed at the lumbering and coal mining ventures, decided to go into the manufacturing of bricks. The clay was hauled from a flat, two miles north of Mitford, by the locomotive. The brickyard consisted of three kilns, of a primitive type, and a number of drying sheds. Mr. Cooper was in charge of the yard. The bricks were of poor quality and expensive to make. The enterprise lasted two summers. 

Doctor Hayden had left Mitford in 1891 and Mr. Cowley came to take over the drug store. Joe Howard built a blacksmith shop one-half mile east of Mitford on the north side of the C.P.R. line. Tom Cochrane decided to build a bridge across the Bow River. It was located one hundred yards east of the railway bridge and consisted of two spans abutting in the middle of the river on a small island. It was a toll bridge for a short time, the fees being five cents for an individual to walk across and ten cents for a team and wagon. 

In 1892 an Anglican Church was built on the hill northeast of the town. Lady Adela collected funds in England and she herself contributed some money to build the church. Many of the furnishings were given by Lady Adela. 

The brickyard was the last business venture of the Cochrane family in this area. It was abandoned in 1893. Betsy was sold to a lumber mill near Golden, British Columbia. The track was taken up and the industrial life of Mitford came to an end. The C.P.R. had never liked to stop at Mitford at any time and finally cancelled regular stops there in 1893. Trains proceeding east and stopping at Mitford were forced to back up a half-mile in order to make the grade out of town. Westbound trains always came to a halt with the engine on the bridge and this was dangerous. The local children soon discovered that a small amount of grease applied to the track caused some worry to the track crews, especially when the trains were going west; they slid right through the town before they could stop. The next three years saw the final abandonment of Mitford. Mr. Martin and Mr. Howard moved to the town of Cochrane and started businesses there. Tom Cochrane decided to enter politics and he ran against Frank Oliver in the election for the House of Commons in 1896 and

was defeated. Shortly after that, the Cochranes returned to England. Tom Cochrane’s sister was a Lady in Waiting to Princess Beatrice of Battenberg. The Princess was Governor of the Isle of Wight. Tom Cochrane’s sister managed to get an appointment for him as Deputy Governor. By 1898 the town of Mitford was deserted, the fire had destroyed many of the buildings and most of the population had left. The Anglican Church was moved to the town of Cochrane and is still there today. All that remains of Mitford is the tiny cemetery on the land where the Anglican Church once sat. The cemetery and the church were on an acre of land purchased by the church in England. 

Included in this story of Mitford are excerpts taken from the diary of Mrs. Algernon St. Maur. Mrs. St. Maur was a friend of Lady Adela and came to Mitford to visit the Cochranes. After going back to England from a visit to Mitford, she wrote the book “Impressions of a Tenderfoot.” 

The book was published in 1890 and the excerpts are from that book. 

 

FROM THE DIARY OF MRS. ALGERNON ST. MAUR

 “May 31st. We have a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains here, and on a fine morning it is difficult to believe they are sixty miles away; we are surrounded by fine undulating prairie. The cattle are fat and sleek, though they have had nothing but what they could find on the range all winter. The great drawback here is the frost at night, even in summer there is often enough to injure the potatoes and wheat. Adela and I amused ourselves planting the garden; we sowed cabbages, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, beets and beans. The soil is surprisingly rich; one digs nearly a yard deep and still it is the same good brown loam. 

“The sawmill and the house are close to the C.P.R.; at the former fifty men are at work. Their wages are from twenty to thirty dollars a month, and they are boarded as well. A private railway brings the logs down from the forest, they are sawn up here and put in the cars for market. 

“N–, Tom C– and Algernon have been busy this morning making a garden fence. They are also building a new hen house; the latter requires to be well put together, to keep out the cold in winter and has double walls with sawdust filled up between. Dug out hen houses with turf also make warm shelter, only a few have stoves, and often the claws of the poor birds get frost Bitten. The cat here has had her ears frozen off; fortunately they are both gone just at the same place, and give her the appearance of having her ears cropped.” 

(Tom C was Tom Cochrane and Algernon was her husband, Mr. St. Maur. N remains unknown, although it is possible that he was the Earl of Norbury who lived for a time with the Cochranes.) 

“June 1st.  Mr. Kerfoot, a neighbour, and one of the best riders and drivers in the northwest drove Adela’s ponies on the buckboard. They have been on the prairies for six months; when taken up they often require rebreaking. One of them lay down twice, bucked, and made a great fuss. Mr. Kerfoot drove them patiently and well. The harness and buckboard both of American make were perfectly adapted to the rough roads and prairie work. These carriages, owing to the wide axle, are almost impossible to upset, and one can drive them where no English carriage could go. The harness enables the horses to go quite independently of each other; the pole pieces, instead of being, as in England, fast to the head of the pole, are here attached to a short bar called the yoke which works loosely on the end of it, and also gives the horses a straight pull in holding back. 

“We all started on the private railway to see the timber limits, which are fifteen miles distant. A truck was arranged for us to sit on in front of the engine, the latter pushing us along. The men in charge drove too fast, and when we had gone about three miles we felt several great jolts, the truck had left the rails and upset; most fortunately for us, one of the wheels got wedged in the sand and the brakeman, having put on the brakes, stopped the engine. For a few moments, there was an awful feeling of suspense; we all expected the engine would come crashing down on top of us; happily, however, this did not occur,

else we might have all been killed. On regaining our feet we found the only person badly injured was the brakeman; the poor fellow lay under the engine with three bad wounds in his head and his ear almost severed from the scalp. With difficulty, he was extricated from his perilous position and while the C–s and Algernon remained with him, N– and I went for assistance. 

“The Doctor came quickly, a wagon followed, the poor fellow was soon in his little bed at the sawmill, and wonderful to relate, though so terribly injured, and with a badly fractured skull, he recovered. It is always much in favour of these men during an illness that they have lived a hardy out-of-door life.

 “June 2nd Drove to the British American Co’s sheep ranche. The manager was away but his housekeeper gave us a luncheon, afterwards, we went fishing. 

“June 4th Ten degrees of frost last night. Algernon went for a ride with Mr. Kerfoot, and in the afternoon we all rode over to his horse ranche. The horses are most clever in avoiding the gopher holes, and if given their head they can go at any pace over them without making a mistake. At the ranche we saw more than a hundred horses. The corrals are wonderfully arranged, three openings into each other. When the band of horses has been driven into the first which is the largest, the horses required for branding or breaking are separated from the rest and the gate being opened, is turned into the second corral. The entrance into the third corral is by a very high strong gate, so arranged as to swing around against the side of this corral with just space for a horse to stand between. A single horse is now let through this gate, which is swung around holding him against the side of the third corral so that he is helpless and cannot fight or hurt himself being branded or bridled. 

“June 6th On the other side of the Bow River is a canyon known as the Jumping Pound, over the edge of which the hunters used to drive the buffalo, and in this canyon, their bones still lie in places two and three feet deep. They are now being taken away and used for manure. A band of Blackfoot Indians passed today; the Chief, “Three Plumes”, rode up to the house to show his permit, which is given by the Indian Agent to enable them to leave their reservations for a stated time; this band had been on a visit to the Stoney Indians. (We have since heard that the guests on leaving stole thirty horses.) 

“June 14th Until this morning we have not seen the Rockies for a week. Innumerable wildflowers grow on the prairie; last month there were anemones of all colours, and in a few weeks there will be masses of dog rose and wild honeysuckle; it is a kind provision of nature that this wild rose is so hardy, it stands even the extreme cold of

winter and grows from the root each year. The doctor, who is a botanist, sent a collection of wildflowers which he had made, to Kew Gardens to be classified. We went to see the coal mine that was discovered three years ago, the first traces of coal being seen at the mouth of a badger’s hole. Adela and I only went in as far as the first galley, where we met a man and horse bringing up a truck of coal to the mouth; the others all departed along with a similar galley, each carrying a Davy lamp; as yet there is little danger of gas, the workings being quite near the surface.

 “June 18th Adela’s sitting hens require a lot of running after, half-wild and fleet as hares, they appear to have a strange dislike to returning to the nest, so we have to get some of the men to help us run them down. Two ranchers came to luncheon today – true types, I should think, of Western men. I hear that their father in England is a rich man, but he seems to do little for his sons. They work hard, even washing all their own clothes and cooking, and it is not therefore to be wondered at, that they look rough. The usual dress out here is a blue flannel shirt, with no collar, but a coloured handkerchief tied loosely round the neck, a buckskin shirt, a pair of leather chaps with fringes down the seams, worn over trousers, boots and a broad-brimmed felt hat with a leather band around it, which is generally stamped with patterns and ornamented in some way. 

“June 21st Today we visited the forest or timber limits, starting early. The ride was quite delightful, as we cantered up and down these limitless plains of grass, with the mountains stretching away into the dim distance as far as the eye could reach, and extending in Canada alone for eight hundred miles. Tares of many shades, pea vine, wild camomile, bugle flowers and many other wildflowers we saw as we rode along, also myrtles, gooseberries and dog roses. Occasionally a few prairie hen rose in front of us, and flew away, wondering doubtless at having been disturbed. As we came into view of the log house where some of the lumbermen live, we saw the forest beneath us. We rode four miles further, over somewhat marshy ground, then after descending a rather precipitous path, we found ourselves at a place which goes by the name of Dog Pound Creek; the horses were all picketed out, the harness and saddles having been removed. 

Madam d’Artigue and her husband and sister (French people from the Basque Provinces) are in charge of this ranche for someone who lives in Calgary. It was quite a pleasure to see their beautifully managed poultry yards. There were hundreds of chickens of all ages and sizes, rows of boxes for the sitting hens with one hen in each all arranged the same and in a practical manner peculiar to French people. There is an excellent market for poultry in the northwest; they told me that for a capon they got one dollar and seventy-five cents in Calgary.

“June 24th-Sunday, In the evening we had a service from a travelling minister, about half the men came; the hymns selected by him were not at all cheerful nor bright, and his sermon was not suitable in any way to the requirements of his listeners, which one regretted.

“June 25th Rather a tragic termination to our visit was caused by another accident on the railway. In the evening we heard the mill whistleblowing violently, and found that the engine, returning with four trucks of lumber, had been thrown off the rails; the engineer got jammed between the engine and the logs, and had his leg broken in two places; but such is the toughness of these men that when being carried down we heard him joking with the others about not yet needing to be carried feet first, though he must have been suffering great pain.”

Its been two years since the Flood

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It’s been two years since the Big Hill Springs Creek flooded and caused significant damage to the Cochrane Historical Museum. Here is the story told in pictures.

 

Flood at twilight
Flood Night West Under Lights
Flood at night Frank Hennessey on Steps
Flood Night Rear
Basement Damage

Recovery Begins

Cochrane Fire Service assisting
Town crew pumping with Frank Hennessey
East side Daylight
Larry Want on Basement Steps
Cochrane Ranche Gate

Repairs Begin

Adding Topsoil West Side
Adding soil southwest side
Adding soil museum rear
Gravel Overlay
Gravel Berm West Side
Downstairs is rebuilt
Water damage up the walls requiring replacement

Where we are today

Downstairs Rebuilt
Stairs after rebuild

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Thanks once again the History Heritage Resource Committee of the M.D. of Bighorn for these interviews and photos.

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Burning Outhouse gets Residents Hopping Mad

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By Allan and Belle Hall

In firefighting, water is always the main item so in the early 1950s the council, headed by Mayor Barney Klassen decided we were going to have a water system and made plans accordingly. I was offered the job as fire chief, and I was to go to #1 fire hall in Calgary for a week’s training in an instructor’s course. Passing with a mark of 86 percent and returning home, I got together a brigade and we held lectures all summer. The Calgary course was in May 1954, and the council didn’t purchase a rig until September of the same year. 

For the council, water was a big problem. They drilled three wells in the coulee as you start up the Big Hill, on the north side of the road. The council put in a 60,000-gallon storage tank. The wells were entirely inadequate and soon went dry and this upset the ordinary wells that were in the east end of town. 

As diesel engines on the CPR line didn’t require water, the council made arrangements to use the CPR four-inch line that ran from the CPR station east along the tracks to a point in the river, just north of Griffins farm. This set-up worked fine for a while, but soon the old line fell apart. The pressure of water was too much for it. The next step was a new line south from town to the river, which is used today. Seven hydrants were installed, mostly near the business section of town. 

The next thing was how to alert the brigade. In the early days, church bells or phones were used. The alarm issue was solved when we approached the phone office staff. They had a list of phone numbers of firemen and when an alarm was phoned in, the two operators phoned firemen immediately. This alarm system worked well for a number of years until the phone office was done away with. We then went to an electric sentry machine located in the Firehall. When an alarm was phoned in, the machine activated the siren. The first man there tore the tape off the machine which gave the location of fire etcetera. This didn’t work because kids and drunks thought it was a big joke to phone in an alarm and we were chasing false alarms. The next step was to put five phones in various members’ homes. These phones were just for fire and rang only when the fire number was dialled. 

After we had our engine for a while, Alan MacDonald and I decided we would see how well the brigade would act if we were not there. As there was no more use for outside toilets, we asked the council if we could have the big old double toilet that sat behind the community hall. Sure, they said get rid of it. Undercover of darkness and with the aid of a tow truck, we placed it northwest of the Rebekah Hall about where Dr. Kelly’s office is now. Filling the interior with about 20 old car tires with about five gallons of used car oil, topped off with a couple of gallons of gas. 

As I worked at the Texaco garage, we set our watches and 10 p.m. sharp 1 was to turn in the alarm from the garage and Alan would light the fire. The night was very dark and everything went as planned. What we didn’t plan on was the reaction of the local residents. The fire flared up quickly, causing a huge glow as gas and oil went heavenward. The brigade acted promptly and had the fire out in 10 minutes flat. However, Ernie Andison, the butcher, had run all the way from his place, half-dressed. When he found out what had happened, he lit into me. “A scatterbrained lunatic” and a few more choice words that must have blistered the paint on the house nearby. A few more of the residents were upset and we were not too popular.

Firehall 1950

From a Peep into the Past Volume 1 by Gordon and Belle Hall

Beaupre Tales by Paul Gibson

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Paul Gibson was interviewed by the Oral History Project of the M.D. of Bighorn.  He talks about the Beaupre Scout Troop and shaking the hand of the Queen in the first video featured.

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Watch the entire Playlist

Paul Gibson talks about living and working in the Jamieson Road Area. Once there, please remember to subscribe to the M.D. Bighorn channel.
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Photos and Videos courtesy of the Oral History Project, M.D. of Bighorn.

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