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The Hargrave Ranch: Five Generations of Change (1888 – 2013) 1 Lorna Michael Butler2 3 The story of the Hargrave Ranch, Walsh, Alberta, as portrayed in 2013, blends the backgrounds and contributions of five unique generations. While this synopsis cannot begin to do justice to the contributions and experiences of each generation, it is an attempt to paint a brief picture of the roles that each generation played in shaping the Hargrave Ranch over 125 years. In retrospect, there have been many key individuals, both women and men, who have played important roles, and not all were family members. It is apparent that it takes a dedicated team to develop and operate a southern Alberta cattle ranch for 125 years. Each generation has made unique contributions, and has faced challenges that could not have been predicted. But the JH ranch and the natural resources that are key to its resilience have been husbanded in keeping with the best knowledge and technology that was available at the time. Five generation of Hargraves, and their families, neighbors and friends must be credited with making the JH Ranch the special place that it is today. The story that follows is intended to highlight the ranching business itself, however, the story cannot be told without glimpses of the lives of the people who have been involved. 1. The Founding Family and First Generation: James (‘Jimmy’) Hargrave and Alexandra “Lexie’ Helen Sissons The Ancestors of James Hargrave James Hargrave (1846-1935) was born in Beech Ridge (one source refers to his birthplace as Chataugee), Quebec (50 mi. south of Montreal). He was one of nine children born to John Hargrave and Jemima Moffat. Oral history tells us that James was a descendent of a family of Covenanters from northern England. A Hargrave ancestor, who was a religious leader and educator, is said to have fled from religious prosecution to Scotland in the 1640s, hiding in caves in the Cheviot Hills, and eventually taking up residence near Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland. James grew up in Beech Ridge, St. Remi, Quebec. At the age of 20 years, the Hudson’s Bay Company offered him a 5-year contract as an apprentice clerk (similar to an accountant) with a starting wage of 20 pounds sterling (equivalent to about $ CDN100). James worked for the Hudson’s Bay Co for 15 years, during which time he was stationed at Norway House, Fort Churchill, Portage la Prairie, Cumberland House, and Fort Frances. Alexandra’s Family Alexandra, or ‘Lexie’ (1853-1932) as she was known, was the daughter of Thomas Sissons and Helen McKay. Her family, of French Huguenot background, traced its roots back to the area of Soissons, 1 This summary draws on the following manuscripts: Malcolm Sissons, The Ancestors and Descendants of James Hargrave & Alexandra Sissons (1999). Nora Sept, Isabel Freimark, and members of the Walsh and District History Book Committee, Walsh and District Pioneers (1997).Hope Hargrave Michael, A Hargrave Ranching Legacy (1987). James Hargrave, Luetta Ross Williams, Annie Laurie Ross Marshall, Lissa Ruth Sissons and Jacqueline Murray, The Hargrave Family – 1749 to 1981 (1981) (Compiled and updated over time). Hope Hargrave Michael, William Henry Whimster 1849-1926 (1978). Hope Hargrave Michael, Alexandra Hargrave 1853 – 1932 (1977). 2 The author is the youngest daughter of Hope Hargrave Michael and David Michael, grand daughter of Tom and Molly Hargrave, niece of Bert Hargrave, first cousin of Harry Hargrave, and first cousin, once removed, of James Hargrave. 3 The author is also indebted to the following individuals who kindly shared some of their memories and insights, particularly about the Fourth and Fifth Generations: Alistair McArthur, McArthur, Lloyd Heller, Wayne Heller, Archie Sabine, Tom Gilchrist and James and Elizabeth Hargrave. France, and possibly to Middleburg, Netherlands in the late 1500s (the latter is not certain). Her father, Thomas Sissons, was born in Nottingham, England, and with three brothers, immigrated to Kent County, Ontario, Canada in 1835. Lexie’s mother, Helen, was born in about 1805 in Kildonan Parish, Sutherlandshire,4 England. Probably the early Sissons were agricultural laborers. Helen and Thomas may have met and married on the boat that brought them to Canada. Alexandra’ s family first settled on a farm north of Ridgetown, Ontario; in 1871, when she was about eighteen years old, they moved to Maple Farm, west of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where generations of the Sissons family continue to farm. The Thomas Sissons family farm in Portage la Prairie is still in the Sissons family today. James and Alexandra’s Early Life Together In Portage la Prairie, while responsible for the Hudson’s Bay post, James met and married Alexandra Helen Sissons (1853-1932). Following a 2-year engagement, they were married February 17, 1875, even though James was extremely ill and Lexie would have to care for him. The ceremony took place at James’ bedside. After their marriage, James was posted to Fort Frances, and later to Cumberland House. A total of nine children were born to James and Lexie: John (‘Jack’) Campbell, 1876 in High Bluff (d. 1942) Thomas Albert, 1877 in Fort Francis (d. 1954) William Howard Ormstown Oliver, 1878 in Fort Frances (d. 1965) Helenora (‘Queenie’) Jemima, 1880 in Portage la Prairie (d. 1970) Mary Lillian Melrose, 1882 in Portage la Prairie (d. 1972) Cecil E. Sheppard, 1884 in Medicine Hat (d. 1886 of erysipelas) Lissa Bella Ruth Hargrave, 1886 in Medicine Hat (d. 1964) Willena Heather Izene, 1888 in Medicine Hat (d. 1957) Andrew Ralph Carlton, 1892 in Medicine Hat (d. 1979) Living at various Hudson Bay posts, the couple learned a lot from the Cree people, including their language. The children also spoke Cree. They both made many long and difficult trips; sometimes Lexie traveled alone, except for the children, and a First Nations guide, to join James in his postings. She traveled by snowshoes or freight canoes and york boats.5 In 1881, James left the Hudson’s Bay Co. and for two years he farmed (he acquired three parish lots in High Bluff, Manitoba in the early 1870s). Settling in Medicine Hat In the spring of 1883, James Hargrave traveled by train to Maple Creek - to the end of the rail line. He then went to Calgary by wagon and by foot, finally returning to Medicine Hat. He felt he knew the Cree people better than the Blackfoot who lived further west. Later the same year, or in early 1884, Lexie and the younger children joined him. James acquired about 40 acres from the CPR, which could be used for agricultural purposes. It was on the north side of the South Saskatchewan River, or Riverside (then called Horner’s Hill), and included hillside land above the railway, and a spring, which supplied good water for the house and garden. A home, supplied with gas from a well that James drilled on the property, was 4 One source says she was from John O’Groats, Sutherlandshire, Scotland. 5 An inland boat used by the Hudson’s Bay Co. to carry furs and trade goods; names after York Factory, headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Co. established in about 1888. The original frame house was later replaced by a large molded concrete block home that was fueled by gas from a well on the property. The family had a large garden, and a cottage in Banff where many family members vacationed. James formed a business partnership with Dan Sissons, his brother-in-law, and together they operated a general store on South Railway Street, Medicine Hat. Their business involved trading furs mostly with the indigenous people, as well as selling general merchandise. The two also established a cattle herd, some of which were received as payment for goods. The earliest cattle came over land from Manitoba. Goods were also barged down the Saskatchewan River as far as the Battlefords (North Battleford, Battleford) and Fort Carlton,6 and probably the cattle received as payment were barged back to Medicine Hat. Initially, the cattle were pastured near the Hargrave home on Riverside. The general store was eventually sold to J. K. Drinnan in 1896, and the brick and stone building (the Hargrave Block) still remains in Medicine Hat. Establishment of the Hargrave Ranch 1888 Following the hard winter of 1886-87, James had to find better grass for his growing herd of cattle. First he found good pasture south of Medicine Hat on Gros Ventre Creek (Little Plume), however, the hay crop was lost to fires for two years in a row. Then, his Cree friend, Little Corn, told him of a place about 30 miles to the east – a buffalo grazing area with good native grasses. James and Little Corn apparently went to see the area on snowshoes. They found a small lake (probably the ‘Hargrave Lake’), a creek, which flowed from the Cypress Hills, several good springs, and many coulees to shelter the cattle from storms. This prime location became the Hargrave Ranch, beginning first as a homestead, and slowly expanding with the addition of leased land. In 1888, son Thomas, then eleven years old, a young man from Ontario, Jack MacDonald, and Little Corn, moved the cattle herd to this new location. During the first winter, Jack lived in a dugout above the lake, and looked after the Hargrave cattle herd. The first homestead applications7 were made in 1898 by James and Jack, and in 1900, Tom made an application. The first ranch ‘home’ was a dugout on the top of a hill above Hargrave Lake – its location can be seen today. The following year a frame house was moved in, later replaced by a larger frame home in 1898.