by Kathleen Welham pg 795 More Big Hill Country 2009
Dennis and I first moved to the Cochrane area in 1961. We are both Alberta natives, born and raised. Dennis was raised in the Springbank area, and Kathleen in the Cremona, Okotoks area. Dennis’s parents were both born in England and came to Canada in the 1920s. Dennis’s Dad had served in the British army in the First World War, enlisted and discharged in England. Mr. Albert Welham left England to come to Canada, arrived in Alberta and worked on farms for a short time. Several years later Albert wrote to a girl he knew in England, Rose Wyatt, and persuaded her to come and join him in Alberta, Canada. They were later married and started their life together, living in Calgary, Alberta.
Kathleen’s parents were of Scottish decent. Dad’s relatives first arrived in Canada in 1774, at a place now called George Town in Prince Edward Island. My Dad, Chester Crockett, was born and raised in Nova Scotia. He came west in 1909 then returned to Nova Scotia when his father became very ill. His father passed away at that time. My Dad came west again, in 1910, and purchased a farm in the Grainger area of Alberta. Dad joined the Canadian Army in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1914 and served with them until the end of WW I. While in the trenches in France, a bomb landed close by and buried him alive when the dirt caved in. He was rescued and continued on in the rank of Sergeant and also taught Physical Education to the troops.
My Mom, Catherine Lamont, was also of Scottish descent. She was born and raised in Ontario and came west with her family in 1910; they lived in Elboya in Calgary. Mom took a job as a stenographer, working for Cockshutt Plow Co . She was 16 years old. On weekends and holidays, Catherine would go on
visit friends by the name of Wyndham in the Granger area. That is where she met Chester Crockett, the fellow she would later marry. Their first home was on the farm in the Granger area, which my Dad already owned.
Mom and Dad remained farmers for all of their married life. My sister and I were both born in Calgary and we later moved to Cremona area when I was two years old. Mom and Dad had purchased a quarter section north and west of Cremona. That is where we made our home, until we moved to the Okotoks, De Winton area. Dennis attended West Calgary School, then Western Canada High School. Dennis, his two sisters and their parents Lived in what was then Springbank on the west side of Calgary. They had horses, and some cattle. Dennis’s Dad was the head shipper for T. Eaton Company for 29 years. Dennis’s Mom was a wonderful cook, and a lovely homemaker. Their door was always open and you were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome.
The summer holidays for Dennis consisted of looking after the cattle, working on the Gardner Ranch, west of Calgary, riding and training Arnold Ferguson’s race horses, working on his own horses and getting together with friends.
When Dennis finished school, he hired on with a road construction company that was building roads in the Kananaskis Country. Dennis was always happy when he was in the mountains, and enjoyed running heavy equipment. That is what this job was all about. When the job finished, Dennis went back to Calgary and hired on with a company that was building rural telephone and power lines in the De Winton, Okotoks areas.
Kathleen attended school at Big Prairie School, Cremona, Melrose School, Pine Creek School and DeWinton High School. I was in Grade 10 when my family moved to Salmon Arm, British Columbia I took Grades 11 and 12 in Salmon Arm High School. My sister and I rode horseback to school for all of our school years, except when we moved to Salmon Arm. I walked a mile to catch the school bus. There were bears, so it did not take me long to walk that mile. When I finished school I came to Calgary and attended Hollingshead Business College and from there I applied for and got a job with General Motors in Calgary. I was with GM for seven years. Summer holidays, or any holiday, would find me on the train heading west to Salmon Arm to see my Mom, Dad and e, friends, to go to the country dances, swim in the lake at our place or go riding with my friend Molly. Dennis and Kathleen met in 1953, were married in 1957 and lived in Calgary. Dennis was building telephone and power lines and Kathleen was a billing operator in the office of General Motors.
The first place we owned was a half section north of Water Valley. We did not intend to live up there but bought it on speculation. There was a lot of work to do on this place~ nobody had lived there for some time, if ever. There were no buildings. Dennis built a portable shack which we hauled out on our truck and set up. Our little shack had a big old cook stove, bunks to sleep on and a table of sorts. This little shack was only 6′ x 12′. This little house was where we lived on weekends when we went out to our place. It was okay, kind of a cute little shack.
We both had jobs in Calgary but we spent a lot of time at the Water Valley place, fencing, building gates, clearing, etc. When the Mennonites approached us to buy one quarter for a Church Camp, we sold it. It was the quarter that the Little Red Deer River ran through. Later we sold the other quarter to Mr. Beveridge, from Calgary, who wanted a place in the country. As far as I know he is still there and the church camp is still there also.
We now had Beverley Catherine and when the opportunity to move to the Two Rivers Ranch west of Calgary came up we took it. We were both eager to get back to living in the country. The bad thing about that was we had to sell our cattle and horses as the Two Rivers management would not let us bring either with us
We have lots of happy memories and long lasting friendships from our time working at the Two Rivers Ranch. We now had Beverley Catherine and Patricia Rose. We left Two Rivers Ranch for a short time, then went back to Calgary and bought a house. Dennis was again working for Ken Paget with Con Force Construction. Two years later, Ken Paget asked Dennis to come back to the Two Rivers Ranch. They needed him there.
We were at Two Rivers Ranch for 15 years. Dennis became manager of the ranch. This was the time that exotic (so called) cattle were coming into Alberta. Dennis did the buying of the Simmental cattle for the Ranch. He had several trips to the Ontario sales. It took a considerable number of years but he built up a good herd of Simmentals, full bloods and half bloods. When Patricia was in Grade 9, I decided it would be okay, for me to take a job. I was hired as a secretary at Petrofina Oil and Gas, west of Cochrane. I was with them for three and a half years. I left Fina to take a job with Shell Canada Jumping Pound Field Office. I was there for seven years. When I left Shell Canada I started two businesses of my own and ran them from our home.
Beverley and Patricia took all of their school in Cochrane. Beverley graduated in 1978 from Cochrane High, and Patricia in 1981 .
We left Two Rivers Ranch for the last time in 1976 and in 1978 bought the acreage that we still own and live on. It was just great to once again have our own place.
Before we left Two Rivers, Dennis was offered a job with Plains Engineering in Cochrane. They were building a new office/shop there and wanted Dennis to engineer the job of building it. Harry Wanjo, owner of Plains Engineering, presented a job offer to Dennis “that after the shop was built Dennis would manage Plains Engineering”. Dennis accepted this job offer and managed Plains for four years.
Peter George, from Houston, Texas, had a company which was Mep Industries. Peter met Dennis at Plains Engineering and offered Dennis the Job of managing the Canadian Division of Mep Industries. Dennis did not accept the job offer at first. However, the following year another offer came from Mep and he accepted it. He was hired as Canadian Operations Manager. Dennis held this position for the next 20 years until he retired in May 2000.
Working for Mep Industries, Dennis had all of Canada from coast to coast. Most of the work was in Alberta because of the oil and gas. Work on the east and west coasts was for large ships and ferries with Fairbanks engines in them. He was called to Houston, Texas periodically to fill in a managing position in that office. Dennis would be in Texas for three weeks, and back to the Cochrane office for two weeks. Mep Industries was later sold and the name was changed to Fairbanks Morse Engine Division. The staff of the Cochrane office was usually six to eight people.
Beverley took a job at Petrofina Oil Co, in Calgary for one year, and then entered Nursing School at the Foothills Hospital. She lived in residence but was always home on weekends. Bev graduated in 1982 as a Registered Nurse. She has worked ever since graduating. Her first job was at the Foothills Hospital, and then she changed jobs and was head nurse for Conley and Hawes, Oral Surgeons. She is now back at the Foothills Hospital in Coronary Intensive Care. Beverley took time off working long enough to get married and have three children. Pamela is a dental assistant and married Blaine Havens. Kayla works in Calgary and Mason graduated from Cochrane High in 2008.
Patricia (Trish) worked for an accounting office in Cochrane for one year, before entering accounting at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Trish graduated in 1984 with a diploma in Business with an Accounting Major.
She applied for a job with Shell Oil Canada Ltd. in Calgary in the Accounting/Payroll Department where she stayed for four and a half years. Trish married Jim Young from Calgary and lived in Calgary then Boston, Atlanta, Cochrane, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia. They have two boys, Jordan and Alexander, and they all live in Roswell, Georgia now. Trish worked as an accountant for part of her married life, now she is at home busy with teen-aged boys activities. Jordan is presently attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida and Alex is attending high school in Roswell.
Dennis was a member of the Cochrane Volunteer Fire Board. He was also a member of and President of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and for eight years he was a director on the Stockmen ‘s Memorial Foundation in Cochrane.
Kathleen was secretary for the Board of Directors of the Western Heritage Centre, also secretary and director on the Stockmen ‘s Memorial Foundation, and secretary/treasurer for the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association in Cochrane.
Dennis retired in May 2000 and at that point we began to look for a place to buy where we would have more land. Dennis started a company of his own, and bought out my two businesses.
We have always had Quarter Horses. Both of our girls showed at the Quarter Horse Shows through their school years. Dennis never missed an opportunity to gather cattle with his friends. He would never miss a branding that he was invited to. Dennis always had a good rope horse, and took the time to keep him that way. He liked all aspects of roping. He broke all of our young horses.
Dennis and I went on several trail rides for the Western Heritage Centre, also the Stockmen’s ride celebrating their 100th anniversary. We rode in the second ride the Stockmen put on; this was two years after the 100th anniversary ride. Both rides were in the Suffield Block. Daughter Trish and granddaughter Pamela went with us on the first ride. Trish and granddaughter Kayla went with us on the second ride. Dennis and I rode together as often as we could.
While the girls were home we had many good holidays together. We would get our camper on our truck, load up including our 125 pound German shepherd dog Toby. We would be gone for three weeks each summer. We had lots of fun and good times and good memories. Most times we went to a lake in British Columbia, however we saw lots of new country
Dennis I would fly down to Arizona each year to visit with friends in Scottsdale. We would scout around there, live in a resort hotel and enjoy being waited on. These were all great times together. We enjoyed all the holiday time.
It was a great life. I love the life I lived.
The saddest day of my life was when we lost Dennis to a heart attack suffered at home. Dennis died February 11, 2005.
