by Linda Steeves pg 482 More Big Hill Country 2009
Martin Ernest Hansen was born January 25, 1913 on the homestead of Andrea and Halvar Hansen at Harptree, Saskatchewan. Martin was the second youngest of seven children and enjoyed a “little house on the prairie” upbringing. Martin completed Grade 8 at Harptree with honours. This being the end of his formal education he was a self taught man. He had an excellent memory and sports were a special interest for him. Hockey and baseball games were recorded forever in his memory. Martin and his brother Cony worked in Manitoba during the depression, then Martin travelled to the west coast and worked in the logging industry on the Queen Charlotte Islands for a time. On a trip to Butte, Alberta in 1941 to visit family members he met Catherine Davis.
Catherine Davis was born in Bagot, Manitoba on October 24, 1918 to William and Margaret Davis. The Davis family moved to Alberta in 1929. They worked and lived in the northeast area of Calgary until 1933 when they participated in the “Back to the Land” government program and moved to Butte, Alberta to take up farming. Catherine and her sister, Victoria went to a Home Service Training School in Calgary. They lived in the Lougheed mansion in 1940. Both of them found employment working for households in the Mount Royal area of Calgary. During the war they returned to the farm at Butte where Catherine met Martin.
Martin and Catherine were married at the Presbyterian Church in Rocky Mountain House in 1942. They rented a farm at Condor, Alberta for two years before buying their own farm at Butte, Alberta. Farming became difficult with Martin having to work away from home both summer and winter. At this time there was no busing in the area and if they wanted the children to be educated beyond Grade 9 they would
have to send them to a boarding school or make some arrangements for them to stay with someone in Caroline or Rocky Mountain House. In April of 1955 they moved to Cochrane, Alberta where Martin had acquired a job with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Mitford.
Martin and Catherine had eight children: James Edwin born February 12, 1943 died February 13, 1943 at Eckville, Alberta; Linda Margaret born April 21 , 1944 at Eckville, Alberta; Eileen Andrea born December 9, 1945 at Eckville, Alberta; Allan Ross born June 16, 1947 at Eckville, Alberta; Fay Beverly born September 15, 1948 at Eckville, Alberta; Ernest Kenneth born June 5, 1955 at Calgary, Alberta; Doreen Mary born April 14, 1957 at Calgary, Alberta; Larry Douglas born March 11, 1962 at Calgary, Alberta.
When the family moved to Cochrane they could not find a house to live in. The Catholic manse had been built previous to 1912 and stood beyond the corner that the highway made as it approached Cochrane from the big hill. In the early years when speed was not a factor the location was likely safe. In the 1950’s as speed and traffic on the highway increased many accidents occurred. The Catholic Church had deemed it unsafe to live in and decided to sell it on the condition that it be moved. It had been hit by several trucks and cars as they missed making the tum at the bottom of the hill into Cochrane. Martin purchased the house for $750.00 and a lot in the west end of town for $250.00. He spent his spare time that summer preparing the house to be moved. The house was on blocks to be moved when it was hit again in June 1955 delaying the move of the house until October 1955. The family moved in on Grey Cup Day, 1955. Living was pretty rustic by today’s standards but it was very comfortable with indoor plumbing, power and gas heat. None of these services were available on the farm that the family had left.
In 1958 Gramma and Grandpa Davis left their farm at Butte and came to live in a two room apartment Martin had prepared on one end of the house. The children enjoyed a close relationship with their grandparents. Gramma passed away in 1960 but Grandpa lived with the family until his passing in 1965 and played an integral part in family life.
Martin retired from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1978. He and Catherine sold the big old house and moved to the trailer court. In May of 1979 Martin was part of the Cochrane Ranche Historic Park Dedication Services. He represented the railroader in the ceremony.
In 1985 Bobby Hull was in the area promoting Bovair Ear Tags for the UFA Co-op. Son-in-law Walter Lewis was able to bring him to tea with Martin and Catherine. Martin, being an avid sports fan, had a wonderful experience meeting a hockey legend. It was a thrill of a lifetime for him to talk about some of the memorable plays of the sport with a real hockey hero.
Catherine worked for the Nan Boothby Memorial Library for 25 years and enjoyed the books and the people that she met there. All of her children developed a love of reading from her interest in written material. She was a member of the Rebekah Lodge, the United Church Women and the St Andrews United Church in Cochrane from 1955 until her passing in 2004.
Martin and Catherine moved to the Big Hill Lodge in 1992. They made many new friends there. Catherine continued her volunteer work at the Tuk Shop and assisting others at the tables etc. Martin found companionship with other sports fans. They enjoyed a lot of company from their large family and grandchildren. Martin passed away in 1996. Catherine continued to be a part of the Big Hill Community until the last month of her life. Her 80th birthday was a significant social event for the lodge residents. Her children served 120 pieces of cake and ice cream on china plates, (some which had belonged to her) and tea in china cups. Catherine was further honored at the celebration of Cochrane’s 100th Anniversary by being awarded a special citizenship award recognizing her commitment to her community.
Raising a good family was a source of great pride to Martin and Catherine. The good of the children was always their first concern when making family decisions. Always life was to be better for their children than for them. Raising a family of 7 children on a single salary is a feat to be admired by today’s society. There was always room for one more at the dinner table. That meant there would be another opinion for the topics that were discussed around the large dining room table that was the center of this home.
Linda, the oldest child, married Floyd Steeves of Cochrane and had 5 children. Their story appears elsewhere as they were residents of Cochrane until 1979.
Eileen graduated from Cochrane High School in 1963, attended one year at the University in Calgary and then worked for the Royal Bank of Canada for nine years. She married Wayne Burkholder of Didsbury in 1968 at the St. Andrews United Church in Cochrane. Wayne worked for Mobil Oil at the Harmatten Gas Plant at Westward Ho. They moved to Westward Ho and built their own home in 1976. Grant was born in 1972, married Cindy Dawe in 1994 and now resides in Warburg, Alberta. Brenda was born in 1974, attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton, married Jay Losey in 2003 and works for the government in Edmonton. Brenda and Jay had their first child, Jacob Thomas in September 2006. Gayle was born in 1977, attended the U of A in Edmonton and currently lives and teaches English in Korea. Wayne was transferred to Drayton Valley in 1990. Wayne and Eileen are now retired, live in Drayton Valley, Alberta, and spend a lot of time travelling. They have been to Europe to visit students that had been exchange students in their home. They have been to New Zealand and Korea to visit Gayle. They have spent several winter holidays in warmer climates to the south of us.
Allan attended Cochrane School until he was in grade 7 when he attended the first Opportunity classes at Queen Victoria School in Calgary for four years. During this time he stayed with Uncle Ross and Aunt Charlotte Davis, Uncle Clarence and Aunt Joan Davis and then Floyd and Linda Steeves. Allan worked in a car wash for two years and at the Palliser Hotel as a bus boy for three years. In 1975 he entered a program for special needs at the Vocational Rehabilitation and Research Institute in Calgary. Following the completion of this program he lived on his own working at a bottle depot and at Inter-faith clothing in Calgary.
Allan now resides at the L’Arche Home in Calgary. L’Arche is a part of the International Federation of Christian Communities founded by Jean Vanier in 1964. The community of L’Arche, Calgary, is a place where men and women with developmental disabilities and those who assist them live and work together. They learn from each other. This has provided Allan a sense of home and family of cherished friends.
Fay graduated from Cochrane High School in 1966. She married Walter Lewis January 28, 1967 at the Cochrane United Church. Walter worked for Alberta Wheat Pool, Sure Gain and United Farmers of Alberta. Fay has worked at the Big Hill Lodge for over 20 years. They spent most of their married life northwest of Cochrane raising horses, sheep, chickens, cats and dogs. Dale Jonathon was born on March 19, 1968. He attended Cochrane School, Dr. Collett School in Calgary and Olds College for two years. He is an Agricultural Mechanic and currently works in Drayton Valley. He and his wife Jackie live with children, Ashley (14) and Mitchell (12) at Buck Creek, Alberta. Rodney Keith was born June 24, 1970 in Calgary. Rodney graduated from Cochrane High School, attended U of Calgary and Red Deer College for a total of 3 years. He currently works and lives in Red Deer. He married Dorine Labrecque in 1996. They have 3 children: Jonathon, Jessica and Ezekial. Christina Fay was born in Red Deer in May of 1972. Christina graduated
from Cochrane High School and took a two year course at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Graphics. She is married to Eric Levesque and has three children: Jade, Miller and Clare. Catherine Ava was born on November 11 , 1979 in Calgary. She graduated from Cochrane High School and attended SAIT where she studied Television and Radio. She is currently employed by Global TV in Calgary. Catherine married Scott Zieman in July of 2005 and now resides in Cochrane. Walter passed away in 2003 and Fay moved from Horse Creek Road to Cochrane in 2006.
Ernie was the first of the Hansen children to be born in Cochrane, a relatively civilized place compared to the rustic conditions of the farm the family left in 1955. Ernie has fond memories of growing up in a typical Alberta rural community, taking part in activities such as hunting gophers and rabbits, shooting birds with a pellet gun and fishing in the Bow River and Jumping Pound Creek. Ernie caught his first trout when he was 8 years old. His Dad had told him he would not be a true fisherman until he brought something home for the table rather than the suckers caught in the Big Hill Creek. To celebrate the event Dad took him downtown and purchased a real fishing rod, reel and several fishing lures to replace the stick and line he had caught the trout with. These were simpler times when parents were comfortable with their children biking several miles out of town and spending the entire day away from home. Ernie graduated with matriculation from the Cochrane High School in 1973 and obtained a Bachelor of Commerce in 1983 from the Unjversity of Calgary. Ernie obtained employment with Shell Canada and has lived and worked in Cochrane, Swan Hills and presently Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He married Susan Holmes of Swan Hills in 1991 and acquired a stepdaughter Crystal. His son, Martin John Hansen was born in 1992 at Swan Hills.
Doreen graduated from Cochrane High School in 1976. She spent some of her growing-up years involved in piano lessons, Brownies, Explorers, CGIT, swimming and hiking in the hills around Cochrane. Doreen worked for the Royal Bank in Cochrane after graduation until her marriage to Norman Willey in April of 1979. Norm came to Alberta from Quebec and worked as a power lineman for Calgary Power. Norm worked in Cochrane, Spruce Grove, Hughendon, Evansburg, Cochrane and Vilcjng. Robin Delbert was born January 6, 1984 at Wainwright, graduated from Viking High School and is currently taking Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge. After graduation in 2006, Robin hopes to continue in graduate school. Andrea Linda was born July 27, 1986 in Drayton Valley, Alberta. She graduated from Viking High School in 2004 and is currently enrolled at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. Andrea aspires to become a lawyer. Natalie Lorraine was born November 19, 1988 in Drayton Valley, Alberta. She graduated from Viking High School in 2006 and plans to continue her education in Edmonton in the fall of 2006. Doreen works part-time as a receptionist at the Medical Clinic in Viking. She is the Choir Director for the Viking United Church, a member of the Royal Purple and still plays her piano. It is noteworthy that Doreen has the piano that belonged to Margaret Davis, her maternal grandmother, who earned a living giving piano lessons in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, before her marriage to William Davis in 1914. This piano was moved to the farm at Butte in the early thirties and provided much entertainment for the family. The piano was often loaded on a stoneboat and taken to other locations where Gramma Davis played it for dances and singsongs. Linda and Eileen remember their Grandma playing the piano to teach them the songs that would be played at church or Sunday School which was held in the Clear Creek School they attended before moving to Cochrane. The piano was moved to Martin and Catherine’s home for the girls to take piano lessons. All four of the girls took lessons from Winnie Neilson. Doreen took lessons for the longest time and became the best player of the girls and she inherited the treasured family piano.
Larry Douglas was educated in Cochrane as the rest of his family. Larry grew up in the unique situation of having his nieces Joyce and Donna, attend the same school as him. He was the oldest of the three but he did not appreciate being called “Uncle Larry” on the playground. Larry worked at various jobs in the Cochrane area before settling on groundskeeper for the Water Valley Golf Course and icemaker for the Cochrane
Curling Club in the winter. Larry and Ernie coached little league baseball in Cochrane for a number of years. Larry married Nancy Bach of Cochrane on September 9, 2000. Their daughter Grace was born in 2002 and as the youngest grandchild of Martin and Catherine she has a special place in the hearts of her aunts and uncles. Larry and Nancy have a home in the southwest area of Cochrane. They pass the old Jumping Pound swimming hole on the way to their place and are constantly reminded of the growth of Cochrane as they enjoy the view of the Horse Creek Road across the Bow River north of their home. Each year Larry and Nancy host a curling bonspiel for family and friends. This is a much anticipated event in the early spring for the family to gather for a potluck supper and some reminiscing of happy times spent growing up in Cochrane.
All of the children of Martin and Catherine Hansen grew up with a strong love of family and have always taken great pride in the strength and commitment to each other their family has given them. Along with this pride of family came a commitment to the communities that they have lived in. All of them have given of themselves in various ways to better the world that they live in. This is truly a way to honour the standards their parents had set for them.
