By Shannon Bradley Green page 306 More Bill Hill Country 2009
It is with great honour and respect that I carry on the tale of my family, which began so long ago here in Big Hill Country. Like all pioneer stories, it is filled with determination, amazement and pride at what these folks accomplished with so very little. My grandfather William Henry Bradley, who referred to himself as “native son” of Cochrane, was born here on May 28, 1908, in the area known at the time as Brushy Ridge. His parents, William Percival (Billie the Strongman) and Mary Maude Bradley (nee Smith), were part of the great pioneer wave that populated the empty lands known then as Rupert’s Land.
Mary Smith was born on May 14, 1887, in England, and she and her family arrived from Europe to Morley, where they found employment, according to my great, great aunt, Marjorie Bristowe, of Cochrane, who chronicled the early family history. According to Marjorie, the family arrived on May 24 in Morley, only to find three feet of snow on the ground! It was these kinds of hardships that the pioneer men and women of Cochrane had to face on a daily basis.
Mary’s sister, Annie, was married to Sykes Taylor by the Reverend John McDougall at his church in Morley in 1893. Billie and Mary, who were just seventeen, were married in Cochrane on March 16, 1904. Little is known about the arrival of Billie Bradley
Like so many others, the young couple began a family. First born was Mamie, who was born on March 28, 1905, then William Henry, in 1908, and finally, John was born on February 19, 1912. The next part of this story is as hazy as stories can become. It seems that the same year my Great Uncle Johnny was born, Mary Bradley left Cochrane, with baby John and his sister Mamie, for Prince Rupert, BC. She left William Henry with his father, and later married a Mr. Pierce in Prince Rupert and had ten more children.
Billie and four year old Henry were now left alone, and Billie had to care for Henry in any way that he could. It is important to note here that as much as we remember the hardships of the pioneer life, the reality of what our ancestors went through is hard to imagine. Grandad wrote of his home, a canvas roof with boards up the sides, and remembered that it wasn’t so bad. However, I try to imagine the fear of a young mother with a brand new baby living in -20 to -30 below under such conditions, and I can begin to understand how some did not manage to remain in the inhospitable surroundings of early Cochrane.
Like all pioneers, Billie needed to rely on his neighbors to help him with his young son. Henry was “farmed out” with Doogle and Storey, two old bachelors who lived east of Cochrane. One day, they decided to make soup and brought out the frozen beef to cut off a soup bone from the shank. Henry was told to hold the beef on a pine block. Doogle swung at the meat with an axe, the meat slipped, and he cut off Henry’s index finger on his right hand. In his own words, Henry wrote, “First aid treatment, 1913 style, was to put my hand in a lard pail of salt and water and then wrap it in an old towel. Next, they had to catch the team, go to the neighbor’s and borrow a democrat, then take me to Dr. Steele at the hospital in Cochrane”. He remembers the doctor having to tie him down to work on his hand.
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It must have occurred to Billie that perhaps two old bachelors weren’t the best surrogate parents, so he soon had Henry boarded with Mr. and Mrs. William Sargeant in Cochrane. They were a childless couple who emigrated from England in 1910. There was also the matter of Henry needing to go to school, which the Sargeants made sure he did. They lived together in Cochrane, while Billie continued on with the pioneering spirit. He would often sign on with haying crews to help earn money, and while away in Claresholm on a haying crew in August 1915, he developed pneumonia and passed away. Henry was now an orphan, and continued to live with the Sargeants, who had decided to try their luck in Calgary.
Henry finished his schooling in Calgary, and lived as a teen in Calgary in the 1920′ s. One day he found out his next-door neighbor had a toaster in a repair shop, and while offering to pick it up for them, found out the repair shop didn’t have a delivery boy. He was hired for the job, and so began his quest for knowledge about things electrical. It was during this time the great excitement of radio started. Two university students also worked at the shop while Henry was there, and they had a great interest in radio. They began building the first crystal sets at the shop. In his memoir he recalls how he would get his earphones on and listen in on the crystal set to W.W. Grant’s CFCN program the “Voice of the Prairies”.
Henry’s fascination with things electrical stayed with him all his life. He was able to apprentice as an electrician starting in 1926. However, the spectre of the Dirty Thirties was looming on the horizon, and by 1930, there was very little work. Ever a son of a pioneer, Henry returned to his roots in Cochrane to look for work. He contacted Ernie Thompson of Cochrane to ask if he could sign on with Calgary Power. Ernie had a contract patrolling the lines from his farm out to the power plant at Horseshoe Falls on the Bow River near the Stoney Indian Reserve. Henry had known Ernie in his youth, when Billie had looked after Ernie’s farm. Ernie asked Henry if he could climb poles, to which Henry replied, “Sure”. It was awfully apparent that Henry didn’t know what he was doing, but, again, Ernie noticed that pioneering spirit, and he hired him on. Thus began Henry’s career with Calgary Power, and his return to his hometown.
While at King George School in Calgary, Henry had met Ida Cooper, who had emigrated with her family from Scotland in 1913. John (Jock) and Jemima Cooper (nee Sutherland) had three children when they emigrated from Scotland to Canada: Francis Sutherland, Margaret and Ida. Ida was born in 1910 in Brechin, and loved to tell the story of how she stood at the bow of the boat and peed on her new leather boots on the trip to Canada! If you had ever met Ida, who lived her final days at the Bethany Care Center in Cochrane, you would not be surprised by that story!
Henry wouldn’t marry Ida until he had steady work to support a family, so they were not married until Henry signed on with Calgary Power in 1931. They were married in Banff on March 28, 1931, which according to Grandma Ida, was the place to get married in those days. Her sister Margaret (Daisy) and husband Joe were the maid of honor and best man. They continued to reside in Calgary, but Henry, who was also by this time known as Hank, was becoming a “Cowboy Lineman”. It was his job to see that the people of Alberta got consistent and reliable electrical service. These cowboy linemen were tough guys who patrolled the lines and also repaired them when they found a problem. They ate and slept at farmhouses along the way, where the occupants, as the children of pioneers, were only too happy to extend the famous western hospitality to the guys who were responsible for keeping the power running! Hank had many stories to tell of staying with the families he had known in his youth in Cochrane.
Grandad was ever a pioneer son, and in the 1950’s became very interested in calling square dances. He and Grandma were very involved in square dancing, and Grandad became involved with the Calgary Stampede where he volunteered calling each morning of Stampede at Rope Square with the Square Dancing crew. He continued on with this throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s before he retired himself in his seventies. Son Stu continued on with the family tradition of square dance calling for the Calgary Stampede during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The Bradleys made a significant contribution to Calgary volunteerism through both Hank and Stu that lasted for more than forty years.
Hank and Ida had two sons: William Sargeant was born on August 18, 1932, and Stuart Cooper, on June 14, 1936. Both grew up in Calgary, attended high school at Crescent Heights High School, and met their prospective wives during their high school years. Bill married Maxine Oliphant on September 18, 1954, and had two children; Barth William, who was born on September 16, 1959, and Judith Maxine, born November 14, 1961. Bill and Maxine moved to Edmonton in the 1960’s, and have resided there ever since. Bill worked in finance, and Maxine, like most mothers of her day, created a second career after raising her children as a public school librarian.
Barth married Karen Grand of Edmonton on February 20, 1982, and has four children; Allison Norma (born September 27, 1986), Derrick Barth (born October 5, 1988), Gavin Cooper (born January 23, 1991), and Connor Gary (born May 14, 1993). Barth is a partner in his own accounting firm, and Karen is a teacher. Judith married Dr. Fraser Armstrong of Edmonton on December 27, 1985, and had two children; Kieran William (born July 7, 1993), and Emily Grace (born October 11,1994). Fraser runs a general family medical practice, and Judy runs her own graphic design business.
Stuart married Dixie Snell on June 29, 1957. They have three children; Shannon Marie, who was born on January 7, 1959, Laura Ann, who was born on August 1, 1961, and Jason Stuart, who was born on February 17, 1966. The Stuart Bradley family moved to Springbank in 1968 where all three children graduated from Springbank Community High School. Stuart carried on with the family tradition started by his Dad, and became a lineman with the City of Calgary Electric Service. The move to Springbank was precipitated by Stuart’s desire to start a dog-boarding kennel, and he ran Bradville Kennels in Springbank from 1969 – 1977. Like Maxine, Dixie started a second career after raising her children, and was the school secretary at Springbank Community High School from 1975 to 1997. Stu was also known as the local DJ during those years, and was a well-known community volunteer during his years as a Springbank resident. Dixie and Stu resided in Springbank until 2003, when they officially retired to Cochrane.
Shannon married Dr. Bryan Green of Estevan, SK on September 3, 1988. They have two children: Kai Stuart McMillan (born April 1, 1989), and Tieran Lars Sutherland (born September 6, 1991). Bryan works in the training field with Alberta’s oil and gas industry, and Shannon teaches at Bow Valley High School in Cochrane. Bryan and Shannon have been Cochrane residents since 1998, and their boys have attended elementary, middle and high school in Cochrane. Laura married Patrick Smith of Medicine Hat on October 10, 1981, Laura and Patrick moved to Caledon, Ontario in 1994 and live there with their three children: Corbin Patrick Bradley (born March 10, 1988), Miranda June (born September 17, 1990 and Blake William (born May 25 1991. Laura runs her own sales business, and Pat is in upper management with ICI Paints. Jason married Marcia Degraw of Cochrane on July 15, 1989. Jason and Marci made Cochrane their home shortly after they were married, and their two children were born there. They are Cherilyn Mai who was born on September 4, 1992, and
Noah Jason Ward, who was born on April 28, 1996. In 1998 Jason and Marci moved to the Sundre area to manage Red Deer River Ranches. Marci teaches with Chinook’s Edge School Division. Marci’s family, Neil and Marilyn Degraw, have resided in Cochrane since 1985.
This tale has been a fascinating journey back into the early history of Cochrane, and it was intriguing to find out that six generations of my family have lived in the area, from the Smiths, who first touched down at Morleyville circa 1880’s, through to Kai and Tieran Green, who have lived here since 1998. Although none have lived their entire lives in the area, every generation has lived in Cochrane and surrounding area for some time in their lives. We can only hope that someone from the next generation will continue this wonderful tradition that our ancestors started back in the first days of Cochrane!
