History - CHAPS

Ian and Donna Airth family

March 21, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 256 More Big Hill Country 2009

Donna Marion was born in Calgary, September 22, 1951 . I’m the daughter of Bert and Marion Powlesland. I attended Westbrook School for 10 years and graduated from Cochrane High School in 1969. I have many memories of growing up north of Cochrane. George Webb was our school bus driver for many years and encouraged us all to sing on his bus route. At the Weedon Hall Christmas Concerts ( old location) our bus group always had a part in the concert.

Cattle have always played a big part of my life; I was a member of Westbrook 4-H Beef Club, showed cattle at the Calgary Bull Sale and was a member of the Alberta and Canadian Junior Hereford Association . I had the honour of being the first Alberta Hereford Queen. After high school I worked for Alberta Government Telephones for a year and decided it was time to move on. I attended Olds College for two years and graduated from Fashion and Promotion Merchandising in 1972. While at Olds, I met my future husband, Ian

James Ian was born in Calgary April 30, 1949. Ian is the second son of Jim and Dorothy Airth of De Winton. Ian attended Okotoks for his schooling and graduated from Okotoks High School in 1968. Ian was a member of the Okotoks 4-H Beef Club, high school curling and skiing. Ian attended Olds College and graduated from Agricultural Mechanics in 1972. Ian’s family raises Galloway cattle.

Ian and I were married by Rev. Randy Naylor in Parkdale United Church in Calgary, June 10, 1972. We lived at DeWinton with Ian’s Family on their Walking A Ranch. In 1973, we moved to Cochrane to set down our roots at Rusticana Ranch. In 1975, we started purchasing land from my parents. We were raising purebred horned Hereford cattle, and our herd was called Rusticana Herefords. We sold the purebred Herefords in 1981. Ian and I then developed a commercial cattle herd consisting of Herefords and Black Angus.

Ian and I are the proud parents of two sons. Howard Ian was born September 27, 1974, in Calgary. Howard attended Cochrane for schooling and graduated from Cochrane High School in 1993. He attended Olds College and graduated from Agricultural Mechanics in 1996. Howard married Jolene Eklund of Glentworth, Saskatchewan, on September 18, 1999, in Crossfield.

Howard is a Journeyman Agricultural mechanic and was a service man for Agro Equipment Calgary (John Deere) for many years, then in sales and is currently Sales Manager for them. Jolene has worked many years for Calgary Lab Services in Cochrane as a Lab Tech. Howard and Jolene have two children Keely Jay born October 6, 2002, and Justin Doug born July 28, 2005. Howard and his family also live on Rusticana Ranch and his children are the fifth generation of my family to live here.

Our second child, Clayton Albert, was born in Calgary on November 16, 1977. Clayton attended Cochrane Schools and graduated from Cochrane High School in 1996. Clayton was a member of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment Cadet Corps in Cochrane. With the cadet, Clayton spent many summers at the Vernon Army Cadet Camp. Clayton attended Olds College and graduated from Meat Processing in 1996. He was employed at Costco in Red Deer as a meat cutter for ten years. Clayton married Donna Haire in 1999, and they have two children: Michael Leo, born April 29, 1993, and Andrew Ian, born April 29, 2000. Clayton was a reservist with the 20th Field Regiment Red Deer and helped fight the forest fires in BC in the summer of 2003. After ten years of meat cutting, Clayton moved on to the oil patch and works for Cal Frac Well Services in Red Deer.

Ian is the past president of the Cochrane Lions Club, Cochrane Roping Club, and Calgary District Hereford Club. Donna is a past president and member of the Cochrane Lioness Club. We have both been involved in the Weedon Pioneer Community Association. Camping has been a big part of our life and we have spent many happy times fishing with our boys. I enjoy gardening (although a challenge in our climate) and have grown thousands of garden flowers in our greenhouse. Ian has enjoyed hunting and most recently golfing. Ian and I are still active in raising cattle and have shown many Supreme Champion pens of steers and heifers at the Balog’s British Breed Show in Lethbridge. We enjoy the cattle business. It is a great satisfaction to raise good cattle and also make many good friends.

Deep Dive

Robert (Bob) A. Callaway Family

March 14, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Connected to the Callaway Family history in Big Hill Country.

My great grandfather, Joseph Callaway, immigrated to Ontario in 1843. He married and he and his wife had 6 children. He owned an operated the Dominion Salt Works in Ontario. Joseph and his wife and children decided to come west travelling to Winnipeg, Manitoba by wagon, pulled by oxen. At night they turned the wagon box over to use as shelter. In 1886,the family moved farther west to the Brushy Ridge District in Alberta where he homesteaded the SE Sec 22 Twp 25 Rge 4 W5M.

Joseph’s oldest son, Emanuel Joseph “EJ.”, my grandfather was born in 1855 in Ontario and just before coming west with his parents he married Elizabeth Ferguson. Upon arriving in Manitoba, they homesteaded in Killarny Manitoba and had six children. Enthused about the stories from the west, E.J. and Elizabeth with their children moved to Monte Creek near Kamloops, British Columbia. In 1894, shortly after their arrival in Kamloops, Elizabeth died of Quinsy. In 1898, E.J. married Alice Miriam Partridge. In 1899, a daughter, Edith Sarah was born. In 1900, they moved with their family to the Springbank area where A.A. “Ted” and Mary were born.

In I 906, E.J. and Alice purchased 800 acre of land from George Wills and they moved to the Brushy Ridge district. They built a new house and it was here that Lily, Nora, Nellie and Alfred were born. Dr. Park and Mrs. Hughes from Cochrane were in attendance at their births. The family had now grown to 13 children. The younger children attended Brushy Ridge School and “E.J.” was on the Brushy Ridge School Board with Sykes Taylor and William Edge. “EJ .” was also a Government Weed Inspector for many years.

In 1929, my Dad, Arthur A. (Ted) Callaway married Jemima (Mamie) Ballantyne, who had come from Scotland to Calgary with her parents and brothers and sisters.

In 1932, my grandfather, Emanual Joseph passed away and left three quarter sections to my father.

I was born in 1929 in the Calgary General Hospital and have a sister Evelyn Aileen (Perkins) born December 2, 1935 also at the General. I started school at Brushy Ridge School, just across the road from our house, in 1934 and after passing grade nine in June 1944, I started High School in September at Western Canada High School in Calgary. Besides my regular classes I took a 2 year course in metals and a 3 year course in automotive. I also joined the Army Cadets and worked up to the rank of Staff-Sargeant.

I would go to Calgary, Sunday evening to where I boarded during the week, then catch a ride home with Harvey Hogarth Sr. (Hogarth’s Transport) on Friday afternoon.

I remember the streets in Calgary in the winter. There was no snowplowing. The roads built up with deep ruts in the snow and there was no getting out of them except at intersections where the ruts crossed each other. The same went with Highway # I to Cochrane (now highway IA.) The Trans Canada Highway# l did not exist at that time.

After I graduated from High School, I came home and worked with my Mom and Dad on the farm.

Looking back over the years, I remember the fire that swept through Jumping Pound and Brushy Ridge. It was rumored that the fire started by embers that had smoldered in a muskeg all summer up by the Jumping Pound Ranger Station. An 80 to 90 mile an hour wind fanned it up and away it went. It was November 19, 1936, a day to be remembered by many for years to come.

The winter of 1948 was one to remember. We measured the snow in feet not inches! The farms south of Cochrane had to rely on Griffins to keep the main road open with their D8 Caterpillar. By December 23, most of the road had to be abandoned because there was 10 to 15 feet of snow piled on the road. It was through the fields with a tractor escorting Johnny Arnell in his 1 ton truck taking the milk that had to go to the Model Dairies in Calgary daily. Come mid-April 1949, Griffins were finally able to open the road.

During these years we were not in the Municipal District of Rocky View # 44. We were in what they called a Rural Improvement District and the farmers looked after the roads themselves. This included building the roads, maintaining them, including culverts and small bridges and also grading them.

In 1937, Dad traded in his old Hart Parr tractor on a McCormick Deering W-30 tractor. It was the first rubber-tired tractor that the people west of Calgary had seen. Dad was constantly teased about that tractor. “It can’t do anything out in the field!”, the neighbours teased but strange as it may seem, two neighbors who had the same model tractors on steel, appeared in their fields before long with the steel cut off and replaced with rubber tires. Being that we had a tractor with rubber tires, we had the honor of doing the grading on the roads, pulling a grader that originally was pulled by 4 to 8 head of horses, whichever was needed to build and maintain the roads.

In Grandpa’s days you might say “the horse age” he had a horse-powered baler. In winter time, they would bale prairie wool then ship it from Cochrane by railroad to Banff, Lethbridge or where ever he had a market for it. They would bale for 3 days then load the hay on wagons and haul it to Cochrane with 4 horses pulling the wagon. Then they loaded it on the railroad cars. This took another 3 days. The bale weighed 110 – 120 pounds each.

When you look back and see what the farmers did in those days we don’t know what work is! All this was combined with braking horses to break and sell and some of them went to the Army in 1914-1919. They also had cattle, milked cows, sent milk to a cheese factory that was located 2 miles east of here, sold cream to the Cochrane Dairy which was located immediately west of Cochrane adjacent to the Highway l (now IA) where the Cochrane Ranche Provincial Historic Site is now located.

In the fall of l953 , I worked for a year and a half with Shell Oil Exploration.

On June 18, 1954, I married Yvonne Blow, daughter of Len and Mable Blow of Cochrane. In 1955, I left Shell Oil Exploration to come back to work with Mom and Dad on the farm. At this time Dad rented a half section from Arthur and Mary Coelen. We farmed this land for 19 years until it was sold for subdivision and is now called Tower Ridge.

In 1958, Yvonne and I started to build our own home. With the assistance of Lambert Brothers Construction, who did the basement foundation and framing up, the house began to take shape. In the meantime, Yvonne and I, with our daughter Debra, born November 1955, and our son David, born January 1957 lived with my Mom and Dad. It was a great day when we moved into our new home.

In March 1961, our daughter Susan was born and in September 1964 another daughter Marie was born.

My mother passed away May 15, 1963 and Dad and I continued to work together.

In 1964, I bought Pleasant View Farm from my Dad and continued with the dairy operation. I started working toward my goal of having a herd of Brown Swiss Dairy Cows in 1972. I eventually succeeded in having a complete herd of Brown Swiss Cows with one of the cows achieving the honor of holding the production record of milk production of Brown Swiss in Canada. My father passed away on March 31, 1986.

In December 2002, I retired from the dairy operation and sold our dairy herd after succeeding in reaching

my goal. Our dairy was the last dairy in this area. I am still actively producing hay and boarding cattle.

Yvonne keeps very busy, still volunteering and we are enjoying our grandchildren. Our children are achieving goals of their own.

Debra married Dave Millican in 1979 and they have two sons Kobe and Kelly. They live in Cochrane, Alberta.

David married Marilyn Fullerton in 1982. They have three daughters, Bailey, Paige and Cassandra. David lives west of Stavely Alberta and publishes the Angus World magazine.

Susan graduated with her Registered Nurse degree in Edmonton and became a neo-natal nurse. She moved to San Diego in 1986 to work in the San Diego Children’s Hospital. In 1992, she married Rocky Cook and they have a son , Robbie and a daughter Marie. Susan founded the S.C.R.U.B.S. Nurses Uniform Company which has been very successful.

Marie had an interior design business in Edmonton and married John Fentum in July 1994. They moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995 and they have 2 children, a daughter Alexis and a son Grant. Marie now builds houses and sells real estate.

Yvonne and I are enjoying our retirement visiting friends and family and doing a bit of travelling.

Deep Dive

Brushy Ridge Fire

2026 CHAPS AGM Snippets

March 12, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Every year, the Annual General Meeting of the Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS) offers an opportunity to reflect on the past year, celebrate our accomplishments, and look ahead to the work still to be done in preserving and sharing Cochrane’s history.

This year we are sharing four short videos that highlight different parts of that story.

First, Larry Want, President of CHAPS, delivers his annual message reflecting on the past year and the importance of community support in continuing our work. His remarks highlight both the achievements of the past year and the opportunities that lie ahead for the organization.

Next, Mark Boothby presents a summary of CHAPS’ growing social media and online presence. With increasing website traffic, expanding audiences on Facebook, and a steady stream of new blog posts, the reach of local history continues to grow. At the same time, the message is clear: the future of these efforts depends on volunteers who are willing to help carry this work forward.

Finally, Frank Hennessey shares highlights from recent visits to the Cochrane Historical Museum, including a remarkable story about visitors from a small town in Wales who discovered a surprising connection to the builders of the historic Davies Home — a link that stretches back more than 100 years.

We are also sharing Mike Taylor’s presentation describing CHAPS’ efforts to help preserve the historic Bottrel Campground and General Store, an early 1900s landmark in the Bottrel area north of Cochrane. His presentation outlines why the site matters to local history and the work underway to ensure its story is not lost.

Together, these four presentations offer a glimpse into the work being done by CHAPS and the museum, and the people who help keep Cochrane’s history alive.

History Needs Champions — Will You Step Forward?

March 5, 2026 by Mark Boothby

🚨 Members — We Need You at the 2026 AGM! 🚨

The 2026 Annual General Meeting will be held Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 PM at the FCSS Building (209 – 2nd Avenue West, basement meeting rooms — North entrance). Parking is available on the street or in the lot west of the building (please do not park in front of the entrance).

We’ll review the 2025 Financial Statements, recap this year’s projects and activities, and outline plans for 2026.

Most importantly — we need members to step up.

The Election of Officers and Directors will take place, including:

President
Vice-President
Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Three Directors

Your current Executive has served faithfully for several years. While some are willing to continue, new leadership, new energy, and new ideas are essential for CHAPS to move forward.

If you care about preserving and promoting Cochrane’s history, now is the time to get involved. Strong organizations depend on members who are willing to lead.

To put your name forward or ask questions, contact Larry Want, President, at larry@chapscochrane.com.

Join us. Participate. Step up.

(And yes — we’ll stay until the donuts are gone!)

Remember Day Light Savings Time goes into effect Sunday March 8th

Carry Our Community’s History Forward

March 3, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society and Cochrane Historical Museum are looking for Volunteers to help with various projects, programs and becoming Museum Docents in the coming year.

If you are interested please check out our poster and contact lynn@chapscochrane.com

Carpe Diem: Memories of the Old Cochrane School

March 1, 2026March 1, 2026 by Mark Boothby

by Gordon Davies

The old red brick school was the source of my education from Grade 1 until Grade 11.

There were four rooms above the basement. The basement was divided into two areas -the boys area and the girls area. Off the girls’ area was another classroom in the NW corner of the basement. Off the boys’ area was the furnace room and the janitor’s room in the NE corner. There were a number of windows in the basement so that it was not particularly dark.

Upon entering the school, there was a flight of stairs leading up to the 4 classrooms. On each side of this stairway, there were stairs leading down into the boys’ and girls’ areas. In the two classrooms in the front, looking toward the south, there was a cloakroom walled off from the classroom where you left your coats, etc. In the NE classroom there was a walled off section on the west side, which served as a storage area for chemicals and equipment used for science class. There was also a very large glass water bottle inverted on a stand where one could get a drink. Until 1952, the toilets were outside of the school to the NE and once the water system was put in by the town there were girls and boys toilets in the basement. In once corner of the NW classroom a section had been walled off to serve as an office for the principal. Behind the school there was also a barn to be used by those who rode horseback to school. By the late forties I don’t remember anyone riding to school on horseback. To the west end of the school building was found the community skating/hockey rink.

In the late 40s a Mr. Gish was the principal of the school. He had served in WWII and tended to run the school like a military operation. Before entering the school in the morning or afternoon we would line up in front of the building with the boys in one line and girls in another. Mr. Gish had a school bell and we had to march into the school in time with the bell.

The floors in the classrooms were wooden and oiled. In elementary school I remember that the desks were attached to runners in a row. Later, the desks would be separate. Usually the desks had a lift up lid where you stored notebooks, etc. There was an ink well in on corner of the top and usually the seats would fold up.

Ca. 1948 a small school was moved in from the country because the old brick school was not large enough to accommodate all the students. It was heated by a stove in the classroom but in February we had an extreme cold spell and those of us in this school had a two week holiday. The stove wasn’t capable of warming the room and the glue and in were freezing. This building was later moved to the site of the outdoor rink in the east end of Cochrane and served as a changing room. There were other times when senior classes were held in the basement of the Community Hall.

I believe that it was in our Junior High years that the school motto “Carpe diem” was chosen and a crest was chosen. I believe that it was Victor Westerson who designed the crest and it would be available as a patch to wear on your school sweater or was a part of a school ring. It was during this time that the Jr. High students would be taken to Banff in June for a picnic. The parents would cook up hot dogs and we would picnic in the park beside the Bow before the bridge crossing the river.

When Andrew Sibbald school was built the old school basically became a 9 – 12 school. There was an auditorium in the new school but was built to elementary standards so that games like basketball or volleyball could not be played there. Until Cochrane High School opened in 1962 most sports would be played outside in summer and winter – baseball in the summer, soccer all year. There was a stage in the new school and it enabled Mr. Macdonell, who was very interested in drama, to have students put on plays in the new auditorium. Drama was a very important of my time in Grades 9-11.

By 1958-59 there weren’t enough teachers to provide a complete matriculation programme for the Gr. 12 students. Cochrane School Division #142 arranged to send those of us in Grade 12 to Mount Royal College which was situated on 8th Ave. and 11th St. At this time it was basically a business college and offered matriculation courses. It was a college under the auspices of the United Church of Canada. Lowell (Buddy) Desjardine had a car and the 4 or 5 of us who opted not to stay in Calgary would pile into Buddie’s car. I’m sure that Bud was reimbursed for the use of the car. Often we would stop at Chicken on the Way on 14th. St to satisfy our appetites.

Deep Dive

Celebrating the Town of Cochrane’s Commitment to Heritage

February 24, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Thank You to the Town of Cochrane for Supporting CHAPS

At CHAPS (Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society), we believe that history is more than stories from the past — it is the foundation of our community’s identity and future. Today, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Town of Cochrane for their continued support of our work.

As a non-profit organization run entirely by dedicated volunteers, CHAPS relies on strong community partnerships to preserve and share Cochrane’s rich heritage. The Town’s support plays an essential role in helping us:

Preserve and protect historical artifacts
Maintain archival collections and photographs
Host educational presentations and exhibits
Share local stories that connect generations
Keep Cochrane’s history accessible to residents and visitors

Their commitment to community heritage ensures that the stories of ranching families, early businesses, pioneers, community builders, and everyday citizens are not forgotten.

Cochrane has grown tremendously over the decades, but with growth comes responsibility — the responsibility to remember where we came from. The Town of Cochrane recognizes that heritage preservation strengthens civic pride, supports tourism, and builds community connection. We are grateful for their partnership in keeping our local history alive.

To our volunteers, members, donors, and the Town of Cochrane: thank you for believing that history matters.

Together, we are preserving Cochrane’s past for future generations.

Mason Movie Village: Alberta’s Role in a Hollywood Western

February 22, 2026 by Mark Boothby

another in our series 100 Stories for 100 Years, Cochrane Tales

The Mason movie village is one of several sets in the Cochrane area.

Started in 2005 by Jane and Tim Mason, it has hosted several movies, TV series and music videos. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck were among the cast of the first shot at the movies village, The Assassination of Jesse James.

MOVIES MADE OUT AT THE JESSE JAMES SET

2005 THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THAT COWARD ROBERT FORD

Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Renner, Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, Zooey Deschanel, Nick Cave, James Carville, Ted Levine, Allison Elliott, Michael Parks

2008 THE LAST RIGHTS OF RANSOM PRIDE

Kris Kristopherson, Lizzy Caplan, Dwight Yoakam, Peter Dinklage, Jason Priestley, Scott Speedman, Jon Foster, Cote de Pablo, W. Earl Brown, Alfonso Quijada, Mark Hanson, Blu Mankuma, Rene Quijada, Morris Birdyellow, David Trimble, Wilma Pelly, Ann Ramsay, Christy Greene

2010 DRYLAND

MOVIE ABOUT BOOTLEGGING IN SASKATCHEWAN

2017 DAMNATION

Sarah Jones, Killian Scott, Logan Marshall, Chasten Harmon, Christopher Heyerdahl, Melinda Page, Joe Adler, Teach Grant, Arnold Pinnock, Nola Auguston, Gabriel Mann, Paul Rae, Dan Donohue, David Haysom

2019 TIN STAR-SECOND SEASON

2020 Tim Roth, Genevieve O’Reilly, Abigail Lawrie, Christina Hendricks, Oliver Coopersmith, Ian Puleston-Davies, Sarah Podemski

2020 WYNONNA EARP-SEASON FOUR

2021 MUSIC VIDEO- ORVILLE PECK

2021 MUSIC VIDEO – “AMY”

friend of Alexa and Madie McClelland

2021 UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN (Oct.-Feb 2022)

2022 actual filming DISNEY

2022 TIES THAT BIND

2022 SETTLER

April 19-25 Produced by the Blackfoot Nation Film -Siksika Nation.
Trevor Solway – director.

2023 THE LILY & THE SCORPION

Produced by Blue Ring Productions.

2024 ELEVEN NINE FILMS

Short Film

Deep Dive

Framing Alberta’s Story: From Polo Fields to Oil Fields (1905–1940)

February 21, 2026February 21, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Today, CHAPS was honoured to receive a gift from Obsidian Energy Ltd (previously Penn West Exploration, Penn West Petroleum & Penn West Trust) of beautifully framed photographs representing various aspects of Alberta’s history from 1905 to 1940 — a period that shaped the foundation of our province. We also thank Wanda Slipp for thinking of CHAPS and delivering the collection to us.

This remarkable collection captures both the spirit and the strength of early Alberta.

Among the images are scenes of polo in early Alberta — a reminder that recreation and community life were important even in the province’s formative years. Polo was more than a sport; it reflected the ranching culture, horsemanship, and social gatherings that helped define Alberta’s identity in the early 20th century. These photographs showcase a side of history that highlights leisure, camaraderie, and pride in rural life.

In striking contrast, other images feature early oil drilling rigs — symbols of determination, risk, and economic ambition. Long before Alberta became synonymous with energy production, these early ventures laid the groundwork for what would become a driving force of the provincial economy. The rigs stand as a testament to innovation, resilience, and the bold spirit of those willing to invest in the unknown.

Together, the polo fields and oil fields tell a powerful story. They represent recreation and industry, community and commerce — two forces that shaped Alberta between 1905 and 1940. One speaks to lifestyle and culture; the other to growth and opportunity.

Photographs from this era do more than document events — they preserve atmosphere. They capture dust rising from hooves, the determination etched on the faces of workers, the pride in a well-played match or a productive well. Through these framed images, we glimpse both the everyday and the extraordinary.

We are deeply grateful to Obsidian Energy Ltd for entrusting CHAPS with this meaningful collection. These pieces will help us continue telling Alberta’s story — not just through dates and milestones, but through images that bring the past vividly to life.

History is built by work and enriched by play — and this generous gift beautifully frames both.

Norris Family

February 21, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 633 More Big Hill Country 2009

In the book Taming the Prairie Wool ( 1967) the story is told of Thomas Henry Norris, and his son Arthur Ernest Norris coming to Glendale, homesteading and establishing farm and family on NE Sec 34 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M.

The first of the big changes for the family came in 1946, when after returning from the Second World War Art and Susie’s oldest son Sidney bought the Thomas Standring farm at SW Sec 14 Twp 26 Rge3 W5M. For a number of years he resided during the winters at his parents’ home and commuted by tractor to do his daily chores at the new place. During the summers he “batched it” on his own farm.

Daughter Ellen went to normal school and taught in a variety of one room schools around Alberta. In 1948 she married Henry Buckler and they moved to Water Valley where they began their family, later moving to Bottrel where they farmed with Henry’s father David.

Younger brothers Phil and Bob continued to farm with their father and took over the farm from him in 1954. In 1954 Art and Susie retired and moved into Calgary.

Electricity came to the district in 1950 and that made life much easier for both farmer and farmer’s wife! Mechanical milking machines, refrigeration systems, bulk tanks and pipeline systems were added to the farms as they became available.

In 1958 Sid bought a house located near 26th Ave and 6th Street NW in Calgary, and had the house moved to his farm. The house was moved by Bill Wearmouth. In January 1959 Sid married Rose Holmgren from Red Deer and the two of them moved into his “new house.”

In 1960 through 1962 the three brothers designed and built new parlour barns to modernize their dairying businesses. The barns were built by a co-operative effort with Roy Buckler, Art, Sid, Phil, and Bob Norris and their helpers all working to get the barns built, the cows milked and the farming done in good time. The new barns were clean and efficient and, once the cows adjusted to the change, made life easier for everybody. Uncle Phil has one word of advice for anyone making a major change to the routine in how dairy cows are handled. “Don’t feed them for a day prior to making the change and cleaning the new barn will be a lot easier.”

By the end of 1963 the next generation of the Norris family was complete. Ellen and her husband Henry Buckler had six surviving children, Hellen, Valerie, John, Tim, Charlie, and Victor. Sid and Rose had three: Marjorie, Susan and Arthur. The Buckler children attended Westbrook School and Cochrane High and the Norris three attended Andrew Sibbald Elementary, Manachaban Middle School and Cochrane High . Hellen graduating first in 1968 and young Art late in 1981.

In the winter of 1971/72, after a brief stay at the Bethany Care Centre in Calgary, both Art and Susie died, he at age 90 and she at 79. A big hole was left in the heart of the family. But both of them had numerou siblings who kept an eye on all that went on within the family for the year to come.

Always the Norris homes were places of warmth and hospitality. Friends and relatives came from the city and further afield for visits of varying lengths. Many cousins and second cousins found opportunities for work with “the uncles”. For many of the girls in the family their first job outside of the family home was to go to “the uncles” for a summer and cook for the men and the hired men. Those poor uncles survived a real variety of early cooking disasters with good humour and unending kindness. Hellen and Val both lived with “the uncles” for their university years as the Non-is farm is in easy commuting distance of the University of Calgary.

Two big changes happened at Phil and Bob’s in the 1970s. The drilling of a good water well at the North end of the farm ended more than 50 years of water worries, and they also had a new house built for themselves across the yard from the home they’d lived in all their lives. The new house was built by Gordon Hewitt and was designed by “the uncles” with input from their cousin Ken Bond who was an architect.

In 1976 Sid and Rose decided that the time had come to stop dairying. Doug Reid purchased the herd and quota and rented the barns and land. It made selling the cows much easier knowing that they would be in the hands of someone who knew them and was so skilled with them.

Phil and Bob continued with dairying until 1986 when they sold their cows and quota to Fiona and Garnet McConney. Once again a difficult decision was made easier due to the quality of the people buying the cows. Fiona and Garnet also rented the barns and land from Phil and Bob for a few years.

And so, after 60-plus years of successful dairying by three generations of Norrises, the herds were sold. Both Sid’s herd and Phil and Bob’s had been recognized with numerous awards over the years from the Alberta Dairy Herd Improvement Association for milk quality, production levels and excellence of individual cows. Pedigree lines begun with the breeding records kept on the two farms are still active in the Alberta Holstein herd.

In retirement Sid drove school bus for Judd Pickup for 10 years, retiring from that at age 65. He remembers his “kids” fondly and is always happy to have them speak to him when he is out and around. Phil and Bob made the switch to a Charolais, Hereford cross cow calf operation.

In 1992 Uncle Bob married Mavis Robinson, a widow from Toronto who had recently moved to Calgary to retire close to her sons and their families. Several years later Uncle Phil also married.

In 2005 there was much celebrating in the family as both the Buckler farm and the Norris farm reached the 100 year anniversary. Parties were held at both farms that summer with friends, relatives and neighbours coming from near and far to reminisce and reconnect. Dignitaries did their presentations and plaques are proudly displayed.

All four of Art and Susie’s children are quite well and still active in the local community and their respective churches.

Sid (widowed in 1987) lives with his daughter Sue and her husband Bruce Hewitt in the house they built on the pasture quarter SE Sec 15 Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M. Phil lives at the Big Hill Lodge in Cochrane. Ellen is at home on the Buckler farm in the summers and stays in Cochrane with her daughter Hellen in the winter. Bob and Mavis divide their time between the farm and their retirement home in Calgary.

Members of the next generation continue on the farms and in the community. John and Reet Buckler living on the Water Valley farm, Tim Buckler is on the Bottrel farm as are younger brother Victor and his partner Charlene and their family. Charlie and his wife Kim now have a U-Pick strawberry farm and market garden on the Bottrel farm as well. Art Norris and his wife, Molly Shier are raising their son, Kieran on Sid and Rose’s farm where they have a cow-calf operation. Marjorie lives in Northwest Calgary and remains busy with her involvement on the farm, with the family, her church and her career with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Today, in 2007, Art and Susie Norris’s descendants are spread across Alberta and Canada, from New Brunswick in the East to Alberta in the West and from Red Earth Creek in the North to Calgary in the South. The family farms continue to be “home” for one and all.

Deep Dive

Cochrane’s farming landscape has gone through change – Cochrane Eagle
CHAPS Cochrane

Cochrane through the years

February 15, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Rider Image Outline pg 5 A Peep into the Past Vol 1

Schools NE of Cochrane

February 14, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 137 More Big Hill Country 2009

Bearspaw School District #3851

On August 8, 1919, the district was established. A three acre portion of the NW Sec 19 Twp 25 Rge 2 WSM that the Morley Trail cut off from the main part of the section, which belonged to A. S. McKay at the time, was chosen as the school location. The parcel of land cost $99 .30. Tenders for construction were sent out and Thomas Cuddie was awarded the contract with an agreement to build the school for $2400.00. School opened August 30, 1920. The first pupils were Stanley, Sidney, Eva and Helen Jonathan, William and Margaret McNeill and Ernest Dickey. The first teacher was Miss Mabel Steeves. During the first years, school continued through July and August and was closed during the two coldest winter months as younger children were too small to ride any distance. Bearspaw school doors remained open until June 1965.

During the years that Richard Bedford (R. B.) Bennett was Member of Parliament for the Bow River Constituency, a scholarship of ten dollars or a gold medal was presented each year to the boy or girl who was the best pupil throughout the school year. It was an important and exciting occasion when Mr. Bennett came to Bearspaw school one year and presented Bob McNeill with a medal. To highlight how important this visit would have been, we recall that R. B. Bennett was Prime Minister of Canada from 1930 to October 1935, when his Conservative party lost the general election to the Liberals led by Mackenzie King.

Beaver Dam School District #1056

Established in 1904, the school was built in 1905 on the N .E. edge of the area covered by this summary of one-roomed schools: South of Madden and north east of Cochrane. Isabel Hughes noted in Big Hill Country that Jesse Havens and Walter McCrimmon were the first teachers. Beaver Dam School was closed in 1978.

Glenbow School District #2303

Organization date was October 25, 1910. The school was built at SE Sec 29 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M, just north of the CPR railway tracks; Thomas Norris was awarded the contract to build the school at a price of $1295.00. Classes actually began in May 1911 – in the stonecutters’ labour hall. The school was not officially opened until March 1912, when Mrs. J. H. Clark of Waverley Ranch did the honours. The town’s main employer, Quinlan-Carter Limited, closed its sandstone quarry in 1912, and other businesses gradually followed. Families moved away; records show Glenbow had a population of fifty in 1914. The school closed from 1915 to 1922 but reopened until 1928. Then, with no children being in attendance and the long-time secretary-treasurer, Mr. J. H. Clark, having died, the school was closed. The schoolhouse was sold to Arthur Norris, who moved it to his farm to make an addition on his house.

Officially opened December 29, 1910, the school was located at the SW Sec 16 Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M, on land donated by Fred Baker. Glendale opened for classes on the first Monday in January 1911 under the tutorship of an English immigrant Miss Alice Howlett. Glendale was her first school. The first pupils to attend Glendale school were Chauncey and Cecil Coy, Henry O’Hara, Marguerite and Vernon Keeney, Edith and Lena Willis Clara, Matthew. Amy and Mary Coxon, Maggie and Dorothy Standring, Tom Standring and Becky Hector. Elsie Davidson came later from Westminster School District as their school was not open at the time. In 1929, the Glenbow School District joined with Glendale as their school had closed. The ratepayers agreed to the amalgamation and so a second room was added to Glendale at a cost of $4,000.00. The school furnace became overheated on December 6, 1932 and the building caught on fire, completely destroying it and all records. A new school was built on SE Sec 8, Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M land provided by Gordon Cohoe. In 1938 the District became part of the large Calgary Rural School Division #41. In 1960, the school closed its doors as children were being bused to Cochrane schools.

Inglis School District #3433

The school was built at the SW Sec 17 Twp 28 Rge 3 W5M along Beaver Dam Creek in 1917. It was the first of the new style of schools that was built in the Cochrane area. Most of one side of the school was windows. Angus McDonald and Ab McCrady were among those who took an active part in the operation of the school, serving as trustees for many years. Named after Captain William M. Inglis, there was never a large enrollment at Inglis and it was closed periodically owing to a lack of students. In the late l 940’s the building was moved to Cochrane and used as an auxiliary classroom. Still later, it was moved to the Cochrane skating rink to be used as a dressing room for several years. Back in the Inglis district, it became necessary to again provide a school for children so the Cochrane Lakes school house (having been formally “closed”) was moved to the Inglis school yard, where it remained open to students for three or four years.

Lochend School District #2732

In 1912 the people of the Lochend district asked for, and received, permission to use the Lochend Presbyterian Church for a school. Jo Hutchinson, in Big Hill Country explains that throughout the years, the church was not only used for Sunday services and school but for community entertainment and dances. In 1972 it was sold, to be moved and used as a home some twenty miles northwest in Grand Valley. The building, in its role as a school, remained open from 1912 until the student population declined. It was decided not to hire a teacher in 1920; the school was temporarily closed. Classes were not held until 1945. Miss Ellen Norris (Mrs. Henry Buckler) was hired as the first teacher following the re-opening. Other teachers during the years up until Lochend ‘s permanent closing were: Mrs. E. Lahl, Miss Tucking, Miss R. Cleveland, Mrs. Jones and Miss Sonia Kulyk (Mrs. Bobby Turner).

Summit Hill School District #2003

Organized July 8, 1909 and named after a high hill east of Bottrel, the school opened with seven pupils. According to Big Hill Country, over the years, many children attended Summit Hill; 1917 records show 19 pupils and over the period of 1919-1920, about 24 pupils. The Larson family, including six children, arrived in the district in 1911, bumping up school attendance. Some pioneer names of the district were David Buckler, Jim Reeve, Walter Vaughn, Henry Hoffman and Charlie Salsbury. The Hoffmans lived in the Dog Pound School District, but their children attended Summit Hill as Dog Pound S.D. did not have a school. Mr. Hoffman paid school taxes to both districts. His tax to Summit Hill in 1915 was $14.00, paid to Secretary-Treasurer Walter Vaughn. Summit Hill was closed in September 1953 as children were being bused southwest to the Westbrook Consolidated school.

Westminster School District #1848

Organized August 3, 1908, the district’s school was located at Sec 8 Twp 26 Rge 2 W5M. J.C. Nelson was contracted to build the school for $196.00. The building was open for classes in 1912. Louella Thompson was the first teacher; she had four students. In 1930, Miss Lynch had nine students under her supervision. In the early years, the local school was the centre of the community. In the Glendale Women’s Institute’s history, Taming the Prairie Wool we get an idea of a night of socializing amongst the rural Cochrane residents – “Four coal oil lamps with reflector brackets attached to the walls and one hung from the centre of the room provided the light for events such as Christmas concerts, box socials and school meetings”. Often, dance music was provided by an accordion, and on occasion, the popular team of Mr. and Mrs. Milo Martinussen entertained. The dances frequently continued until 7 a.m. In 1949, Westminster with only six students, permanently closed its doors. Jock Stevenson bought the school in 1951 and used it for grain storage.

The 1920 Historic Bearspaw School School District #3851

History 1920 – 1999

In 1919, a group of pioneer farmers decided that they needed a school to educate their children. In 1920, they approached the provincial government and were given the charter and School District 3851. In August 1920, a contract was given to a local contractor for the construction of the Bearspaw School for the sum of $2,400, with a penalty for every day that the job was late.

Desks, blackboards, and other classroom paraphernalia cost a further $432. The Historic Bearspaw School is the last remaining school of the four schools that were built in the farming districts between Calgary and Cochrane, in the early part of the last century. A complete history of the school and the Bearspaw and Glendale Districts are described in the book Taming the Prairie Wool, written by the Bearspaw Glendale Women’s Institute and published in the mid to late 1960’s. In 1936, the school was raised and placed onto a foundation, and a coal fired furnace was installed in the basement. Prior to this time, the school was closed in January and February due to the cold and students made up the time in summer; this was a problem in a farming community.

The school was given the name Bearspaw after the name of the section of CPR railway line down by the Bow River, about one mile to the south. “Bearspaw” was the translated name of an Indian Chief at Morley.

For 45 years the school was the most important building in Bearspaw. The school played a major role in the life of the pioneer farmers; it was used as a school, community centre, political meeting hall, place of worship, and for dances. The school allowed families to settle in the area, and so it played a major role in the growth of Bearspaw. One-room schools also show the importance that the pioneers placed on educating their children.

In 1965, the school closed when provincial school boards changed from districts to divisions, and children were bused to the larger schools in Cochrane. In 1967, the school and the land on which it sat were sold to the Bearspaw Lions Club, which owned the adjacent land. In 1998, the Lions decided that they wanted the school removed from their land, so that they could expand their very popular Farmers’ Market, and agreed to donate the school to The Bearspaw Historical Society, provided that the Society moved the school.

The girl’s entrance on the west side of the building was expanded and converted into a barrier free bathroom; a similar bathroom was constructed in the lower level. All the windows were stripped of old paint, reglazed where necessary, and repainted. The old lath and plaster was unfortunately in bad condition and had to be removed. The building was insulated, which it had not been when first constructed, and the inside walls recovered with drywall. Once the inside was completed, the original blackboards were reattached to the walls. The original cupboard was restored by a BHS volunteer as was the original teacher’s desk. The school has a full foundation, as before, but now the lower level is used by a local social services group. The building has been restored to current safety and fire codes for a multi-use public building. Instead of an old gravity, coal-fired furnace in the basement, the school now has high-efficiency furnaces. A new roof was added in the spring of 2005.

In 2000, Carol Pilkington became President of the Bearspaw Historical Society and set about finding a new piece of land onto which to move the school. After reviewing several alternatives, Carol and Valerie Schmaltz, the Administrator at the MD of Rocky View, settled on an ideal piece of land, directly across the road from the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre and just 50 metres north of the new Bearspaw Public School. In February 2001, the Society was given 1.5 acres of Municipal Reserve #22 by the Municipal District of Rocky View at a Public Hearing, by unanimous agreement of the Councillor.

For the next 12 months, the Society applied for grants, fund raised, hired a restoration consultant and planned the restoration and rehabilitation of the school.

Restoration 2000 – 2004

In the spring of 2002, members of The Bearspaw Historical Society set about cleaning up the outside of the school and removing the graffiti. They stripped off all the old paint and repainted the school, so that it would look presentable in its new location. In June 2002, a contract was given out for the construction of a new basement and parking lot.

On September 20th, 2002, the historic school was moved to its new location by Shaw Building Movers . Between September 2002 and November 2004, forty volunteers worked on restoring the historic school, both inside and out, to its original condition and to current building codes.

The girl’s entrance on the west side of the building was expanded and converted into a barrier-free bathroom; a similar bathroom was constructed in the lower level. All the windows were stripped of old paint, reglazed where necessary, and repainted. The old lath and plaster was unfortunately in bad condition and had to be removed. The building was insulated, which it had not been when first constructed, and the inside walls recovered with drywall. Once the inside was completed, the original blackboards were reattached to the walls. The original cupboard was restored by a BHS volunteer, as was the original teacher’s desk. The school has a full foundation, as before, but now the lower level is used by a local social services group. The building has been restored to current safety and fire codes for a multi-use public building. Instead of an old gravity, coal-fired furnace in the basement, the school now has high efficiency furnaces. A new roof was added in the spring of 2005.

The school and classroom look exactly as they did from 1936 to 1965, except for the wheelchair ramp, which is now mandatory in a public building of this type. The floors, doors, windows, and blackboards are all original. The classroom is set up with 2 1 old, cast iron desks, a cast iron heater, and all the items that one would expect to find in an old classroom, including a strap. As in the past, the desks are moved next to the walls and the classroom used for meetings, art lessons, exercise groups, birthday and Christmas parties, and weddings. There is a kitchenette in the lower level, accessible to both levels. The lower level and classroom are used mo t day of the week.

In December 2005, the original teacherage was moved back alongside the school. and it has been restored for an office and reading room. The Bearspaw Historical Society ha collected a number of books of local historic interest and these are available to the public for researching family and local history, and their enjoyment.

The Historic Bearspaw School has been preserved as an historic site for the education of the children of Rocky View and Calgary and the enjoyment of the people of Alberta and visitors.

The restoration of the school and teacherage has been possible thanks to the dedication of the members of The Bearspaw Historical Society and other volunteers who spent over 4,000 hours working on the project. Grants were obtained from the MD of Rocky View Cash in Lieu Grants and a Centennial Grant, the Alberta Provincial Government Community and Facility Enhancement Program and the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, the Calgary Foundation and the Cochrane and District Foundation. Donations of cash and materials were also received from 32 individuals and businesses. The school has been designated a Municipal Historic Resource by the MD of Rocky View #44.

Current Uses of the School

The school’s lower level is being used as an office by a community social worker. Artists and musicians use the classroom for lessons, and community groups for meetings. School children enjoy visiting the school to experience the historic classroom. The classroom has also been used as a polling station by the MD of Rocky View #44, by dance groups and book clubs, plus private and company parties.

Deep Dive

Thanks for your memories of Cochrane

February 11, 2026 by Mark Boothby

We’ve summarized your input into several themes. Here they are:

1. Growth & Change in Cochrane

Glenbow development
First memories of town growth
Long-time residents vs. newcomers
The evolution of local businesses
Changes over time

2. Local Landmarks & Businesses

Charlie’s / Cochrane Café
Range Grill
A1 Drive-In
Red Rooster
Foodmaster Grocery
Andison’s Dry Goods
Downs Hardware
Kerfoot & Downs
Griffin’s Arcade
Grand Saddlery
Town & Country
McKay’s Ice Cream / “The Creamy”
Old pharmacy (Bob & Alice Graham)
Dr. McQuitty
Cochrane Hotel
Main Street Snack Bar

3. Recreation & Sports

Outdoor skating rink
Hockey games and practices
Curling in the old quonset
Old swimming pool
Race track
Grain elevator
Stampede wrestling
Practicing driving in Community Hall parking lot

4. Community Buildings & Spaces

Cochrane Community Hall
Fire Hall siren
Library in the basement
Cochrane High School (before renovation)
Old arena
Anglican Church relocation

5. Community Organizations & Events

Cubs, Scouts, Guides, Brownies
Lions Club
Teen Club
Dances (country, disco, teen)
Dance lessons
Pancake breakfasts
Political town halls
Saturday afternoon movies
Weddings and receptions

6. People Who Shaped the Town

Charlie and family
Bob & Alice Graham
Dr. McQuitty
Mr. Laidlaw
John & Rick (Town & Country)
Bill & Madge (Red Rooster)
Val (Grand Saddlery)
Dewey Blainey
Grandfather fundraising for arena and church

7. Small-Town Culture & Memories

Recognizing locals vs. newcomers
Standing on snowbanks to watch hockey
Smells and sounds of curling rink
Buying .22 shells as a kid
Dog tethered behind A1
Milt Wazalwnko’s pipe
Mom stopping to talk to everyone
Two-hour trips to town
The people who made Cochrane what it was

Schools NW of Cochrane

February 7, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 134 More Big Hill Country 2009

Beaupre Creek School District #4182

The Beaupre district is west of Cochrane on 1A highway and then about 2 kilometres NE on highway 40. The School District was officially formed in 1938 and named after Beaupre Creek, which had been named after an early settler, Louis Beaupre.

The first classroom was the old Cooper House. In the summer of 1925 a school was built, on the school section near the centre of the district. In 1941 the building was moved to SE Sec 29 Twp 26 Rge 5 W5M where a shelterbelt provided protection from the prevailing winds. In 1958, the Dry Creek School was purchased and moved from Balzac. The old school became the teacherage. The school was closed in 1962. In later years, the building became a well-used community centre. Unfortunately, it was consumed by fire in October 2001. The Beaupre Community Association banded together to rebuild, and a new structure was officially opened in March, 2003

Reminisces of Doris McKinnon (Ambler) as recorded in Big Hill Country

The first trustee of the Beaupre Creek School District was Mr. F. G. Buchanan, who later became the superintendent of schools in Calgary.

An old farm house, known as the “Cooper House” was used as a school for the first two years. The partitions were removed to make a large room and a blackboard was nailed to one wall. As it was a very old house and had not been lived in for years, it did not make an adequate classroom. As children, this did not concern us, but the teachers stayed only for a short time. During the two years we had four teachers, one man leaving after two days.

For the first term, our teacher was James Clancy. The pupils were eight or nine children from the three families of McDougalls, Liddells and Amber. Another family, living in the Beaupre Creek School District was the Delbekes. They transferred from the Grand Valley S.D. when our new school opened in the fall of 1925.

At the “Cooper House” there was no specific playground area, but it was a favourable location for interesting recess activities. In the winter, sliding down the snow banks into the coulee was great fun. The old barns made an ideal place to play ‘hide-and-seek’ or ‘runsheep-run’. For a while, we had races rolling down the hill until our clothes began to show undue wear, and our parents put a stop to it.

The school was heated with a wood-burning stove and on cold days, the desks were arranged around the stove. At lunchtime, sandwiches were toasted on top of the stove. In order for us all to have a hot drink at noon it was agreed that my sister and I should bring cocoa and the other children the sugar. Each morning, my mother made a five-pound syrup pail of chocolate milk and at recess, we put it on the stove to heat. One day we forgot to loosen the lid and it blew up, so there was no hot drink that day.

Chapleton/Horse Creek School District #1812

Established in April, 1908, the Chapleton school district was named by Mr. Patterson after his home school in Scotland. The school was built on land NE Sec 24 Twp 27 Rge 5 WSM owned by Walter Crow. At the time of establishment, Jason Malott was the senior trustee. “Chapleton” was officially changed to Horse Creek S.D. on June 7, 1951.

1932-1933 (as remembered by Fred Whittle)

The local school referred to elsewhere as Horse Creek School was originally “Chapleton” and later ”Chapelton”. It was about 2 miles north of our place on the NE Sec 24 Twp 27 Rge 5 W5M. I am sure the site was selected because there was a little spring on the road allowance at that point, water being important for kids as well as cattle. But imagine a school grounds without one square yard of level terrain! The first building (1909) had windows on two sides, north and south. It was destroyed by fire in 1922. The replacement had windows on the east side only. Have you ever tried to write or read with the light coming in from the wrong side? That building, too, burned down after the Christmas concert in 1924. The carpenters who built the third Chapelton boarded at our place and I recall the fixing of some storm windows for Dad. How deft they were at spreading on the putty.

In the early 1950’s, the historic one-room schools gave way to consolidated schools. Local students were bused to Westbrook. At a later date, still the site of Horse Creek School was marked by a large stone monument bearing a plaque commemorating the school’s beginning. It stands there today tenderly cared for by the Horse Creek Community Association. In 1932 the Chapelton School District was advertising for a teacher. I applied. The school board, my dad, a prominent member, saw fit to give me the nod and so, come September 1, 1932 I began my teaching career, salary $60/month, including caretaking duties. Not many pupils, but all the grades, the Christmas concert, the annual joint picnic – Grade VIIl exams and (shudder) the school inspector!

The Department of Agriculture placed a bounty on gophers – they chewed up the young plants in the grain fields like you wouldn’t believe. The bounty was claimed by “turning in” gopher tails. My students had a little project to raise some money with gopher tails. On this particular afternoon, I had extended the noon hour by quite a bit while the kids caught gophers. And that was the day the inspector paid his visit to Chapelton! I saw my job going down the drain! I gathered the pupils as quickly as I could, he did his inspection routine and he never even mentioned the gopher tail project in his report!

1933-1934

In all my days of teaching I can boast of having taught one grade one pupil. He was Dickie Grey. His family lived on the Hogarth place, a half mile down the road. He was a very smart little fellow and I was taxed at times to keep him busy. Now, in those times Grade VIII pupils faced Departmental examinations – couldn’t go on to High School if they didn’t pass. As examination time approached I spent much time with Grade VIII’s, my job could be on the line! I had given Dickie some work to do “Finished that Mr. Whittle”. Gave him some more ‘busy work’ – “Finished that Mr. Whittle”. Finally in desperation, I said “Wiggle into your coat and go on home.” He did, my Grade VIII pupils always passed.

Cochrane Lake School District #1947

This school district was organized on March 9, 1909 and the school was built on one and one-half acres of NE Sec 34 Twp 26 Rge 4 W5M. Robert Dawson, a stonemason who came to the district from Durham, England, did a lot of masonry work in the area, including the school’s foundation. Sid Chester did the carpentry. Bernice Speer, in Big Hill Country, recalls receiving $15.00 a month for providing room and board for a Cochrane Lake’s teacher, Miss Jennie Anderson, during the 1930s. The school was closed in the early 1940s. The school was moved east to the Inglis district as the original Inglis School had been moved to Cochrane.

Dartique School District #3814

Named after settler John Dartique this school district was established April 24, 1919. Albert G. Butler was the Secretary Treasurer at the time. A school was never built due to a small population of school-aged children. Any children within the district attended Chapleton, Westbrook or Mount Hope schools.

Grand Valley School District #559

Built in 1901, this was the first country school built in the Cochrane area north of the Bow River. Land for the school yard was donated by Donald McEachen. Located in the north west corner of the NE Sec 34 Twp 26 Rge 5 WSM classes started in May 1901 with eleven students attending. In 1919 the Grand Valley School closed as the Chapelton School had opened and students were scheduled to travel there. That was not a satisfactory plan so Grand Valley re-opened in 1920. On June 30, 1932 the school was closed for good.

Weedon School District # 1780

Established on March 11, 1908, records held by the Glenbow Museum show the senior trustee was Mr. E. Brown. Weedon school was located on a two acres site in the north east corner of NE 1/4 Sec 22 1\vp 27 Rg 4 W5M. It was built on land donated by W. Harry Webb in an area known as “The Desert” because of the depth of underground streams and a lack of otherwise plentiful springs. Mr. Kenneth Hammond named the school district after his home village in England. Miss Ford was the first teacher. Weedon closed at the end of June 1943. In April 1964 the school was moved to Calgary’s Heritage Park.

West Brook School District #1647

This School District was formally organized in 1907 but according to Westbrook School, Biggest Little School a history prepared on the occasion of the School’s 50th anniversary, classes actually began in 1906 in a renovated log cabin located on the NW Sec 15 Twp 28 Rge 4 W5M. Built by Chapman Brothers of Cochrane, the actual school building was located at SE Sec 21 Twp 28 Rge 4 WSM on land donated by John T. Boucher. The Reverend H. T. Jarrett both taught school and on Sundays, preached the Gospel. He taught at the log cabin and when the “new” one-room school opened in 1907 he was the first teacher. The West Brook School District #1647 became part of the Calgary School Division #41 in 1939. According to records held by the Glenbow Museum Archives, Westbrook, as we now know it, was two words at the time of formation in 1907.

In 1953 the school was closed and students were transported by bus to the new Westbrook Consolidated School located at its present location on NE Sec 3 Twp 28 Rge 4 W5 adjacent to Highway 22.

Westbrook is the only active country school of those that began with one room. In October 2007 its school population was just under 140 students. The school is comprised of 6 classrooms, a technology integrated library, a modem computer lab, an art/drama room and networked classrooms. The surrounding community seems to have taken “ownership” of the landmark school. During the fall of 2002 the Horse Creek Community Hall, formerly the Horse Creek School, was sold and the community group graciously donated $5,000.00 to the Friends of Westbrook School Society towards improvement of the Westbrook School grounds and outdoor structures.

Deep Dive

What do you miss about Cochrane?

February 6, 2026 by Mark Boothby

What Do You Miss About Cochrane?

Cochrane has grown and changed in so many ways over the years—but if you’ve lived here for a while, chances are there are a few things you still miss.

Maybe it’s a business that’s long gone, a familiar face behind a counter, or the way Main Street felt on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe it’s community events, school days, ranch life, or simply the slower pace of a smaller town. Sometimes it’s not a place at all, but a sound, a smell, or a feeling that instantly takes you back.

At CHAPS (Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society), we believe those memories matter. They help tell the story of who we are and where we’ve come from—and they often spark conversations that connect generations.

We’re asking locals, past and present:

What do you miss about Cochrane?

A store, café, or landmark?
A tradition, event, or way of life?
A moment from childhood or early adulthood?
A person or group who made the town feel like home?

Your responses may help guide future CHAPS social media posts, inspire exhibits or displays at the Cochrane Historical Museum, or simply preserve everyday memories that might otherwise be lost.

There’s no answer too big or too small. Sometimes it’s the little things that say the most.

If you’d like to share, leave a comment, send us a message, or drop by the museum during our summer hours. Let’s remember Cochrane—together.

Because history isn’t just dates and buildings. It’s lived, remembered, and shared.

Bancroft Family

January 31, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 272 More Big Hill Country 2009

Bill and Jude Bancroft Family

Bill and Jude Bancroft lived and farmed on NW Sec 19 Twp 27 Rge 3 W5M, about fifteen kilometres north of Cochrane in the Westbrook area. When Bill bought the farm, in the British custom, he named it “Spruce Springs”. Over the years it was known as that on a good day, and “Bill’s Bog” on a bad day.

William Arthur Bancroft was born January 30, 1947, at the Grace Hospital in Calgary, Alberta. His parents, Jack and Betty Bancroft, like most people in the Bearspaw area, ran a dairy farm. The Bancroft family took a 6-month trip all through the United States in 1953 and ended up in Ontario, visiting Bill’s aunt, so Bill started grade one in Belfast, Ontario. They returned home at Christmas time, and Bill finished grade one riding a horse to Glendale School. Time had progressed by grade two and the school bus then picked him up and took him to Bearspaw School. In grade six, he moved from one-room schools to the Cochrane Elementary School in Cochrane. Grades seven, eight and nine were held in the Old Brick School. In grade ten the big move to the new High School on Cochrane hill was undertaken, the students walking up the hill carrying their books.

Bill curled at the Old Cochrane Curling Rink with Don Hutchison, Charles Young and Roger Teghtmeyer. After the games they would go to the Cochrane Hotel where beer was twenty cents a glass.

n 1970 Bill bought the farm from Stan Spicer who had bought it from Karl and Bebe Sammons. Bill continued to milk cows and lived at home so he rented the farm house to Wally and Daphne Admussen for a couple of years.

Judith Lynn Knight was born November 6, 1952 to Harold & Hilda Knight of Irricana. She was active in 4-H and curling. She graduated from Beiseker School and worked at the Royal Bank Main Branch in downtown Calgary. She worked with Bill’s cousin from England who introduced the sheepherder from Cochrane to the grain farmer’s daughter from Irricana and wedded bliss ensued. They were married May 6, 1972 and moved to Spruce Springs where they raised commercial cattle and sheep for the next 28 years.

Jude worked for 4 years with the Royal Bank in Cochrane until she retired to raise a family. During the time that she worked at the bank construction was done to turn a rough gravel road into Highway 22. Bill and Jude drove a small Datsun 510 to work. The workers on the road crew saw her every day and they enjoyed sandwiching her in between two huge dirt movers. All she could see out the front window and the rear view mirror were huge tires. She always thought she would be a little spot on the ground when they ran over her. The guys would wave and grin when they finally let her out.

Bill then worked at the Parrish and Heimbecker Elevator and Feed Mill for Harvey Thompson. From 1978-80 Bill and Harvey operated a mail truck contract that ran from Calgary to Red Deer, stopping at all the small towns in between, three times a night to pick up and deliver the sorted mail. Bill then began to deliver Calgary Herald newspapers to Radium B .C. 3 days a week. The whole family loved to go with him and have a swim in the hot pool at Radium and have supper at Smitty’s Restaurant and be home in time for Jennifer to be in bed to get up and go to kindergarten the next day. In 1987 Bill started to work for the RCMP, guarding prisoners in the local detachment, until his retirement December 31, 2005. All of these jobs helped pay the bills on the farm. Through all of the 28 years of farming Bill and Jude fought to keep the sheep safe from coyotes that loved to dine on lamb chops. Many things were tried over the years including llamas and donkeys and an electric fence to discourage the coyotes from getting in. All of these things worked for a little while until the coyotes, in true “Wily Coyote” fashion, figured out how to get in anyway. In March of every year Shearing Day happened and with the help of many good friends and great neighbours and a lot of laughs they got the job done. Great laughs over how many of the women Bill could get in the sack (the wool sack of course!)

In 2000 Bill had a hip replacement and Jude went back to work for a while with her partner Judy (Spaulding) Mcinnis as interior painters with their company Two Old Broads and A Brush”. At this point Bill and Jude quit actively farming and started practising for retirement. In June of 1996 for their 25th anniversary Bill and Jude took their dream holiday in a motor home and headed north to Yukon and Alaska with Jude’s parents. They spent 5 weeks in a 22-foot motor home and they still speak. They enjoyed this trip and want to go back again. Bill stuck his toe in the Arctic Ocean. Bill and Jude enjoyed camping and touring many of Alberta’s small towns in their camper and motor homes.

Jennifer Isobel Bancroft was born February 25 , 1976 at the Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary. Jennifer took grades 1-9 at Westbrook School and grades 10 through 12 at Cochrane High School. She belonged to Brownies at Westbrook, 4-H at South Cremona and Jumping Pound. She enjoyed Public Speaking and did well at it. She started her work career at an accounting firm in Calgary and then worked at Pasu Farms at Carstairs in many capacities. She managed The Wooden Apple and worked at Madrina’s Restaurant in Bragg Creek. She worked as a secretary for the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School in Calgary. Jennifer belonged to the Cochrane Activettes and enjoyed making parade entries for the Labour Day Parade. She then started work at Agro Equipment in Calgary and transferred to Agro in Ponoka. She presently runs her own company, A Bushel of Baskets, from her home in Lacombe. She met her husband Jay Bruggencate, son of Dick and Elaine Bruggencate of Coronation, through 4-H Alumni. Jay worked for Dow Agro Sciences for 11 years. In 2004 Jay started his own Agronomic Consulting Company “Demeter Solutions” and enjoys working with farmers. On September 16, 2004 Jay and Jen presented Bill and Jude with their first grandchild, Janna Olivia Bruggencate. Jay and Jennifer became the parents of twins, Trina Lynn (2 pounds) and Gerrit William (1 pound 12 ounces), on July 29, 2006 three months early. Unfortunately due to complication Trina passed away on August 4th, 2006. After he spent 100 days in the NICU at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Jay and Jen were thrilled to take wee Gerrit home.

Guy Michael Bancroft was born May 9 1978 at the Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary. Guy took Grade 1-8 at Westbrook and 9-12 at Cochrane High School. He then attended the University of Calgary and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Drama. Guy enjoyed Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Ventures. He received his Chief Scout Award and canoed the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in 1994, a trip he will always remember. Guy started out cleaning funeral cars for Mcinnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, but as this was no way to pick up girls, he moved on to be a groundskeeper at Watergrove Park in Calgary. He worked at a Castle in Scotland and pulled pints in a Pub in London. He spent a summer following the RCMP Musical Ride through Quebec and Ontario, then worked construction, which led to him starting his own painting company “That Painter Guy”. At the present time, he is the Service Manager for Janssen Homes in Calgary, where he resides. Guy started out his Drama career in Grade One at Westbrook School as the Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He was fortunate enough in 2000, his last year of University, to travel with some of his classmates to Knebworth House in England and perform “The Captives”, a play by Edward Bulwer Lytton, that had never been produced. Bulwer Lytton was famous for penning the lines “The pen is mightier than the sword” and “It was a dark and stormy night”. Guy continues to enjoy his acting and performs in Murder Mysteries at the Dean House in Calgary. Guy is engaged to Megan King, daughter of Ken and Terry King of Forestburg, Alberta, and they were married on June 9, 2007.

The Bancroft family continues to grow!

Jack and Betty Bancroft Family

Jack and Betty heard from their neighbours on the Lochend Road, Bert & Kay Franklin, that her brother and sister-in-law, Walter (Doc) & May Jenkins had land for sale. Being as there were few real estate agents at the time, word of mouth was very important. Jack and Betty bought the land in 1959. Prior to Doc & Mary Jenkins the land had been previously owned by Lahls and Neelys.

Jack, Betty, Bill and Judy moved from the Lochend Road west of Cochrane to SW Sect 16 Twp 26 Rge 4 W5M and W & SE Sec 16 Twp 26 Rge 4 WSM. Betty named the land “Sweet Sixteen” after the section number and the farm was always referred to as that. They were told Charles Pedeprat built the log house in 1896 and it is still being lived in. The house was built straddling the two quarter lines so that both quarters were occupied for homesteading purposes. Jack put an addition on to the log house and put in the power. There still is no running water. Bill remembered the hot water bottle getting away from him in the middle of the night and it was frozen in bed in the morning. There were no trees on the property. Jack and Betty planted the shelterbelt and carried bucket of water by hand to the trees. Betty grew beautiful flowers that the whole family enjoyed.

Jack Holloway Bancroft and Betty (Hawkwood) Bancroft were born and raised in the Bearspaw area where they dairy farmed. Partners were taken on to milk the cows on the Lochend farm, which allowed the Bancrofts to move to Sweet Sixteen. Jack & Betty milked a few cows and sent cream to the Cochrane Creamery. While living at Sweet Sixteen, they pail fed Holstein bull calves with the skim milk left over from the cream, and raised pigs. When they first moved there was no school bus service so the Bancrofts and neighbours George (Frenchy) & Grace Suel took turns car-pooling the kids to school in Cochrane. In the warm weather the kids would ride their bikes to school down the squiggly road that ran from township road 262 to about the entrance to the Cochrane Ag Society Grounds. Bill and Judy would ride their bikes to the newly opened Cochrane Swimming Pool at the east end of Town to use the yearly passes they had.

In 1961 the Bancrofts took the children out of school in early May and went on a 3-month trip to England to visit relatives. In 1964, the Bancrofts moved back to the dairy farm on the Lochend Road but continued farming Sweet Sixteen and rented out the house.

Over the years the following people lived there: Alex &. Hilda Squair (raised thoroughbred race horses), Buck Eagle (raised horses), David Sweeney &. Marjorie Stakenas who have lived there for over 18 years and raised their family there. Bill remembers Bill Cook stopping in for visits often. He also remembers men digging by hand the telephone poles on the south side of the road. Here are some of the neighhours at the time: Mackays, Marv Laye, Barker (an electrician), Ed & Ruby Labenovitch and Ross & Audrey Young (both raised Guernseys), Cliff & Maryann Sabin, George (Frenchy) & Grace Suel, Gordon & Mildred Davies, Herb & Kay Himmelspach, Gordon & Pat Andrews, Harold & Kathy Barton, Ed & Billy Beynon, Bruce & Dorothy Boothby, Newt & Betty-Lou Gilbert.

Jack & Betty had two children, William Arthur Bancroft, born January 30, 1947 and Judith Isabel Bancroft, born June 15, 1950. Bill married Judith Lynn Knight of the Beiseker area May 9, 1972 and they farm in the Westbrook area. (See Bill Bancroft Story.) Daughter Judith Bancroft married Rodney Gerald Sydenham from the Stavely area on August 4, 1973. They had raised their three children in the Millet-Wetaskiwin area before retiring to Cochrane in 2001. Their son Stephen Paul Sydenham was born June 20, 1979 and is completing a welding apprenticeship. Michael Thomas Sydenham was born October 12, 1981 and graduated with a degree in Engineering from U of A, Edmonton. Michael is presently employed with the City of Calgary. Laura Jeanne Sydenham was born May 12, 1983 and is completing her business degree in Tourism and Marketing at U of C in Calgary.

Jack and Betty moved from the dairy farm into Calgary in August of 2003. Jack passed away on April 27th, 2006 and Betty resides in an extended care facility in Calgary.

William Bancroft Family by son Timothy

William Bancroft was born at Kildwick, near Keightly, Yorkshire, England, on December 12, 1878. The son of a farmer and hackney breeder, he served his apprenticeship as a stonemason before emigrating to Calgary in 1905. Upon his arrival, he bought a second-hand bicycle and rode around the district looking at homesteads, filing first on the SE Sec 25 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M at Bearspaw. Later, he decided that the SW Sec 35 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M was better; he cancelled the first choice and proved up on the second. We still have the original homestead shack, which he built in 1905. Father didn’t keep cattle but bought, broke and sold horses. He also cut prairie hay and hauled it to the livery barns in Calgary. Sometimes, arriving at Calgary after dark, he would pull off the road where the Brentwood Shopping Centre is now, and sleep on the top of the load of hay to save the cost of a hotel room.

One day he met a man who wanted to go farming in the Peace River area, so he traded a few head of horses for a house the fellow owned. At that time, it was out on the prairie, but with Calgary’s growth, it was located in the centre of the Sunnyside district. We had the house rented until the middle 1950’s when my mother sold it to make room for an apartment block.

Around 1910, father dug a well by hand, going down 120 feet until he came to where a spring was flowing over a large rock. While he was digging, he had to do some dynamiting, so he put W. P. Biggar, who was driving by with a team and wagon, to time him climbing out of the hole so he would know what length of fuse to cut. Percy always declared that father made much better time coming up after the fuse was lit. A number of years later, a well driller drilled down 8 or 9 feet into the rock to form a basin. This well is still in operation and is capable of supplying all the water needed on the farm.

When the Glenbow stone quarry, located a half mile south of the homestead, opened in 1909 my father worked there as a stonemason. The quarry’s main contract was to supply the stone for the Legislature building in Edmonton. There was plenty of work for a stonemason in Calgary and one of the jobs my father worked on was the Brook Building on 8th Avenue and 2nd Street West.

Prior to 1914, father traded some building lots on Bellevue Avenue in Calgary to Arthur Norris for the NW Sec 34 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M. He also bought the NE Sec 33 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M from the Canadian Pacific Railway about the same time.

Like the modern housewife, bachelors in the early days had ways and means of saving work. For example, father would tie his bedding around his waist and swim across a slough a few times to wash them and then spread them over the brush to dry. Another fellow would spread newspapers on his table and when this became soiled or when company came, he would put a clean sheet over top. This would go on until there were two or three inches of paper on top of the table.

Joining the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1914, father went overseas and was severely wounded when caught in machine gun fire at the Battle of the Somme. He returned to Calgary and the homestead in 1919. In May of that year, a big blizzard blew in which lasted three days. He had a number of cows due to calve; as soon as the storm broke, he went looking for them. They had bunched up together in some brush and the snow had piled up higher than their backs making a wind break. Three or four calves born during the storm were fine. A friend, who farmed where McMahon Stadium is now, remembers seeing hundreds of cattle drifting by during the storm. It had been a hard winter and cattle were in poor condition with many dying as they piled up against fences.

While stationed at Longmore in England, he met my mother, Bertha May Holloway, who was born at the “Wakes” Selbourne in Hampshire on May 4, 1893. She came to Calgary July 9, 1920 and they were married the next afternoon at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer by Dean Paget. They took the train to Glenbow that evening and walked the two miles over the hill to the homestead.

Transportation was usually by horse and buggy, although sometimes they would drive down to Glenbow, tie the horse up behind the Glenbow store and post office, take a red flag out of the tiny Glenbow station and flag down the train. Coming back in the evening, they would notify the conductor who would stop the train at Glenbow to let them off. Only certain trains could be stopped and the service continued until the late 1930’s.

My parents had two sons. Jack Holloway was born December 2, 1921 at the Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary. He married Betty Hawkwood from Bearspaw and farmed in the Glendale district. They have a son and a daughter William and Judith. I, Timothy, was born July 15, 1924 on the homestead at Glenbow. I married Frances Savage from Sedgewick and continue to live on the homestead. We have two daughters, Carol and Anne, and a son, John. Carol lives in DeWinton,Alberta,Anne lives in Calgary and John has a farm west of Innisfail.

Father died January 22, 1934 and Mother, Jack and I went to England in May of that year, renting the farm to Mr. Damgard. While in England, Jack and I attended a small two-room country school in Hampshire. When Jack left school he got a job as a garden boy on a nearby estate owned by Lord Horder, the King’s physician. When I left school I worked as a stable boy at Bedales, co-educational school for children of the rich and famous, about 1 1/2 miles from where we lived. There were twenty-six horses, a riding master and a riding mistress. I remember the students were extremely well-mannered.

Returning to Canada in the spring of 1939, we bought a herd of cows and quota from Ernie Thompson. We shipped milk to the Union Milk Co. in Calgary. Fran and I continued dairy farming until 1989 when our son John, and his wife Dawna, took over the herd and moved them to their farm at Innisfail.

Starting in 1928, the Norris and Bancroft families took turns having Christmas and New Year’s Day dinner. This continued every year except for the five years we were in England until 1952 when the families got too large for the houses.

Walter Gooding, who farmed south of Bearspaw on the SW Sec 24 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M who knew my father very well wrote the following: “One could not live in a district for twenty years or more without making contact with many different people, some lasting and some otherwise. One of the friendships I made was with ‘Billy the Yorkshireman’! Billy was a man worth making a friend of. Billy used to haul his hay to Calgary and sell it by the load. If you were on the trail going West anytime after midnight and saw a team coming, a load but no driver, you could be sure it was Billy, snuggled down in the hay, letting the horses making their own way.”

Although my mother had lived in the country all her life, she had never lived on a farm until she came to Canada. She soon learned to milk cows and help with all the chores associated with farming. Going to Calgary with horse and buggy, she would drive to a vacant lot at 8th Avenue and 3rd Street West, tie up the horse behind the large sign boards and go shopping down 8th Avenue, driving home in the late afternoon.

Apparently, this lot was a favourite parking spot for many farmers and Indians (sic). Eaton’s eventually built their department store on the lot.

Arthur Norris, who homesteaded the land across the lA highway from my father, was born with a deformed foot, but he drove a Model T Ford touring car. My mother would sometimes ride into Calgary with him. She rode in with him on a Saturday when he was taking two calves to MacLean’s Auction Mart. He had taken the back seat out of the car and as the latches on the back doors were broken, they were held shut by a piece of binder twine tied across the inside of the car from handle to handle. As they made a left tum onto 16th Avenue, where the Home Depot is today, one of the calves fell against the door, the twine broke and both calves fell out into the ditch. They were not hurt and took off across the prairie where the North Hill Shopping Centre is today. Because of his deformed foot, Arthur could not run, but my mother could and she spent nearly an hour, hampered by a long skirt, catching the two calves and getting them back into the car. They went on to MacLean’s without further incident.

In 1949, my mother and I decided it was time we took a holiday as we had been milking cows for ten years without a break. We had a 1947 Hudson car and bought an eighteen foot Ingle Shultz house trailer, made arrangements with Doug and May Masters to live on the farm and look after the cows. We left home on October 17, 1949 in a snow storm, traveled south to San Diego, California. Then went east to Keywest, Florida, north to Norfolk, Virginia, west to St Louis, Missouri, north and west through Minnesota and Montana back to Alberta, arriving back at the farm on March 15, 1950. We had no serious problems and added over 13,000 miles to the car’s odometer. I did all the driving as my mother had never learned to drive. Total expenses for the holiday were $911.00, the average price of gasoline was 37 .3 cents per gallon.

My mother retired from the farm in 1952 and lived in Calgary. She died on November 18, 1983. My brother, Jack died April 27, 2006.

Fran and I still live on the homestead. Fran keeps busy with her watercolour painting. Although we have no livestock, I cut and bale some hay every year. Fran has been a member of the Glendale Women’s Institute for over fifty years and I have been a member of the Bearspaw Lions Club for forty-nine years. We have both been actively involved in the Bearspaw Fair since it started, as well as other organizations in the district.

Deep Dive

Schools South West of Cochrane

January 24, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 131 More Big Hill Country

Mitford School

Traces of the foundations of buildings in Mitford can still be found on land that is now part of the Stoney Indian Reserve, on the Bow River’s south side. A school district was never established, but the early settlement retained the teaching services of Miss Isabel Monilaws of Kincardine Ontario in 1891 . Her schoolhouse was the old saloon. In Big Hill Country, Isabel Skinner tells that while her father built up their ranch, north of Cochrane, her mother lived in Mitford so that her brother, George, could attend Mitford school. Mrs. Walter Jones also lived in Mitford and her son, Harry, along with George, would lie on the CPR railroad bed and let the trains pass over them, “nearly scaring their mothers to death”. Some others who learned their A B C’s at Mitford were Birdie Radcliffe; Harold, Walter, Leslie and Vera Towers; Violet Smith; Ethel Bassett; Mary, Everet and Joseph McNeil. Miss Monilaws taught school for four years and in 1895 married rancher James Cooper, joining him on their Hillsdale Ranch northwest of Cochrane.

Jumping Pond Public School

District #254 of the North West Territories The first meeting of the Jumping Pond School District was held at Paddy Drummond’s Emporium on Wednesday, September 28, 1892. The Trustees elected at that time were Robert Ellis, John H. Ellis and William J. Wade. This school district comprised of Sections I to 12 in 1\vp 25 Rge 4 WM and Sections 20 to 36 in Twp 24 Rge 5 W5M. (The present day location would be 2.5 miles north of the Trans Canada

Highway, 2.5 miles south, 2 miles east of Highway 22 (called the Bragg Creek Road at the time) and 3 miles west of Highway 22). Built about a 1/4 mile west of “Drummond’s Corner” (Highway 22 and Springbank road) the school was a frame building built on the south side of the road. It opened in early 1893 with Miss Agnes Clark as the first teacher and included as students the Wade children, Martha Ellis and Johnny Goss among others.

This early Jumping Pond schoolhouse served the community as the centre for entertainment. As there was no community hall at the time, concerts, dances and social events were held here. There was a Literary Society, where topics of interest were discussed and they held monthly meetings at the Jumping Pond School. Anyone who had any talent performed, and a local man Christopher Duke, a singer and banjo player, was popular. Church services were held there in the warmer summer months, and in 1908, the Rev. Sales and the Rev. Harrison from the Anglican Church held the services. The school was closed in the early l 900’s due to lack of children in that area of the district and opened again in 1909. Miss Willoughby and Miss Nellie McGlashing were two of the early teachers at the time. The School closed around 1914 and the building was sold to Charlie Cooley who used it for a granary.

Little Jumping Pond School

District #471 of the North West Territories

The organizational meeting of the resident ratepayers was held at the home of Howard Sibbald on April 20, 1898. The school district was to be named Little Jumping Pond School District #471 of the North West Territories. Trustees were Oliver Ellis, Jack Stuart and John Copithorne. This area was quite large and included part of Twp 23 Rge 5 W5M all of Twp 24 Rge 5 W5M and part of Twp 25 Rge 5 W5M.

The little log school was built by volunteers on Section 30 Township 24, Range 4, West of the 5th meridian, west of the Jumping Pound Creek and southwest of Cochrane. The hills on the north provided shelter for the horses that the children rode to school as they were tied to the heavy willow bush north of the school. These hills also provided much entertainment for the children in winter as they slid down the hill on cardboard or an old scoop shovel. In the warmer days the hills were used for nature studies. For 25 years there was no barn for shelter for the horses until 1923, Dave Lawson supplied a temporary barn for the horses and had it moved to the school site, at no expense to the school. Miss N .A. Robinson was hired for eight months as the teacher at a salary of $42.00 a month.

This little log school opened on March 20, 1899 and on November 18, 1928, it was approved that the little log school be closed as most of the early homesteaders in the western side of the district had moved away.

It was decided to move the school so the students wouldn’t have as far to ride so a house, owned by Archie Aris was moved to the east bank of the Jumping Pound Creek. (fhis location is very close to the intersection of the TransCanada highway and the Jumping Pound road. This house was used as the school, at no expense to the school, and was a cold and drafty building that the wind whistled through. A new wood stove couldn’t even keep it warm however natural gas had been discovered fairly close to this building and a pipe was run in and the stove fixed up to burn the gas. This was a big improvement as the gas kept the building warm throughout the night and therefore was lovely and warm when the students arrived in the morning. This was raw gas corning straight from the ground well and some mornings when the children arrived at school it was bitterly cold and the gas to the school was frozen. The older children went out to the wood pile and brought in wood for the stove, lit the fire and it took almost until noon for the little school to warm up. It was not until many, many years later that those students, as grown ups realized the danger that they were putting themselves in as they were burning wood and coal in a stove that was set up for burning gas! This little Jumping Pond School might very likely have been the first rural school house in Alberta to be heated with natural gas (even though it was still raw coming straight out of the ground.)

By 1939 there were only a few students left in this comer of the district and it was closed.

Brushy Ridge School District #1454

Located at NE 1/4 10-25-4 W/5 the school opened in 1906. The first teacher, Mrs. Mary Porterfield was hired at a yearly salary of $600. The school house burned in a wild prairie fire of November 19, 1936. Without delay on November 22 a meeting was held at Mr. Wellington Barkley’s home to make plans for continuing the children’s education. A temporary school was set up in Barkley’s bunkhouse. A new school was officially opened in September 1937. Following are some reminisces of Irene Edge (Greer) as recorded in Chaps and Chinooks: a history of west Calgary volume I.

A new school, very up-to-date and modem for a rnral area, was opened in September 1937. It had a full- ized basement with a furnace, inside closets and a hardwood floor.

On January 1, 1939, the “Large Unit” as it was called then came into existence and took over the jurisdiction of the rural schools in our area.

Mrs. Edge goes on to explain that in the fall of 1956 the children over Grade 6 were bussed to Cochrane and Grades 1 to 6 continued in Brushy Ridge. Then due to the declining enrollment and the trend to consolidate schools the Brushy Ridge School closed its door in June 1962.

The following teachers taught in this new building :

1937-39 Miss Irene Greer (Edge)
1940-41 Mr. Murray S. Carmack
1942 Miss Marjorie Van Der Velde
1943 Miss Mavis E. Gainer
1944 Mrs. E. H. Keding
1945 Mrs. Miriam (Johnson) Callaway
1946 Miss Jennie Mahood
1947 Miss Edna M. Stone
1948 Mrs. Edna M. (Stone) Edge
1949-50 Miss Helen C. Pecover
1951 Mrs. Edna M. Edge
1952 Mrs. Pearl Hill Miss Burton (Mrs. Dave Baughman)
1953-62 Mrs. Edna M. Edge

Clemens Hill School District # 4859

Clemens Hill School, in the Jumping Pound district, was a clapboard-sided one-room building newly built and located on Section 11, Township 25, Range 5, West of the 5th M. ( the south side of the current Township Road 252 and Range Road 51 intersection. This road now leads to the Shell Jumping Pound Gas Complex.) When the doors opened in September of 1930 there were very few roads in this area. The first teacher Miss Bertha Mahood welcomed the students, Bob and Sue Robinson, Dorothy and Clayton Barrows, Harold and Beatrice Hart, Jim Copithome, Herb Rhodes and Paddy Coelen, to the new school. Other teachers were Miss Marjorie Van Der Velde, Miss Eleanor May and Miss Aileen Brander. Mrs. Claudia Edge was the substitute teacher. The student body increased by three students Sheila Copithome, Shirley Baldwin and Dawn Volway. This school’s highlight was the Annual School Picnic held in early June. It was the social event of the summer. Large crowds attended and participated in the various races and ball games with the children. Again, due to declining student numbers the Clemens Hill School was closed and the building moved to a site northwest of the Jumping Pound Post Office in 1944. The school was in the Little Jumping Pond School District #471 and was renamed Jumping Pound School.

Drummond School

During these early pioneer days in the country the school moved throughout the district where ever the demand for a school was needed so that the children did not have to travel excessive distances by horseback or buggy to get their education.

In 1940. a new school was built on a new location one half a mile east of the old Jumping Pond School location. This school was built on the south west comer of the intersection known as Drummond’s Comer. (This corner is presently the junction of Highway 22 and the Springbank Road.) This school was named Drummond School and in 1946 Jumping Pond School District #254 was changed to Drummond School District #254. Trustees were Robert Barnes, Jim Robinson, Mabel Bateman and Sam Copithome. The first teacher was Mr. Nelson, followed by Miss Jean Spiller, Miss Eileen Brinker, Miss Janet McGregor (who also taught music), Mrs. Miriam Callaway, Miss Elizabeth Mehrer, Miss Mavis Gainer and Mr. Lowden. A number of these teachers boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barnes on their farm located south of the school. Many good times were held at Drummond School. Concerts ‘ dances and parties raised funds to buy a piano and dishes for the school. When Drummond School closed the children were bussed to Springbank. The school building was moved to Bragg Creek in 1952.

Jumping Pound School

The school building, having been closed at Clemens Hill, moved to a site northwest of the Jumping Pound Post Office in 1944. This was back into the Little Jumping Pond School District #471. The school was renamed Jumping Pound School and the first teacher was Miss Ellen Norris (now Mrs. Henry Buckler) who taught there for the year 1944 – 1945. The Jumping Pound School operated until 1957 when the students were transferred to Brushy Ridge School. Some of the students were: Jim, Elaine and Bill Bateman John ‘ Lynn and Janet Sibbald, Lawrence, Mary and David Copithome, Raymond Nicoll, Jean Copithome and Sally McDougall.

Deep Dive

Mystery on the Track: Help Us Identify This Historic Cochrane Photo

January 31, 2026January 23, 2026 by Mark Boothby

One of the great pleasures—and challenges—of working with historic photographs is that not every image comes with a full story attached. Sometimes the names, dates, and locations have faded, even though the moment captured is clearly full of energy and significance.

The photograph above is one such image from the CHAPS archives.

It shows a four-horse team pulling a wagon at full speed, dust rising from the track, spectators gathered along the rail, and the rolling landscape of Big Hill Country in the background. The scene suggests excitement, competition, and a community gathered to watch something special—but exactly what is happening remains a bit of a mystery.

That’s where we’re asking for your help.

The Contest

We invite you to take a close look at this photo and share what you know—or what you think you know.

To enter the contest, leave a comment (on our website or social media post) answering as many of the following as you can:

Where do you think this photograph was taken?
What event might this be? (A race, fair, exhibition, or special challenge?)
When do you think this took place? An approximate decade is perfect.
Bonus: Do you recognize the wagon, horses, or style of harnessing?

If you have a family connection, memory, or story related to events like this, we would especially love to hear from you.

Why This Matters

Many of the photographs in the CHAPS collection depend on community knowledge to fully come alive. Your insights help us:

Correctly identify locations and events
Add meaningful context to our archives
Preserve local history for future generations

In the past, community members have helped us identify long-lost names, places, and even rediscovered forgotten stories—all from a single photograph.

The Prize

One winner will be selected based on the most accurate, insightful, or helpful response. The prize includes:

A complimentary 2026 CHAPS membership
A copy of More Big Hill Country

Contest Deadline

Entries close on January 31, 2026.

History doesn’t live in archives alone—it lives in shared memories. If you recognize something in this photograph, or know someone who might, please share this post and help us uncover the story behind the image.

Every photo has a story. Sometimes it just needs the right people to tell it.

Community Response

Community members recall chuckwagon racing at Griffin Park Race Track, generally placing it in the late 1970s to early 1980s, though a few memories suggest earlier decades. The track was located north of the Bow River, roughly where the SLS Centre, water treatment plant, and sewage pump station are today. Many remember the site as an active hub with barns, a rodeo arena, and the Cochrane Roping Club, where locals spent much of their summers roping and socializing.

Several commenters believe the wagon pictured belonged to Tom (Tommy) Glass, though there is some uncertainty about who was driving at the time—names mentioned include Tom Glass or Doug Lauder. The WPCA reportedly raced at Griffin Park for a couple of years. One vivid story recounts a runaway team during a race, stopped only when a roper jumped into the wagon to help a recovering driver regain control. Beyond racing, memories include kids playing around the track, families gathering, and the strong community spirit tied to Cochrane’s chuckwagon and roping history

Gerald Chapin of Didsbury provided the best response. We'll be in touch about membership and delivery of a volume of More Big Hill Country.
Mark Boothby

A Peek at Cochrane’s Brickyard History

January 17, 2026 by Mark Boothby

pg 17 A Peek into the Past Gordon and Belle Hall Vol. II

In and around 1902 or 1903 when Pete Collins took over the Little Brickyard, he must have bought the entire west side of the Big Hill also. C.W. Fisher in 1906-07 bought land off of Collins to build his mansion on, which is now the Mount St. Francis Retreat. In 1907 Pete Collins supplied the land for the cemeteries which consisted of about five acres. The cemetery at this time was called the Quigley Cemetery as Jimmy Quigley negotiated the deal. Quigley and other residents of the area had members of family buried on their property and these were moved to the new cemetery. The land first planned for a cemetery was located where Manachaban School is now, but somehow got moved to its present site.

Pete Collins must have sold the brick factory when he sold the land in 1919 because in 1928 Collins was there at the factory. I remember him almost cutting his thumb off in some machinery. Jack Beynon did the hiring for the factory and paid the wages at this time. Jack Beynon Sr. was called old Jack or Big Jack, while his cousin who lived on Horse Creek was called Young Jack. The Beynon and Davies men were avid curlers, Beynon being secretary of the club for a number of years. If you were at their house for breakfast after curling the night before, they would be showing how they made their shots with saucers on the table.

Jack Beynon Sr. was also Uncle Remus (sic) in the local minstrel show and was a long-time member of the Oddfellows Lodge. The Beynon and Davies dairy came to an end in 1948 or 1949 and Sid Reed and Sam Peverell had a hog-raising business there for a few years. They built a number of buildings for hogs. O.M. Gilbert bought the property and started an early calf crop business. He built a big calving barn under the hill west and couth of the Cochrane Ranche house. Gilbert was a hard working man of more than middle age and passed away with cancer. A.N. Gilbert, O.M.s son ran the business •for a number of years finally selling to the provincial government for a park.

When my son Allan was fire chief in the early 70s, he was asked to burn the old house that sat next to Collin’s Brickyard on the west side of the creek. There is a lot of history in the 100 years since Cochrane started his Cochrane Ranche that are buried now in the mists of time.

BRICKYARD AND DAIRY PART OF RANCHE HISTORY

Recently attending the tenth anniversary of the opening ceremonies of the Cochrane Ranche site, I was reminded of the history that is now largely forgotten and very seldom mentioned of the 105 years of past history associated with this site. In the late 1890s a Mr. Little began a brickyard one mile west of the village of Cochrane on the west side of the Big Hill Creek and on what was Cochrane Ranche property or lease. Little died in 1900 and his widow married Peter Collins two years later. Collins owned a brickyard in Calgary but after his marriage, took over the Little Brickyard.

In 1902 Collins built his first kiln. He had a horse driven brickmaker. In 1906 additional kilns were built and brickmaker was driven by steam power. A spur line was put in from the main CPR line and wood was shipped in from Morley to fire the kilns and of course bricks were shipped out by boxcar. The last year the Collins brickyard operated was 1928 as my father and myself worked there.

The Beynon and Davies families came to Cochrane in 1907. Jack Beynon Sr. was foreman in the Collins brickyard from 1907 until 1913. His wife Annie operated a cafe and confectionery in Cochrane. In the old Oddfellows Lodge minute books, it is mentioned that in 1912 they bought 10 suppers at Annie Beynon’s cafe for $3.50 total bill.

Jack Beynon and Edgar Davies joined the army and fought in the first world war. Beynon was wounded in the Battle of the Somme and his wife Annie went overseas and became a nurse in the hospital where Beynon was convalescing. As soon as the war ended they both came back to Cochrane. In 1919 John Beynon, William Davies and Edgar Davies formed a company and went into the dairy business.They purchased 750 acres from Peter Collins on the old original Cochrane Ranche. Jack Beynon, who was a stonemason, built a large stone barn to house the dairy cows. They used the old Cochrane Ranche house as residence and added on the old Cochrane Ranche barn to make hog pens.

The way they worked, Jack Beynon was the hog man, he cooked pig feed in the little hut built into the hill and when the creamery was moved south of the piggery, they brought buttermilk over a long trough held up by A-frames. The buttermilk ran into a tank, which in the summertime was a haven for flies. Edgar Davies looked after the cows and William Davies did the land work with horses and hauled the cow feed. They all milked cows at milking time. The milk was hauled to the CPR station to go on the train, until trucks started hauling milk sometime in the 1930s. Beynon and Davies were always known as the Brickyard and were well known by everyone, especially the younger people of Cochrane. The children, or anyone else for that matter, were always welcome at the brickyard where Mrs. Annie Beynon had a glass of milk and a sandwich, or for the older visitors, a glass of dandelion wine.

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The Rural One Room School

January 10, 2026 by Mark Boothby

Page 130 More Big Hill Country 2009

As settlement took place in the area surrounding Cochrane, the need to provide an education to the children became imperative. The first step in setting up a school took the form of an information meeting, usually at a pioneer’s home. That meeting would lead to the formation of a committee of at least three residents of the proposed school district.

This “education” committee would apply to the Minister of Education for approval to carry on with their establishment plans. The department stipulated the school district had to include at least four persons, constituting the School Board, who actually resided in the area and who, on the formation of the district ‘ would be liable to assessment of taxes for school purposes.

In some cases plans to form a school district faced stiff opposition. Bachelors living in an area feared that the establishment of a school district would raise their taxes and, as a result of apparent short sightedness they would oppose the education committee’s plan.

The local school board was the sole taxing authority as well as the only collecting agency. The board would make an estimate of the amount needed to run the school and then set a rate of tax to agree with this. Financing the rural school could be demanding, especially when local residents fell on hard times due to drought, livestock losses or human tragedy. Taxes were often deferred until a load of wheat or a cow was sold or the milk cheque had been cashed. During a tough period, while very few rural residents paid the school tax, the school still functioned by reason of the paid-up taxes of the more fortunate ratepayers in the district.

Apart from taxes, school boards raised some money from rental of the school building for functions such as public meetings, dances and for polling booths on election days. A tuition fee of thirty cents per day per child would be charged students who attended from an unorganized district or from neighbouring districts whose schools, for one reason or another, were not operating. After 1905 the cost of maintaining schools was met by an additional method, legislative grants.

Where did the schools spring up in these districts? The Canadian government intended to use western natural resources and lands to promote western settlement and railway construction. A simple effective survey system divided the arable prairie lands into square townships, each comprising 36 sections of 640 acres (259 ha) with the basic homestead comprising of a 160 acre (64.75 ha) quarter section.

Under the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 two sections in each township were reserved for the support of education. “And whereas it is expedient to make provision in aid of education in Manitoba and the North-West Territories, therefore sections eleven and twenty-nine in each and every surveyed township throughout the extent of the Dominion Lands, shall be and are hereby set aside as an endowment for the purposes of education.”

Where topography determined the placement of the school and its outbuildings, land was either purchased from, or donated by a settler.

Once the school site had been selected it did not mean that the location issue was solved. A shift in the school population often left the school in anything but a convenient place. No one could predict with certainly the number of families that would take up residence in the district or the increase in population of the families already living in the district. When a population boom meant a building had became too small and another was available, school boards arranged for the moving of school buildings from one district to another. In our locale, the Inglis School (north east of Cochrane) was moved to Cochrane during the late 1940’s when enrollment went the other way and dropped below the minimum requirement.

On January 3, 1939, by order of the Minister of Education, Calgary School Division No. 41 was created bringing into one administrative unit some seventy-six local school districts. The new School Division was divided into five subdivisions, each to be represented on the Divisional Board by an elected trustee.

The Minister of Education, Anders Aalborg noted in his 1960 New Year’s greeting to teachers that only 10 years earlier there were 1545 one-room schools in operation. By 1959 the number had dropped to 275 schools. Alberta’s highway system developed rapidly in the mid 1940s and early 1950s. After World War II many rural school districts centralized their operations. The introduction of school buses altered the shape of rural education at this time.

In 1977 the Calgary School Division No. 41 changed its name to the Rocky View School Division No. 41.

Glimpses into the past, based on notes from Big Hill Country, Chaps and Chinooks: a history of west of Calgary and memories of those who attended the one-room schools in the Cochrane area follow. The one room schools have been grouped according to their location in relation to Cochrane and then alphabetically.

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We’ll continue our stories about local schools in the weeks to come.

Son of London Banker T.C. Fooks

January 3, 2026 by Mark Boothby

pg 582 Big Hill Country 1977

Tom Fooks, the son of a London banker, was originally from Kent, England, and lived at various places around the world, including occasional stays at his farm on Horse Creek. He purchased the SE¼ of 30, the E½ of 19, and the W½ and NW¼ of 20, all in Township 26, Range 4, W. 5th.

Although Tom himself did little work on his farm, money generally seemed to be plentiful and he was presumably a remittance man. He was considered rather eccentric, but was a very clever individual. He was extremely restless, which probably accounts for the fact that he quit University in England just before graduating as a medical doctor. Tom was also extremely daring; many stories could be told of his escapades during the 1930s in his light airplane around Cochrane, Pine Lake and in the mountains, at a time when any sort of an airplane was a novelty in the skies.

Tom Fooks liked to play jokes, which often didn’t seem very funny to his victims. Once when out flying, Tom spotted a neighbor walking in his summerfallow, so proceeded ·to make passes at him so low that the frightened pedestrian lay flat in the dirt. Another neighbor was delighted to accept Tom’s invitation to accompany him on a drive to Toronto. All went well until Tom decided to stop in the middle of a downtown Toronto street, take the car keys and walk off. His abandoned and rather bewildered friend was left to deal with irate policemen as best he could for several hours.

A very proper English farm couple asked Tom for supper one evening. Tom accepted graciously, and the couple looked forward to an evening with a cultured person from “home.” However, the evening came and went, but no Tom arrived. Around midnight, a commotion at by Tom and his saddlehorse, both tangled in the clothesline. After straightening things out, the sleepy farmer asked Tom to come in, which he did, then he sat there all night, giving the couple the conversation they had longed for, and went home after breakfast!

At one time Tom had a string of race horses, including a well-known stallion, Doctor Joe. However, his horses came to a sad ending when their irresponsible owner went off to Vancouver and left them tied in the barn. When found by a neighbor, some of them had starved to death.

Tom Fooks joined the Air Force at the beginning of the Second World War. He has since disappeared and no one knows his whereabouts.

The final paragraph made me wonder if a web search would find any results for T.C. Fooks. I've included them below and in Deep Dive.
Mark Boothby Tweet

Thomas (Courtenay’s son) went to Cambridge University. In 1925 he won the annual cross-country race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities. A photo of Thomas crossing the finish line can be viewed online⁴. He knew Lord Burghley – both were in a combined Oxford and Cambridge athletics team that competed against Harvard and Yale⁵. Lord Burghley later won the 400 metres gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. The character Lord Andrew Lindsay in the film Chariots of Fire is based on Burghley. Thomas married Lucy Day in 1935 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is listed on the 1939 register as a visitor at 43 Woburn Place, Holborn, London, a farmer (married). Thomas was granted a Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate as a pilot in 1946. He was appointed as an Assistant Labour Officer in Kenya in 1952⁶. Thomas died on 19 September 1991 aged 87 in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving an estate of £607,396. The T. C. Fooks Charitable Trust was registered in 1993 with the aims of relieving poverty and advancing education by making grants to suitable organisations. It had ceased to exist by 2011 when it was removed from the register.

https://dartfordhistory.blogspot.com/2018/

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Remittance Men An Article from a Peep into the Past
Remittance Men Wikipedia
Dartford History Blog 2018
U.K. Charity by T.C. Fooks Web search for T.C. Fooks

William “Bill” James Scott Family

December 28, 2025December 27, 2025 by Mark Boothby

pg 700 More Big Hill Country 2009

Bill Scott’s grandfather, William Scott and his oldest son Samuel, age 16, came to Canada in 1932 from County Down, Northern Ireland to look for work as the feuding between the Protestant and Roman Catholic families was something the Scott family wanted to get away from.

They got work at Taber, Alberta and various other farms in southeastern Alberta and in 1925 they returned home to Ireland to bring their family to Canada. They settled on a large farm in the Dalroy district in Alberta and in March 1931 the family moved to the Glenbow district working in partnership with Chester de Ia Vergne.

In 1932, James “Jimmy” Scott (1911-1999) returned to Northern Ireland and married Elizabeth Annie (Lily) Aiken (1914-2001) in early 1934 whom he had known before. Their son William James “Bill” was born on December 15, 1934.

In 1936 Jimmy returned to Alberta bringing his wife and young son with him.

Eric L. Harvie bought the Dr. Morris property down on Glenbow Road in 1937 and Jim and Lily Scott were hired to look after the property until 1941 when Jimmy Scott’s brother Sam joined the Royal Canadian Air Force Jim and Lily moved back to the de la Vergne place to work with his father Wiiliam Scott.

Bill Scott rode a saddle horse to Glendale School from there the first few years with his Aunt Rose. Bill, like most rural children in those days, was quite shy in his first year away from his parents while attending school. Bill attended Glendale School from grade one to eight, riding down Glendale Road, back and forth with companion students, Bob Norris, Dennis, Bill and Shirley Wearmouth , his aunt Rose and the MacKenzie brothers walking alongside. The MacKenzie kid’s father Norman didn’t want the horses eating the cow’s grass so they had to walk instead of ride. Norman and a neighbour Ernie Thompson made the gates so tight to open and close and in winter the snow drifted and buried the fence line gates that it was easier to walk the two miles to school.

Bill attended Cochrane School for grades nine and ten, riding his bicycle with his neighbour Angus MacKenzie. They rode up and down Glenbow Road, along highway IA and the Big Hill back and forth to Cochrane. Bill and his parents were now living at the Drake Place, a quarter of a mile north of Eric L. Harvie’s summer home on Glenbow Road.

Mr. R.C. Burns had bought this property in 1934 and their youngest daughter Marion attended Glendale School from 1935-1937 to grade 3. (Marion was Edith Edge’s attendant when she was the Calgary Stampede Queen in 1953.) Mr. and Mrs. Bums also owned a house in Mount Royal in Calgary and Mr. Bums’ Law Office was in the Grain Exchange Building in Calgary. Mr. and Mrs. Bums were from a farming background in New Brunswick and Mrs. Bums had a fine dairy herd of Ayrshire cows with “Ness” bloodlines, a well known herd in the Maritimes.

Jim and Lily Scott were hired to look after the Bum’s farm and dairy herd in 1946, shipping cream to the Cochrane Creamery. R.C. Bums bought the Harry Hollies farm in 1942, NE Sec 6 Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M which was later owned by Jack Hawkwood.

Sam and Helen Scott and their family came back to work for his father William at the de Ia Vergne Glenbow Ranch, after the war. The Glenbow Ranch was now owned by Mr. Harvie and Sam’s wife Helen and their children had been living in Carstairs during WWII.

Bill Scott attended Mount Royal College in Calgary, near Mewata Park, for grade eleven and grade twelve. Mount Royal offered introductory university courses to students outside of the Calgary area. You had to be a taxpayer in Calgary to attend other Calgary Schools or board with city relatives. Bill boarded with Bella Thomson on 11th Avenue S.W. She was Norman MacKenzie’s widowed cousin and it was fairly close to Mount Royal.

After completing Grade 12 at Mount Royal, Bill worked for two years in the oil business. He then returned to Mount Royal and attended two years of University there. Following Mount Royal, Bill traveled to Norman, Oklahoma and completed his Engineering degree in January 1959, specializing in Petroleum Engineering. At one time, Bill seriously thought of attending veterinary college. During the summer holidays from school and after graduation he worked for Mobile Oil at Weyburn and Estevan in southern Saskatchewan. Years later he had his own small Petro Company.

While attending University at Norman, Oklahoma Bill met Sandra Lentz, who he married in 1957. They had four children Alexis, Jeff, Susan and David. In 1956, Bill’s parents, Jim and Lily Scott had taken over the dairy herd from Mrs. Burns as she had become very ill with cancer. Mr. Bums still kept a few laying hens and in the next four years or so, Jim Scott and Norman MacKenzie worked together during haying season.

In 1967 Bill bought the Verner Jensen farm in the Bearspaw district at the north end of Rocky Ridge Road, along Burma Road for his parents. They continued with their dairy operation until 1986 when they sold their cows and dairy quota. They then ran a beef operation until 1999 when Bill’s father, Jim passed away. Bill’s mother, Lily passed away two years later in 2001. The farm was sold to Inland Gravel Co.

Bill and Sandra’s (Sandi) marriage broke down in the mid 1970’s and in 1982 Bill married Anne Billard and became a father to Anne’s young family.

In 2000, Bill and his family bought a ranch in the Columbia River Valley area near Canal Flats in British Columbia. They built a Black Angus cow/calf operation. Bill’s family is involved in most of his adventures. Angus MacKenzie met Bill and his son Jeff in 2006 at a Soderglen Bull Sale at Airdrie. Here Angus was invited by Bill to drop in someday and see Bill’s Thoroughbred horses at Crossfield, Alberta. Angus plans to take him up on this offer.

Bill and Anne Scott live in the northwest corner of Calgary directly east of the Bearspaw Golf Course, north off Twelve Mile Coulee Road. Bill Scott has never lost touch with his rural background; he just added a little class to it.

Deep Dive

Christmas Greetings 2025

December 24, 2025 by Mark Boothby

Merry Christmas to All

The Members, Volunteers and Directors of CHAPS wish everyone all the joy, health and happiness of the season.

It’s always fascinating to look back through old issues of the Cochrane Advocate. This December 1916 edition offers a wonderful glimpse into how our community celebrated the Christmas season over a century ago — the ads, local notices, and small-town stories really bring the era to life.

But there’s also a sobering reminder of the times. Among the festive news is the announcement of the death of Herbert Rhodes at Vimy Ridge, a stark contrast that reflects the realities families were facing here at home.

History has a way of weaving joy and loss together, and papers like this help us remember both.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Christmas get-together at the Cochrane Historical Museum.

It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout and to share the season together surrounded by our community’s history. Your continued support makes these gatherings so special.

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by Gordon Davies

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Thank You to the Town of Cochrane for Supporting CHAPS

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another in our series 100 Stories for 100 Years, Cochrane Tales

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Page 633 More Big Hill Country 2009

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Page 137 More Big Hill Country 2009

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1. Growth & Change in Cochrane

2. Local Landmarks & Businesses

3. Recreation & Sports

4. Community Buildings & Spaces

5. Community Organizations & Events

6. People Who Shaped the Town

7. Small-Town Culture & Memories

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Page 134 More Big Hill Country 2009

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What Do You Miss About Cochrane?

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Page 272 More Big Hill Country 2009

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Page 131 More Big Hill Country

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The Contest

Why This Matters

The Prize

Contest Deadline

Community Response

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pg 17 A Peek into the Past Gordon and Belle Hall Vol. II

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Page 130 More Big Hill Country 2009

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pg 582 Big Hill Country 1977

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