by Helen Helfrich pg 501 More Big Hill Country 2009
The Pete Helfrich family arrived in Cochrane in 1952. Pete was a Shell Oil employee and was transferred from Fairview Alberta to Jumping Pound in April. Tony, Linda, Ralph and I followed in June.
I will never forget my first look at Cochrane from the top of the hill. Nestled in the valley with the Rockies in the background, it was the most spectacular view I had ever seen.
There was a shortage of accommodations in Cochrane at that time. We rented a very smallcabin from Annie Gillies and a few months later we moved to the east end of town to a house owned by Mr. Zuccolo. Raymond was born while we lived in Cochrane.
In July 1953 we bid farewell to Cochrane as Peter was again transferred and moved to Okotoks, Alberta. The job the men were going to do didn’t materialize so they were sent back to Jumping Pound. Their families remained in Okotoks.
Peter was killed in a tragic accident on August 20th, 1953 and I moved to Whitelaw to be close to my in-laws. That was a brief stay because Ralph became ill and after a visit to a specialist in Calgary he was diagnosed with polio. He was immediately admitted to the Children’s Hospital where he became a regular patient for fifteen years. Because of these unforeseen circumstances I found my family and myself back in Cochrane.
I worked for R.E. Moore for a number of years and later on for Fred Keller. I was also very involved in different activities such as Brownie leader for 15 years, teaching catechism along with attending all the various school commitments. I was also a member of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary.
In 1960, I bought a house on Main Street from Duncan McFarquhar. It was formerly known as the Grayson House. It was ideal for us, close to the elementary school and to the downtown area.
After having lived in small cabins, this house was like a dream come true. A huge yard, four bedrooms and to all the family the biggest most exciting thing was having an indoor bathroom, which up until then we had never enjoyed. We all loved that old house.
After all the family graduated and left home, I decided to sell the house. I sold it in 1977 and moved to Fox Creek. I left Fox Creek in 1987 and relocated to Turner Valley. In December 2005, I once again found myself back in Cochrane but in a much different town than when I left in 1977.
The Wildrose Apartments are now situated where my old house used to be. I remember R.E. Moore telling me when I bought the Grayson House that I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone building across the street from me because it was Canadian Pacific Railway land. I do believe he would get a big surprise if he were to see now what has been built on the other side of the street! Except for one grandson, and myself, my family has all left Cochrane.
Tony resides in Bragg Creek and has his own Heating and Air Conditioning Business. He married Linda Cohoe on August 15, 1969, and they have 3 children, Peter, Cora-Lea and Jason.
Linda resides in Calgary. She has been a library technician at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology for the past 20 years. She has two children, Stephen and Karen MacDonald. Linda is still employed at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Ralph worked for Imperial Oil for twenty-five years. He married Terry DeGray on November 3, 1973, and they had four children: Leiah, Skylar, Nicholas and Garrett. Ralph passed away at Cold Lake, Alberta, in 2004 and his wife and family still live there.
Raymond married Colleen Moore, May 2nd, 1980 and they live in Surrey, British Columbia. They have two daughters, Alicia and Mikaela. Raymond is a carpenter and is self employed.
