By Shirley Thomas pg 753 More Big Hill Country 2009
Bob and I were married fifty years ago, on September 21, 1957.
I grew up on a dairy farm on what is now Lochend Road, between Calgary and Cochrane. My Dad, Thomas Wearmouth, came from Durham County, England, in March 1906. He homesteaded the SW Sec 2 Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M in 1909. He worked at the Glenbow Quarry while proving his homestead. He built a small house and decorated the yard with buffalo skulls and rocks. Tom met Annie Standring who lived several miles north. Her parents were Richard and Mary Ann (Polly) Standring. They had come from Lancashire, England in 1902 and they homesteaded on what is Marg Chalack’s farm today. Annie’s siblings were John, Betty, Maggie, and Dorothy. Tom Wearmouth and Annie Standring were married in June 1913. They had a family of seven: Winnie, Dick, Hugh, Walter, Bill, Dennis, and myself, Shirley.
Mother and Dad were very active in the community. Of course, the early times were horse and buggy days. It was a hard life with no electricity or running water but still, they did many things. Mother was a Charter Member of the Glendale Women’s Institute and a member of Eastern Star. She was a wonderful cook. sewed and quilted, had a large garden, and loved to ride. She was an excellent horsewoman and won many races at the local gymkhanas. She was loved and respected by relatives and friends. Dad was a Charter member of the Masonic Lodge in Cochrane. He was an early riser and a hard worker. Sadly, Mother had cancer. She had operations and radium treatments but died in 1937 at 45 years. I was two years old.
Winnie and Dick stayed with Dad and took on family responsibilities. Winnie took charge of the house and looked out for us. She enjoyed activities in the community. She was a member of the Glendale Women’s Institute and a Founding Member of the Cochrane Art Club. She was a wonderful friend to family and neighbors. She lived on the homestead for seventy-five years but passed away in 1993.
With five brothers, there were always lots of activities. They all had their interests and kept busy with the work on the farm. There were lots of fun times, too. Eventually, they started moving away. First Hugh, then Walter, Bill, and Dennis. They married and had families. We had many family gatherings. It was great to belong to a large family.
As a youngster, I helped with the housework. I worked especially hard so I could have time outdoors as I loved to ride. We rode three miles to a one-roomed school called Glendale. Twenty to thirty students from grades one to nine attended and just one teacher. More than half rode to school. There was a horse barn. It was amazing that there were few problems with the horses. At recess and noon, we always went outdoors to play. I guess that was the only way the teacher could stay sane. There were some schoolyard altercations but the big kids would help keep order. We had a lot of fun riding to school with our friends. One winter we had a lot of snow. My horse plunged and plunged through the drifts, nearly becoming exhausted, but would not stop until she was clear. In the summer we would bring the milk cows home from the pasture after school. If the flies were bad, it might take a long time to get them out of the trees. We always had collie dogs and they would help.
My brother Dennis and I would try to hitch young calves up to a little wagon. It was not very successful as the calves would not cooperate. One year, Hugh gave me a late little calf. I fed “Albert” diligently and he thrived. I would ride to the pasture and feed him grain and I kept him for three years. It was a sad day when he went to the market.
I helped hay by raking with a team of horses. Sometimes Dick was haying prairie wool in areas among willow trees. It was difficult to get the hay raked in the little spaces but even harder to get it stacked. Dennis and I would often tramp the stack in the field and in the loft.
I remember one summer as a kid, going Saskatoon picking near what is now the Retreat. It was Bowhay’s land. Many people came and we had a picnic. We filled milk cans with saskatoons. It must have been a good berry year.
We had a dairy farm with mostly Holstein cattle. We had workhorses and riding horses, dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, and a couple of pigs. A large garden was essential. No electricity was available until 1949. There were lots of chores. Wood and coal stoves would go out at night and it was cold in the morning but Dad was the best fire maker and soon we were warm. The coal oil lampshades would become black with soot and we could not read. We had to blow out the lamp before we could clean the shade.
I belonged to the 4-H Beef and Dairy Club, the Junior Red Cross, and many school activities. We learned to skate on the sloughs.
Some of my best memories of growing up were riding in the late evening, watching a beautiful sunset over the mountains, and seeing a harvest moon rising in the eastern sky. Coyotes may be howling and birds calling. The natural beauty was overwhelming.
From 1950-1953 I attended Crescent Heights High School in Calgary. That was quite a change from thirty students to fifteen hundred students. I boarded in the city but came home on weekends to help Winnie. Nearly every Friday there was a country dance where we had great times.
In 1953 I entered the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing. Spending three years in residence resulted in lasting friendships and a great education.
Bob was born October 27, 1931, in Hardisty, Alberta. His Dad, Tom Thomas had come from Kent, England in 1919. His Uncle Frank Matthews was farming near Hardisty. Tom worked for Frank and later rented a farm. He met Edna Bertina Lyseng who was nursing at the Hardisty Hospital. She was from a family of thirteen. Her parents had immigrated to Canada from the USA after coming from Norway. They settled in the Armena area near Camrose. Tom and Edna were married in 1930. Bob’s sister, Joyce, was born in 1934. Bob remembers driving a team and wheat-filled wagon to an elevator at Bot. This was a few miles from home but he was only eight years old. The elevator operator came and put a pole through the back wheel spokes and drove the wagon down the steep approach. The wagon was emptied and Bob drove home. Tom joined The Royal Edmonton Regiment in 1939. He went to England with the First Division. Edna, Bob, and Joyce went to Calgary. Edna spent some time in the Baker Tuberculosis Sanatorium and Bob spent his summers at Lyseng farms near Armena. His Dad served in Sicily and Italy. He came home in the summer of 1945 and Bob went with the horse and buggy to meet him at the train at Armena.
Bob attended schools in Calgary completing high school at Western Canada High. Those were the days of the Sateen Club. It was the largest Teen Club in Western Canada. All the High Schools participated. Bob was an active member. Their activities included dances with big bands, ski trips, mystery trips, and radio programs. No alcohol was allowed.
After high school, Bob worked for a survey company. They surveyed the power line that goes through Kananaskis. In 1952 Bob came to Bearspaw and worked for Norman Newsome. He drove a truck hauling milk, in cans, from the farms to the dairies in Calgary. He met Cliff Gillespie and Ted Cushing who owned the Bearspaw Service Station. He then took Automotive Mechanics at TEC (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology). He apprenticed at the station and got his ticket in 1954.
Bob and I met in 1954. We were married in 1957 and we lived in the city for a short time. In 1958 we ran a dairy farm near Cochrane. We were on a rural telephone line with fourteen neighbors; our ring was five longs. An emergency was announced by ten long rings. Then everyone would listen to find out what was the emergency. Often it was a grass fire.
Bruce and Glen were born when we were dairying. When my Dad became ill, we moved there to help with his care. We bought an acreage from Dick and had a small house moved. Dad passed away in October 1962. We moved to the acreage in February 1963 and lived there for forty-one years. Here we raised our four sons: Bruce, Glen, Keith, and Wayne. Bob was employed by Whittle Implements of Cochrane. He went to farms and ranches to repair machinery. He met many of the old timers and “characters” of the area. What stories were told!
Bob also worked for the Alberta Forestry and later Fairbanks Morse, which specializes in gas compres- sion engines and compressors. He still does some work for them. Bob has been a member of the Bearspaw Lions for over forty five years. He was awarded the prestigious Melvin Jones Fellow recognizing his dedication to the work of the Lions organization. Bob coached and managed minor hockey and baseball. He played Oldtimer Hockey and enjoyed skiing, cycling, and curling. Golfing is now a favorite sport.
Nursing has always been an important part of my life. I worked over 35 years (often part-time) in a variety of nursing positions. With raising our family I worked shifts and weekends so one of us could be at home. What a boon were oven timers and casseroles! I enjoyed sewing and took many courses. I received my Occupational Nursing Certificate from Grant MacEwen College. I was Nursing Home Manager when the Bethany opened in Cochrane in 1988. I spent several years at the Palliative Care Unit at the Calgary General Hospital. Gardening and outdoor activities kept me busy. I belong to the Glendale Women’s Institute, Healing Touch Calgary, and am active with Community and Church and I love golfing.
We were the first acreage in this area (1963). All our sons attended Cochrane Schools. The bus picked Bruce up at 7:30 am and he was home at 5:00 pm. . In the 1970s, farms were sold and more acreages were developed. As more people moved in, more schools were built in Cochrane. More buses meant shorter ride times. The schools could offer more options. The new neighbors joined the community activities and they were a great asset. Some coached sports teams, and helped with Cubs and Scouts and other activities. Roads were improved and an indoor arena was built. But the farms were being displaced. The area had been primarily dairy and mixed farms. Many were homesteads. In the 1980s, 1990’s and 2000’s more development took place. Huge homes were built. Many students went to private schools. The whole landscape changed. Our sons, Bruce, Glen, Keith, and Wayne, participated in many activities. Sports included hockey, baseball, football, rugby, lacrosse, swimming, skiing, and track. They belonged to Cubs, Scouts, and 4-H. They enjoyed music and drama. They excelled in many areas. There seemed to always be kids playing football, lawn hockey or other interests. They crowded into the house for their favorite snacks. Getting them to their games was a challenge. No seat belts were required or available so our station wagon was filled with kids and equipment. We traveled many, many miles. Most times we picked up some of their friends. There was never a dull moment. These were busy, wonderful times.
For holidays we often went camping. Many times we went to the Mara or Shuswap Lakes in British Columbia. We all enjoyed water skiing, the sandy beaches, and campfires. We all have tales to tell of those times, like being caught far out in the lake in a wild storm or being buried in the sand, or camping under the stars on a lonely beach. Downhill skiing was learned at Paskapoo (Canada Olympic Park). We had fun ski trips. We took the family to Disneyland. Being in the country was great. We had a dog, cats, horses, and sometimes cattle. The Prairie Trail was great for motorbikes. After a dune buggy ride through an obstacle course in our field after a heavy rain, the occupants could not be recognized. Glen was especially proud of fixing an old truck. He drove it proudly up to the garage and into the door! The brakes did not work.
Bruce had friends over for a party on the deck. Our neighbors, Phil and Bob Norris could hear George Fox singing from the roof of our house and a band blaring out popular music. Keith and Ron launched rockets. Some were never found, so they must have gone far. Wayne won a 250 motorbike and was the envy of his brothers. The boys were unique in their interests and personalities but had a family bond. There were many fun times with their cousins and friends. They tell tales of those days and we wonder where we were! The boys completed High School in Cochrane. They went to University, to work, or to Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
As a Civil Engineer, Bruce spent two years in Chile coordinating projects on a Gas Pipeline over the Andes Mountains. He and Philippa now live in Cochrane. Philippa has worked with horses most of her life and has a wonderful way with animals. Bruce works for an Engineering Company in Calgary.
Glen worked for TransAlta Utilities for fourteen years advancing to high voltage, “hotline” work. Later he had his own business and was a “stay-at-home Dad”. He now works for Enmax. Elise is a Grade six teacher. She is very busy with many, varied activities. They have a daughter Mahri (10 years) and a son Will (7 years). They both play soccer. Mahri figure skates. They love the water and are good swimmers. They live in Altadore, Calgary
Keith is an Aeronautical Engineering Technologist. He designs oil and gas field equipment. Laura is a Florist and has an amazing yard. They have a son, Mitchell who loves skateboarding. They live in Riverbend, Calgary.
Wayne completed Electronics at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and worked for Canon for years. He then took teaching at University and teaches at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Patricia has a home-based position in sales. They live in New Westminister, British Columbia.
In 2004 we sold our acreage and moved to the site where my Dad homesteaded. We added a sunroom to the old house and have a beautiful view of our red barn silhouetted against our bright sunrises. To the west, from our windy hill, the Rockies are magnificent.
In 2005 we held a Wearmouth Family Reunion. With the help of nieces and nephews, we cleaned the loft of our 60-year-old dairy barn. Outside stairs were built and Dan and helpers made a lift for Seniors and Wheelchairs. We had room for RVs. About 150 people attended. Weekend activities included campfires, wiener roasts, “funny money” Texas Hold ’em poker. This included young kids to 90-year-olds. A horseshoe tournament was held. Scavenger hunts, mummy wrapping, digging in the straw for prizes, just visiting, and kids running about, were all enjoyed. Many a story was told. Jeff gave rides in his Model T. Vicki gave rides in her Beetle Convertible. A mighty beef and potluck meal was devoured. A special Birthday cake was a surprise for Dick’s 90th Birthday. As darkness approached, adults sat on chairs on the hillside. The kids sat on the grass and awaited the fireworks. Bruce, Glen, Keith, and Wayne did a great job. There were lots of oohs and ahs. The kids were rolling on the ground with laughter at the fireworks with sound effects! It was a wonderful weekend at the Homestead, celebrating our own lives and the lives of our ancestors.
We enjoy our Grandchildren, Mahri, Mitchell, and Will. They have fun on our farm. They love to go camping and enjoy the campfire, fishing, and climbing the Badlands. This year we went to Dinosaur Park near Brooks. They found real dinosaur bones embedded in the ground. They have a great time together.
Bob and I have always had an RV. We have seen the farthest point West, East, and South in Canada. We have been to all Provinces and Territories except Nunavit. In February we enjoyed a cruise through the Panama Canal. After our 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration in September, we spent some time with friends, camping, and golfing.
Life and the area have changed greatly through the years. Fortunately, we still enjoy life with family and friends. We have many interests and activities. We look forward to the opening of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park located along the Bow River between Calgary and Cochrane. What a great country!
Very interesting family history Shirley!
Maxine Wasileiw