by Mrs. Jack Poynter pg 307 Big Hill Country For many years gymkhanas were held on what was known as the D. P. McDonald picnic grounds on the Mount Royal Ranch. When they were discontinued, Helen McDonald and Agness Hammond decided, in 1947, to form a pony club for contestants 18 years and under. The first … Read more
We hope you enjoy Part 1 of 2021’s top stories as selected by you. Stay tuned tomorrow for our top 5.
The main street in Cochrane, in the early days, was something to be desired. The street was dirt with huge rocks and stones on it, plus many mud holes when it rained.
by Mrs Leslie Towers Big Hill Country pg 786 Francis Towers, born in 1848 in Birmingham, England, left home at the age of 18 years. Having heard so much of Canada, he decided he would manage to get there some way. The captain of a cattle boat took him on as a helper and he … Read more
from Big Hill Country, Cochrane and Area 1977 pg 461 Before 1933 dances and parties were held in homes or the one-roomed schools. As the population in the district increased the houses were all too small for parties. Often all the furniture in the houses was set outside on party night, which was fine if … Read more
By Evelyn (Beadle) Lambert More Big Hill Country Having started his life in the Munson/Drumheller area, Vern and his brothers Ray and Gordon and their mother Daisy, took up residence in Springbank. Vern attended school in Bowness. On July 22, 1949, he arrived in the Cochrane area where he went to work with George Harrison … Read more
by Sonia Turner Note: Wherever possible, land locations have been listed in brackets. The land location of a creek is that of the mouth of the creek. References for this information include Dominion Topographical maps and the Gazetteer of Canada. Atkinson Creek (30-28-6-5) – flows into the Little Red Deer River, and called Beaver Creek … Read more
This article originally appeared in More Big Hill Country 1999, Page 99. In the early days in the Cochrane area, the spiritual needs of the community around the countryside were served by a visiting minister. Neighbours gathered in a local home and services were generally held by a son or a visiting minister who would … Read more
Fred Callaway recently contacted CHAPS about 2 family histories and a history of Cochrane. This is Harry Johnson’s recollections of the Callaway and Johnson families. The photos are from CHAPS archives of the Brushy Ridge area. Mr. Johnsons history was typed in upper case on very thin paper. We’ve converted it to an electronic format … Read more
Todays post is from page 89 of More Big Hill Country. The image is of the Davies House which once served as Cochrane’s Hospital and is now home to the Cochrane Historical Museum. The first settlers came into the Cochrane area in the late 1880s and continued to arrive over the next twenty or thirty … Read more
