by Sunni Turner pg 176 More Big Hill Country 2009
The Cochrane and Area Heritage Association was formed on July 1, 1978 primarily to raise funds for the Cochrane Ranche and promote our local heritage and history. It was duly registered in Alberta on August 30, 1978.
Original signees were: Marjorie Spicer, housewife: Ellen Buckler, teacher; Margaret Buckley, housewife; Daryl Downs, store clerk; and Alice Graham, nurse. Over these three decades we have held our meetings in various places: the town office, the Provincial Building the Westerson Cabin, Mrs. Marjorie Spicer’s sunroom, the Big Hill Lodge, Turner’s Inn in Turner Valley and the Perrenoud Ranche House.
The original Westerson Cabin in Cochrane (opposite the original Nan Boothby Library) was restored by the Cochrane and Area Heritage Association with the assistance of the Town of Cochrane and funds from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. It was used as an Information Centre during the 1988 Winter Olympics and a mini museum and Tourist Information Centre in the summer months.
Our association presents the Heritage Art Award and an Honourable Mention Award at the Cochrane Art Club’s Annual Art Show and Sale. To win this monetary award and certificate the artwork must depict the historical and natural aspects of the Cochrane area.
We also sponsor the Social Studies 30 Award at the Cochrane High School. It consists of a cash prize and certificate. One year five CHS students achieved the same high provincial score in their Social Studies 30 exams.
With the partnership of Cochrane town officials, we assisted in the naming of parks, streets and local special areas in Cochrane named after local pioneers and ranchers such as Mitford Park, Kerfoot Park, Copithorne Park, Fenton Park, Wearmouth Park, Crawford Park, and Samuel Spicer Park. The Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS) assisted us in later years.
Some of our other projects were: the purchase of wooden log benches at the Cochrane Ranche, the Memorial Garden at Big Hill Lodge and helping to buy a large tent for the Cochrane Ranche, etc. On August 9, 1989 we accepted the Perrenoud Ranche House, an Alberta Historic Resource property lease with provisions: “The Cochrane and Area
Heritage Association and the Alberta Department of Culture will work together to help allocate funds from available grants”. Our association catalogued over one thousand historical artifacts in 1990 (P.H .90) for Alberta Culture.
Mrs. Marjorie Spicer was our president for many years. Some Cochrane and Area Heritage Association members past and present are: Marjorie Spicer, Edna Copithome, Ava Lewis, Walter Lewis, Jr., Walter Hutchinson, Gordon Hall, Amy Begg, Debbie Baire, Kathy Bosch, Belle Hall, Keryle Amidon, Jean Copithorne, Irene Copithorne, Norah Schmidt, Margaret Buckley, Faye McLeod, Marjorie Richmond, Jill Richards, Judy MacKenzie, Charlene Gale, Pat Birchall, Rick Green, Stan Phelps, Bobby and Sunni S. Turner.
For many years we have sold a substantial number of silver “Men of Vision II charms which were designed by the renowned local artist and sculptor, Malcolm J. MacKenzie. Proceeds are used for restoration programs. Times change. In the late 1990’s we felt that the Perrenoud Ranche House program and other “outside events” were our main projects and we suggested that another historical society should be formed in Cochrane itself to preserve and interpret the history of the rapidly growing town; and therefore the then heritage-minded mayor, Lydia Graham and forward looking individuals formed CHAPS (Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society) in 1999.
Currently our major project is to restore, preserve and interpret the Perrenoud Ranche House Site, an Alberta Historic Resource which is an historic horse ranche northwest of Cochrane. The site consists of the 1910 family ranche house, the original log homestead, a log blacksmith shop, granaries, a log barn, a sawmill and a garage on ten acres of land.
Charles Emil Perrenoud was born in 1863 in Bescancon, France. His father was a jeweller. Charles came to Canada in 1886 and in 1888 he started ranching in Mortimer Coulee. On April 2, 1902, he married Laura M. Phipps in All Saints Anglican Church, Cochrane. They had three children, George, Emma and Agnes. Charles was a rancher who raised cattle and horses.
His son George never married. Emma married Ed Young of the Ingles district and Agnes married Frank Hutchinson of the Lochend area – all are now deceased. The heirs of the estate donated the Perrenoud Ranche House Site to the Provincial Government of Alberta.
The Perrenoud Ranche Art Centre had its grand opening on September 17 and 18, 2005. Many of the Perrenoud descendents were at the gala opening which had over 500 in the two-day period. The attendees included government officials, local dignitaries, municipal Councillor, friends and neighbours as well as cultural representatives from Edmonton and Calgary.
At present we have an artist-in-residence at the Perrenoud Ranche Art Centre: Stan Phelps. We hold art shows, craft sales, art classes and other community affairs. The site is open by appointment only.
Our latest projects have been the Jumping Pound Historic Building Survey 2005ยท The Big Hill Country Historic Building Survey 1 and 11, 2006 and 2007 and the Dog Pound/Bottrel Historic Building Survey 2007.
In the future, we plan to replicate the old log homestead and restore the spacious garage to accommodate an artists’ studio/children’s art classroom and open a museum and interpretive centre. Further restoration are ongoing. Our aim is to preserve the past and the present for the future.
Only time will tell what the future brings.
Deep Dive
- Pat Hutchinson Interview
- Perrenoud Homestead on Historic Places
- Digitally Preserving Alberta’s Diverse Cultural Heritage – Perrenoud Homestead
- Perrenoud Homestead – Alberta Register of Historic Places
