Village of Cochrane 1903

Page 159 Big Hill Country Author not recorded

In 1903, an application was made to the Commissioner of Public Works at Regina, N.W.T. for the Hamlet of Cochrane to become a Village. The following is a copy of the letter sent to the Lieutenant Governor: 

Lieutenant Governor. 

Regina, Wednesday, June 17, 1903 

Upon the recommendation of the Commissioner of Public Works, dated June 11, 1903, all the requirements of The Village Ordinance with respect to the establishment of Villages having been complied with, the Executive Council advises that, under the provisions of the Village Ordinance in that behalf, the west half of Section two and the east half of Section three in Township twenty-six Range four west of the fifth Meridian be established as a Village under the name of Cochrane; that Monday the twenty-ninth day of June 1903 be the day fixed for the election of an Overseer of the said Village, and that James Quigley, of Cochrane, Alberta, be appointed to act as Returning Officer at the said election. 

W. G. Haultain 

Chairman 

 

Following is a list of homeowners and businesses that was sent to the Commissioner of Public Works in Regina for the tax roll. At that time there were no livery stables in the Village. Beginning at the west end of town and moving eastward:

Mrs. Jones – house 

Mrs. Phipps – shack-vacant 

Mrs. Beam – shack 

Mrs. Townsend – shack 

Mrs. Bevan – shack 

Chinese laundry — shack 

C. W. Fisher – General store 

Murphy Bros. – Hotel keepers 

The Rev. Mr. Claxton – minister 

Alex McEwan – house 

R. O. Hobbs – house 

D. J. Bruce – house 

D. C. White – house 

Jas. Quigley – house 

Robert Downing – shack 

C.P.R. Station – J. C. Pope agent – no family 

C.P.R. Section house — W. Barrett — family of four 

These two houses are not taxable. 

On August 31st, 1903, D. White was appointed Overseer, by Commissioner of Public Works, Government of the NorthWest Territories. For the next four years the following men were Overseers: 

1904 – A. McEwan 

1905 – D. J. Bruce 

1906 – D. J. Bruce 1907 — James Quigley 

 In 1907 the Village Act came into effect and on January 14, 1908 the following people ran for council: 

 George Mortimer – 29 votes 

Chas. Grayson — 23 votes 

A. Chapman – 30 votes 

M. McCuish — 16 votes 

Jos. Murphy – 6 votes 

D. Alexander – 1 vote 

J. C. Laird – Secretary-Treasurer 

 

In 1909 the village sent a Petition to the Minister of Public Works and it contained the following: 

To the Hon., the Minister of Public Works, 

Province of Alberta.

 

Sir: 

We, the undersigned ratepayers of the Village of Cochrane hereby ask that our present system of taxation be changed to that known as Single tax, or assessment based on the actual value of all lands, exclusive of the improvements thereon.

C. Butler                   J. Evans

J. McNamee           J. A. Claxton

J. McCuish              Mrs. D. J. Bruce

W. Park                   Josephine Murphy

J. Howard              M. A. Shattuck

C.M. Burnham     E. Perrenoud

M. Tesky                G. G. Fuller

A. Chapman         J. Murphy 

Jas. Hewitt            Helen Murphy 

Mrs. Dora Burnham         Bertha Hiller 

Mrs. R. J. Baldock              Frank Brown

W. Seal                   D. Curren

Mrs. Andison        E. Andison

M. F. Foster          J. Williams

A. R. Howard       D. McBain

G. M. Mortimer   F. Towers

Ralph Hobbs       S.J. Peyto

J. A. Campbell    Geo. Bevan

D. Alexander      W.J. Simpson

W. Tempany       R. McLeod

Jas. Quigley        Louisa Howard

Thos. Quigley     R. Chapman

Alvin Rellinger   R. Butler 

Robert Hewitt     T. G. Ritchie 

J. Murphy              I. Pepper 

A. R. McKay           A. Beam 

Mrs. C. Butler       W. H. Robinson 

Jane Bell Irving    D. Foster 

Mrs. A. Grummett   Jas. Gibson 

Mrs. R. Downey     C.W. Fisher 

 

In 1909 the following men served on the council: A. Chapman, Chairman, J. A. Campbell and G. Mortimer. 

1910 – Wm. Andison, A. Chapman and R. Hewitt 

1911 – G. Mortimer, A. Chapman and W.J. Simpson 

1912 – R. J. McNamee, R. Hewitt and W.J. Simpson 

1913 – R. A. Webster – Reeve, A. Chapman and G. Mortimer 

1914 – A. Chapman – Reeve Population was 500 1915 – R. A. Webster – Reeve 

June 15th, 1915 – James Andison – Secretary Treasurer 

 

COCHRANE, 1899 

In 1899 Henderson’s Directory describes Cochrane as a rising town on the main line of the C.P.R., on Bow River, at foot of Big Hill, 861 miles west of Winnipeg in the district of Alberta: 

Baldwick, John — rancher 

Barnes, Robert — rancher 

Battrick, Miss – teacher 

Bassett, Percy – rancher 

Beam, A. – rancher 

Bell-Irving, William – rancher 

Bruce, Daniel – section boarding house 

Canadian Pacific Railway Co. – J. B. Ross – agent 

Cowan, R. W. – rancher 

Downie, A. – carpenter 

Elliott, W. B. – rancher 

Fisher, C. W. – general store 

Goddard, G. E. – sec’y B. R. H. ranche 

Haigh, J. – rancher 

Johnstone, Jas. – Postmaster and rancher 

Jones, W. – rancher 

Kerfoot, W. D. – rancher 

William Perry, manager 

MacKay, E. D. – rancher 

McEachen, D. – rancher 

Martin, Alex— general store, also Mitford 

Murphy Bros. (James and Joseph) – hotel and livery 

Nesbitt, David – carpenter 

Phipps, John — rancher 

Quigley, James – section foreman 

Reid Bros. – ranchers 

Smith, Richard — rancher

2 thoughts on “Village of Cochrane 1903”

  1. I am very much enjoying these weekly postings about our towns history! As a newcomer to Cochrane, and a ‘hobby historian’ I appreciate the efforts you folks are putting into sharing this information. Revealing historical facts in smaller chunks is a great way to keep the history alive. With so many new residents it is an effective tool for helping to build community. Keep it up!

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