^ ^ HISTORICAL SOCIETY T:-iE LET;-:3R!DGE CH.i^pJin Of the Historical Society of Albena

P.O. BOX 974 LETHBRIDGE. . TIJ 4A2 ©Coovriahl1995 Numberl NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 January 1995 Membership in the Historical Society of Alt)erta, including a subscription lo the quarterly AtBERTA HISTORY: $20.00 per year single $25.00 a coupie or family. Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the Lethbridge Historical Society and receive newsletters and notices. (Your mailing label expiration date will be highlighted when it is time to renew.) Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Carlton R. (Barbara) Stewart Secretary/Newsletter Editor Irma (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1997) Greg Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard (Leslie) Shockley Regular meetirigs are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. | Happy New Year from the Executive of the wiU also offer a bit of trivia regarding Alberta's connections to Lethbridge Historical Society. May 1995 find you in the disaster. The March 21 meeting will be moved to the third good health and bring you continued happiness. Tuesday of the month as the PubUc Library Theafre Gallery is to be used by the Kiwanis Music Festival on the fourth Some food for thought: Tuesday. It wiU be a film night showing "Longlance", the story of Sylvester Long, a black American who came to Horse Sense in the 1920's. He passed himself off as Chief Buffalo Child A horse can't pull whUe kicking Long Lance, and made a career in journalism and movies. This fact I merely mention. The April 25, 1995 meeting will be a spedal And he can't kick while pulling commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the end of Wrald Which is my chief contention. War n. The Letiibridge Historical Society would Uke to pose tiie question: "Where Were You On V-E Day, The day Let's imitate die good old horse. Germany surrendered". We want to know where you were, And lead a life that's fitting. what you were ddng, etc. Germany's surrender was accepted by Just pull an honest load and then General Eisenhower, on Monday, May 7, 1945, at 2:41 a.m., Therell be no time for kicking. French time. That means the surrender actually occurred here in Author unknown. Letiibridge, on Sunday, May 6, at 6:41 p.m. but the news was not flashed to the world until Monday moming, at 7:36 a.m. Notices Letiibridge time. Where were you and what were you doing The coming year has a variety of programs planned. The that day: Come out and share your memories with us. A video January 24, 1995 meeting will have Lisa Sygutek of the record will be made of the evening's program, which will be Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, with a sUde presentation as well presented to tiie City of Letiibridge Archives. as a dramatization of tiie life of Florence Lassandro. Her talk is The spring tour, while not finalized, is looking at a trip to entitied "Rumrunning and Whiskey 6". Lisa may even Calgary to visit two miUtary museums tiiere. Watch for details offer a musical number or two. in future newsletters. The February 28 meeting will feature a presentation by a A welcome is always out to Members and Friends at our Society member from Taber, Mr. Steve Solic. Steve is a general meetings usually held on the fourth Tuesday of each coUector of memorabUia and lore regarding the 1912 disaster d month in die Letiibridge PubUc Library Theatre Gallery. There die RMS Titanic. He will be showing us some items from his is no charge, and coffee is available. coUection, and showcasing a video that chronicles the Titanic's HL^m************ construction, it's fateful voyage and it's eventual rediscovery, and The annual meeting of die Lethbridge Historical Society . Our eailiest teacher. Miss Coe came from England and was held November 24,1994, as a supper meeting at the Royal taught in 1884 before a school system was estabUshed in 1885. Canadian Legion. Your new executive is listed on page one, There are 14 women m our book who had teaching careers before with some new people on board. It is with great regret we say marriage. Before the tum of the century they came from Ontario goodbye to Ralph Erdman as a director. His support has been and the East, as well as from Britain. As the Americans ^ invaluable, and he will be greatiy missed at our executive immigrated here, teachers among them, after Alberta became a meetings. However, Ralph is going to continue to distribute our province in 1905, they, and our own westem girls outnumbered publications to the various outiets in southem Alberta. His the others. Normal School in Calgary, established in 1906 untiring efforts on our behalf have made a large contribution to trained many a Southem Albertan. There was a territorial nonnal the secure financial position we are in. I hope we will continue school estabUshed in 1893. Three women became principals. to see him at our general meetings. Miss Birch in 1915 when she replaced Mr. Philips who went to war. When he didn't retum, she had proved herself capable and Mc«**«««4:*»4!*4:4c*««««« was made principal in 1919. Miss Kathleen Roy began her teaching career in the Catholic System in 1907 and became Sugar Beet Seed principal of St. Patrick School. She never missed a day of Sugar beet seed initially was purchased from Germany and school in 50 years. In these days (1989) a female principal is HoUand. When Worid War H broke out the supply was cut off. StiU a novelty, there being only one in each system. During the The Lethbridge Experimental Farm (now known as the Research 1930's our schools improved and we had speciaUsts for music Station) and Canadian Sugar Factories approached Leland Burr (Miss Mcllvena) and art and physical education speciaUsts about raising beet seed. The Experimental Farm had saved small helping the classroom teacher. beets which had to be planted by hand. They grew to about six feet tall and bushy. When the seed was ripe the seed stalks had Nursing to be cut by hand and tied into bundles and stooked. They were Nursing was a popular career, we have biographies of 12 in then threshed and yielded about 1800 lbs. of seed. This was the our book. Like the teachers, our first nurses came from die East first sugar beet seed ever grown in North America. (Itmderstand and Britain untU our own Gait School was estabUshed in 1909, sugar beet seed was also grown at Stirling the following year. (and probably other schools in Calgary and ). Miss Ed) Seed was later grown in B.C. where small beets coidd be Chapman was head nurse from 1892-98 at which time she left in the ground over winter. married Edward Higinbotham. When Miss Matilda GalUnger • Excerpt from Wilson White History Book. replaced her, it wasn't for long. She married Dr. Galbraith in 1901, and like the teachers and other professionals married women resigned from their careers to keep house. The tum over •" A Formidable Force, bySheUaPeflierbridge was fast. Nurses made good mothers and wives, and woman were scarce. In times of epidemics even married women were Women were, and are, a 'formidable force' in Lethbridge. desperatelyneededandwerecalledbackto work. A great variety I've confmed my paper to an overall study of "100 Women in of opportunities opened up over the years - health services, 100 Years", the book written in centennial year to honor the school nursing, supervisory positions, teaching in nursing women of Lethbridge. This was a Mathesis Qub project schools, nursing homes, clioics - even today, nurses aren't being replaced by machines. Two women. Miss Dainty and Mrs. Van Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, although she never set eyes Haarlam operated their own maternity hospitals. on Leflibridge, invested a great deal of money in the North-West Coal and Navigation Co. She wanted the new mining town in Miss Dainty - bom in England and raised in Ontario, arrived the colonies to prosper. We rewarded her by naming streets - in Lethbridge with her father and brother. She ran die children's Baroness, Coutts and Burdett, and two towns - Coutts and shelter from 1905 until 1909. Then she operated a maternity Burdett, after her, and a coal barge built for transporting coal hospital at 15tii SL Nortii. In 1918 during the flu epidemic it down flie Old Man River (BeUy) to . I don't know was converted into a general hospital. Miss Dainty was also the if she ever recouped her investment. first school nurse and was often seen riding her bicycle between schools in good weather. I can assure you that I am impressed witii tiie forbearance of the eaiUest women who came to a desolate, treeless coal mining Mrs. Van Haarlem emigrated from HoUand to a homestead viUage, to put down fanuly roots. In 1874, 11 years before the near Nobleford, in the early part of the cenmry. The family founding of Letiibridge, the first white woman MarceUa Sheran moved to Letiibridge in 1910 to a house on the comer of 6th came to keep house for her brother. (I'm going to refer to her Ave. and 7th St., where two rooms were reserved for maternity later.) The stalwart Mrs. Stafford, the mine engineer's wife, patients. She must have run a very good hospital, because twice arrived in '83 widi 10 children, can you imagine! In 1887 Mrs. she moved, always to larger premises. When the Sisters of SL McKiUop arrived on the narrow gauge raikoad to a bustiing Uttie Martha came to Lethbridge looking for a place to establish a . mirung town. She eventually raised 10 children. These two hospital, they bought her building on 7th Ave. and 12tii St. A. women were ideal pioneers, both from eastem . They Soutii in 1929, making tins the first St. Michael's Hospital. were loving, giving, sociable and energetic in organizing church Mrs. Van Haarlam finished her nursing career as a school nurse. groups for chUdren and women. The stmggling community was blessed with these women who befriended and reassured the new The third most popular career for women was secretarial and arrivals from Britain and Eastem Canada. office work. 10 women worked in law offices, doctor and dentist offices, post office or for tiie city. We have a biography of one Careers ot>en to women woman who was a telephone operator as early as 1891. The girls trained in Garbutt Business College which was here The forenmner of the teacher was often the govemess - two between 1905 and 1910, or the Manual Traiiung School women in our book came west with families as the govemess to (Bowman) where they leamed typing, shorthand, bookkeeping. tiie children, another, Mrs. McKillop had been a govemess in office routine and EngUsh. Later tiie L.C.I. offered business become part of their community. Previously the church had training. been their main outiet In 1914 volunteer workers were sought after, and women were eager to do their share for the war effort. Milliners They worked dUigentiy in the Red Cross which was estabUshed It's fun to browse through a catalogue of the early 20th here m 1914, tiie Sir Alexander Gait Chapter of die I. O. D. E. century to marvel at flie ornamental headgear ctf the era - plumes, was formed here in 1914 also, and the National Council of furs and fmits, a topping for Madames high coiffeur. The Women, founded by Lady Aberdeen in 1898, estabUshed a local miUiners were artistic women who could create a becoming hat council in 1916. for milady. We have three milliners mentioned in our book, The Second World War. The work force was depleted and Letiibridge supported only one at a time. All our milliners came women were called in again to fiU the void. Dating from this from Ontario where tiiey had apprenticed in hat factories. Their war, married women were welcome in all fields of work, shop usually included embroidery cotton, and knitting teaching, nursing, factories, the armed forces, the Red Cross accessories, purses and scarves, and any otiier stitchery items. expand^ and I.O.D.E. grew in numbers and output The flapper era ushered in the hairdressing business. Our The franchise for women. On June 6, 1916, die Letiibridge first hairdresser was Mrs. Clark who came from the States to Herald canied the foUowing notice, "Lethbridge is to be invaded operate a chair in flie first beauty salon in 1919. By 1926 tiiere by women workers this week. They are on the same level as were a few parlors in Letiibridge. After tiie first world war die men now. They have the vote and their influence is to be great new woman cut her locks and loosed her fetters. in public affairs as weU as in flie church." Sales Lady Qerking in shops was a popular career in the Women judged to be persons in 1929. It took tiiuteen years days when a shopper appreciated advice when choosing material of pressuring the govemment by women's groups, led by Emily or a new dress, or just help in locating what she wanted. It was Murphy, to get an answer to this question "Does the word a career that one could advance in on die job training. We have Persons in Section 24 of the B.N.A. Act of 1867 include female one woman in this category, Margaret Sutherland, who became persons?" The answer finally came from die Lord ChanceUor of buyer and department head for T. Eaton Co. in Saskatoon. Great Britain tiiat it could be understood that "person" was meant Dr. Allen trained EUa Findlay in the '30's as a dental to be inclusive of both women and men. assistant These were the days before schools were estabUshed to Over the years it has been the volunteer that has made train skills, people were trained on the job. Many unmarried possible the operation of many worthwhile services: Home and women woriced as domestics in Gait Hospital, hotels, and private School, Meals on Wheels, Blood Donor Clinics, Hospital homes and cafes. Auxiliaries, Y.W.C.A., Commuiuty Chest, Heart Drives, Women In Music. A popular career for a married woman Cancer Drives, Soup Kitchen, Quota Club, on-going church was to teach piano in her home, and if she was a good musician work, environmental groups, etc. Many of the women in the she would play at concerts, or accompany visiting vocaUsts, or book gave their time, energy and skills to run these she may play the piano in the theatre for the silent movies, or organizations. One gives, and one receives satisfaction. What play for a school of dance. We should all sing praises to the would these women have done if there had not been an outiet for devoted, hard working choir conductors in the churches. Mrs. their talents? Would sometihing else have rashed in to fill the Jackson at First United trained all die singers from Jr. to Sr. vacuum? Some women became good athletes excelling, or just choirs. Mrs. McUvena Macleod trained die St. Andrews choir, as enjoying, curling, golf, tennis, and any number of sports. weU as all the protestant school children. Mrs. Cull was an Others were creative and organized craft centres for weaving, outstanding chour director of Jr. girls choirs, a forerunner of Dr. pottery and artworic of aU varieties. Anne CampbeU, at Soutiiminster Church. Vera Sinclair had her Women in public affairs leading to poUtical ixisitions own orchestra. Mrs. Macleod was instrumental in organizing and running tiie music festival established in 1930, until '53 Women in poUtics. Between 1905 and 1912 Letiibridge was when the Kiwanis Club relieved her of this job. As far as I cautiously growing. The atti-active court house, the Empress know the choir leaders were unpaid, except for Mrs. Macleod, Theatee, the large schools, the street railway and the new who mixed work and volunteerism. Exhibition and fairgrounds, were built. In 1912 Letiibridge was to host the Intemational Dryland Exhibition. Believe me this What has been happening in Letiibridge? In 1901 the town was a great honor and it put our city in great debt. The future had a population of 2,072 and a completed Crowsnest Railroad looked so rosy. During this period several women's was bringing a steady flow of settiers from eastem Canada, organizations were initiated. The Relief Society, formed in 1907 Britain and Europe. In 1900 the irrigation system was supplying with 107 concemed women, expanded in 1910 to become the water to the large empty ranch territory south and east of Nursing Mission. In 1911 some women formed the Civic Club Lethbridge, transforming it into a fanning area. Thus Letiibridge for entertaining visitors to the city, some of these same women was strengtiiening its economic base by becoming an important were delegated to entertain visiting spouses to the Dryland farm supply centre. Inigation changed the drab town into the Exhibition. 1911 was the year when tiie Flower Guild was beautiful city we Uve in today. The excited inhabitants planted organized. The members visited the Gait Hospital with bouquets trees, grass, and gardens of flowers, and vegetables. Changes and friendly cheer for patents, this proved to be a worthy loommg on the horizon were going to affect the lives of all, but undertaking and was continued for many years. In 1912 a girl's especiaUy the women. These changes were: 1. The two Worid basketbaU association was formed. In 1914 Mrs. Higinbotham Wars. 2. The franchise for women. 3. Recognition of women was appointed to the Gait Hospital Board. The Local Council of as being persons. Women foUowed divers interests such as, "teaching English classes to 'foreigners in the North Ward'," to protesting the high Women Volunteers. The first world war opened many new price and scarcity of butter during the war. opportunities for women to serve out of the home, and to Miss Susie Bawden, who ran a private kindergarten in West of 13th St.N. and south of 7th Ave., a group of Lethbridge, was one of the organizers of this group. These four Scottish and EngUsh famiUes Uved near St. Mary's Anglican groups, I.O.D.E., Red Cross, Local Coimcil, and the Mathesis Church. 13th St. was the thoroughfare tiiat separated tiiese Qub, sent delegates to each others meetings and many of the mining clusters from mainly protestant working folk in the same women were members of more than one organization. The Nortii Ward. Westminster and Galbraitii Schools were built east overlapping membership provided a political base through which of 13tii St., St BasUs, west of 13tii St they worked to elect women to the school board. For two years previous to 1924, they campaigned for Miss Bawden and Mrs. Miners tend to live near their work, consequentiy for many McClenaghan's election to the school boards. Doesn't seem like years a group lived in the vaUey below Letiibridge in tiie vicinity much today, but imagine the celebration of breaking into the of flie Bridge. From choice tiie Chinese people were political world of Letiibridge. Miss Bawden served for 18 years. segregated in tiieir own community on 2nd Ave., west of 5tii St. Mrs. McClenaghan for six, not because she was defeated, but close to the famous Red Light District. It was in this area tiiat because she moved away. In 1951 Margaret Sutherland was EUa Emma Dunn, a black woman, operated her Hot Tamala asked to serve on the Board of Directors at Gait Hospital. She Parlor and Uved in a large house on the edge of China town. was elected in 1955, and continued to be elected until 1977, This kind hearted woman raised some Chinese orphans and was eventuaUy to become chairperson. 1914 was the last year that a neighbor to the down trodden. The inequality of life amongst die woman had been on that board. women of Lethbridge is obvious. Was it die norm of the early 20th century to ignore those people we couldn't understand and The Quota Club, (a professional women's organization) therefore pretend tiiey didn't exist? There are some examples of worked for more active roles for women. In 1951 numerous racial discrimination in our book. women's groups formed tiie "Letiibridge Citizen's Association" MarceUa Sheran, sister of Nicholas came from New York in for the purpose of electing a woman to City council. Miss 1874 to care for her brother. She married a Mountie named liUian Parry, the chosen candidate, won the seat in December McFarland and they became successful ranchers. They were 1951. She served on committees to establish Southland Nursing childless. Nicholas drowned and left two small sons and his Home and a Health Unit to replace the Nursing Mission. Later common law widow, Mary Brown. Having no means to raise Vera Ferguson and Liz Hall served for several years on city these boys she retumed to the reserve and entrasted her sons to council, Ruth Elzinga in 1989 is the sole woman on city the McFarlands. MarceUa put them in an orphanage in St. council. Connie Credico was a candidate for the provincial Albert and had nothing more to do with them. She, and her N.D.P., a position tiiat Sylvia Campbell fills at present. All broflier and sister of New York, were the inheritors of tiie Sheran prfitical parties and service clubs have conesponding women's Estate. It was certainly tiie norm for white men to have Indian groups. I, personally would say that Kate Andrews was the wives witiiout being churched. Were they going to wait years outstanding woman poUtician in Soutiiem Alberta. She began for a chance meeting with a priest? Was it acceptable for teaching in tiie country schools, just as all first year teachers did. MarceUa to impose the Eastem value system on a frontier She, married a farmer in 1924 and exerted her influence and society? interest in education in ho- district by serving on White and later Ma>>fally School Boards. She was made an Honorary Doctor of Other instances of discrimination: "We were always aware Laws in 1966 for her contribution to Education in Southem of the stigma attached to 'Uving across tiie tracks'". "I came 4th Alberta. It was Kate and Gilbert Pattersons' dream to have tiie in the Queen's contest which was good because I was the only first Jr. College in Canada estabUshed in Letiibridge. In 1957 north side participant." The protestant and catholic kids would this dream came true after many years of work. The Kate use different sides of the street going to and from school, and Andrews Building, and Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale groups of them would mock and chaUenge each other, "bohunk' are among die memorials to her contribution. and 'foreigner' were frequentiy used names which still sting today. The other areas of our town We shared the same area, but our lives were as separate as Raihoad tracks, rivers and main tiioroughfares all divide the two poles. By removing the tracks did we remove the communities. In Letiibridge a person eitiier Uved south or north stigma? My opinion is, that the second generation became of the tracks. Small mining villages sprang up near Canadians and now Uve in aU parts of the city. Inhabitants who StaffordviUe, #3 mine, in 1890, and HardieviUe, #6 mine, in recall life as it was before die second World War are now almost 1910. Eastem European miners responded to advertising urging certainly a minority. Thus the majority of Lethbridge people are them to come to Lethbridge and make it rich. They also came to unaware of this period of our city's history. Hopefully we live distance tiiemselves and tiieir children from the uncertainty of in a more tolerant age in which we appreciate our neighbors wars. Letiibridge Concrete Products Ltd. is built on the site of differences. From these examples and others in the book, it #3 mine, Staffordville. Over time some ethnic groups drew seems to me that in private and public life, women have been, away from Staffordville and formed their own small and are 'a formidable force' in Lethbridge. communities. In threatening situations for new immigrants such as language and customs, these small viUages gave the security that people (especially the women) longed for. Homesick for country, extended family, church, language and friends, they built From die CJOC Jim-Dan-Dee Scrapbook, 1%1 tiiese enclaves on tiie empty prairie west of 13tii St and north of life is Uke a joumey taken on a train 7tii Avenue and Uved as they had in their homelands. Slovinki With a band of traveUers at each window pane. Slovakia, Littie Italy, Littie Hungary, Littie Wigan, etc. There I may sit beside you all the joumey dirough was Uttie chance for these women to mingle with their English Or I may sit elsewhere never knowing you. speaking sisters. But if fate should mark nie to sit right by your side Let us be pleasant travellers. It's so short a ride. Submitted by Ted A. Humphrey - Milk River LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER Of the Historical Society of Albena

P.O. BOX 974 LETHBRIDGE. ALBERTA. TIJ 4A2

©Coovnaht199S Number 2 NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 March 1995 Membership in the Historical Society of Alberta, including a subscription to the quarterly ALBERTA HISTORY: $20.00 per year single $25.00 a couple or family. Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the Lethbridge Historical Socl^ and receive newsletters and notices. Your mailing label expiration date will be highlighted when it is time to renew^ Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Carlton R. (Barbara) Stewart Secretary/Newsletter Editor Irma (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Menfiber (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1997) Greg Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard Shockley Regular meetings are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Notices Tlie Annual General Meeting of the Historial Society of Alberta will be held in conjunction with tiie The next regular meeting of the LHS wUl be held on March 21 bi-centennial of Fort Edmonton on June 3,4, & 5th Be sure to at die PubUc Library Theatre GaUery. Please note, this is the third Tuesday of the month. It will be a film night showing mark your calendar to attend. "Longlance", the story of Sylvester Long, a black American who *************** came to Calgary in the 1920's and passed himself off as Chief BufTalo Child Long Lance. Books Soon To Be Released: "The Whoop-Up Trail, Alberta-Montana Relations" The April 25, 1995 meeting will be a special commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the end of Wodd The LHS is preparing another book for publication. A War n in Europe. The Lethbridge Historical Society would like reprinting of "The Whoop-Up Trail, Alberta-Montana to pose the question: "Where Were You On V-E Day, The Day Relations", written by Gerald L. berry, and originally Germany Surrendered Germany's surrender was accepted by pubUshed in 1953, should be available at tiie March 21 general General Bsenhower, on Monday, May 7, 1945, at 2:41 a.m., meeting. The new edition wiU contain all the original text with French time. This corresponds to Sunday, May 6, 6:41 additional picmres and a coloured cover illustration. It is Letiibridge time. The news was not flashed to the world until expected to retail at $8.95. Be sure and order your copy with tiie Monday morning at 7:36 Lethbridge time. Where were you and enclosed form. what were you doing? Come out and share your memories with "For King and For Country: us. A video record will be made of the evening's program, which wiU be presented to die City of Lethbridge Archives. Notice has also been received of a new book jointiy presented by Reidmore Books and the Alberta Provincial Museum of Edmonton.to be released in late April or early May. The Spring Tour wUl be a June 3 (Saturday) bus trip to You can order through die Lethbridge Historical Society and help Calgary to visit three military museums. First a stop at Nanton, raise some funds. A percentage of the purchase price wiU be followed by a visit to the Museum of the Regiments, and the retained by tiieL.H.S . Naval Museum in Calgary. Gordon Toiton is in charge of Edited by Ken Tingley, 8-1/2" x 11" hard cover w/jacket, arrangements. This should be an enjoyable day in this the 50th 374 pages, 100+ photographs, more than 30 contributors in 28 anniversary year for the end of the Second Worid War essays. If you order through the LHS it will cost you just $35.00 needed and were most effective, the warm sun shone. Anotiier (plus $3.00 if we mail your copy). Ordering from Edmonton or factor was Noble's strict management of the soil. There must in the book stores may likely cost you at least $42.00. have been no haU, littie harsh wind, and grasshoppers didn't seem to exude their usual punishment This all added up to a bumper Just sent $35.00 (or $38.00 to mail) to: crop, although harvest had been delayed by a reported snow faU "For King and For Country: c/o Lethbridge Historical on Sunday October 1st and rains in mid October, hi the pages of Society, P.O. Box 974, Letiibridge, Alberta, TIJ 4A2 die September and October 1916 issues of The Lethbridge Herald a continual babble of news expounding the virtues of the Make cheque payable to : Lethbridge Historical Society. agricultural attributes of the region shared the columns with the We will deUver sometime around mid May. blackening news from Europe. Two or three reports per week showed up on the pages of die Herald, indicating bumper crops all across tiie South. Taber, , Burdett, , C. S. NOBLE GOES FOR , Raymond, Lomond, , Barons, Lucky Strike, Foremost, Chin, even the Jail Farm is mentioned as WORLD WHEAT KING CROWN growing a 50 bushel crop. Wheat was seUing for $1.70 to $1.80 by per bushel. With any luck at all, people buying land could very Carlton R. (Carly) Stewart weU expect to be able to pay for it witii tiieir first crop. A good share of the Herald's ink was allotted during those Editor's Note: The author has been a member of the Letiibridge months to agricultural news devoted to flie exploits of C. S. Historical Society for the past 28 years holding positions on Noble, his attempt to bring the Spring Wheat Production Record our executive every year except two. He also served as President to Southem Alberta and to his "modem" methods of land of the Historical Society of Alberta. husbandry. The average production for hard spring wheat for the Carly worked for the Nobles and their successors for 19.5 years beginning in 1967. (The same year he Joined the LHS.), and Province of Alberta that year was a very high 35 bushels per acre developed a keen interest in the accomplishments of Charles with Southem Alberta farmers showing the way with Sherwood Noble. These accomplishments range from the productions of 40,50, and 60 bushels per acre on fields smaller cultivation practices he developed, to inventing and than Noble's. manufacturing agricultural machinery. Here are some of the stories appearing in the Herald:

In the early part of this century boosterism and local pride Tuesday October 3rd, 1916 Page 1 seemed to fill the pages of the newspapers, magazines and Lethbridge District Will Hold promotional pamphlets here in Southem Alberta and from arouod World*s Record the world. World War I was in full rage, a shortage of food Considerable interest is being taken throughout Southern tihureatened, and the World looked to Canada to provide food to Alberta in the expectations of C. S. Noble, of Nobleford, that feed the people. he will reach the world record with his yield of wheat on 1000 In 1915 the World's Record Hard Spring Wheat Production acres. Last week he quoted the previous world's record to the for Dryland on 1,000 acres was held by a Colfax County farmer Herald as being 53 bushels on 1000 acres. However, Mr. J. from Washington, U.S.A. The record at that time was over W. McClean of Monarch, one of the best known farmers in 52,000 bushels from what must have been a carefuUy measured this district, has a yield last year on 1440 acres of 52 bushels 1000 acre block of land. The Calgary Herald at tiie time reported to the acre. The Calgary Herald told of a farmer near there last a 52 bushel per acre yield on 1300 acres near there. Yet anotiier year who had a yield of 52 bushels on 1300 acres. farmer by the name of J.W. McClean of Monarch, Alberta area Mr. Noble expects that he will defeat these records this had reported yields of 52 bushels per acre from 1440 acres. year. He has 1606 acres of wheat and on nearly 700 acres of Records of this nature intrigued Charles S. Noble of this already threshed he has averaged a yield of over 52 Nobleford, who at the time operated one of the largest holdings bushels. He expects that his aggregate yield for the total tract in this region. Charles Noble had already been named Flax will produce a world record. At any rate it is certain that the King in 1912 when he sewed 2200 acres to flax which yielded 27 world record will remain in the Lethbridge district. bushels per acre for a total of 60,000 bushels, and in 1915 he eamed (he titie of Oats King when 1,000 acres of registered Friday, Octol)er 6, 1916 Page 8 Banner Oats yielded 126,000 bushels or 126 bushels per acre. ALL NOBLEFORD CROPS YIELDING One 100-acre plot within the 1,000 acre block yielded a VERY HEAVILY phenomenal 130 bushels to the acre. All of these records woe (From our own correspondent) achieved on dryland without the aid of artificial water, herbicides Nobleford, Oct 4 - The most sanguine expectations have or fertilizer. C. S. thought that one more "crown" wouldn't hurt been exceeded by the threshing results in this district. C. S. and he would try to bring the record here to Soudiem Alberta, at Noble will most likely beat the world's record by threshing at least why not give it a try? least 52 bushels to the acre on a tract of some 1606 acres. J. In 1916 Noble sewed 1606 acres to Hard Spring Wheat on E. Gleason threshing an average of 51 bushels per acre on 70 his holdings in the Nobleford region. We must realize that acres, while J. Wylie reached 53-1/2 bidshelsper acre so far on seeding 1600 acres caimot be accompUshed overnight, there must summerfallow of which 49 acres have been threshed. Robt. have been delays caused by inclement weather beside the fact tiiat Tackaberry has also a big crop and has over 50 bushels to the this represents about 2-1/2 sections of land. No matter how big acre. We expect that as threshing proceeds many more big you are you cannot seed that large a tract in one outing, and one yields will be reported for the whole outlook is rosy. We have would expect that field conditions would change from day to day had opportunity to see first hand the crops of several lines of and week to week. That year, weather conditions must have been railway in Saskatchewan and also further north in this province ideal: a good supply of soU moisture in the spring provided tiie and can confidently say that we have seen no fields of grain in ideal seedbed, rains came in desired amounts just when they were any way equal to those around this country.... (The article goes on to other happenings in the Nobleford first time the crop of European Russia, which is estimated to area) be 20 per cent less than that of last year. Friday October 20, 1916 Page 3 Yet anotiier front page article in the same edition names INVITATIONS TO THE NOBLE FARM Charles Noble; Now that the weather has settled and the outlook is that threshermen will be busy again on Monday, arrangements are Monday October 23,1916 Page 1 being made to take the moving pictures of the threshing of NOBLE BUYS MORE LAND AT $41 Noble's recordbreaking crop at Nobleford. Itis likely that the Barons. Oct 23 - A land transaction was made yesterday pictures, which are being taken by the C. P. R. department of when James Nelson sold his entire holdings amounting to natural resources, will be filmed on Wednesday next. And if 1440 acres to C. S. Noble, of Nobleford, at a uniform price of so, the Lethbridge Board of Trade cmd businessmen of the city $41 per acre. This is all first class land in a good state of are going to be well represented. cultivation and convenient to town, none of it being more than An effort is also being made to i(e)ntice the president of three miles distant. Most of it cost Mr. Nelson from $18 to the Colfax, Wash. Chamber of Commerce to be present or to $30 per acre. One quarter section for which he paid $20 per send a representative. Colfax is the county seat of Palouse acre yielded sufficient crop last year to pay for the land twice County, which is holder of the official world's wheat recordfor over and leave an additional $2500 in cash. Mr. Nelson is one 1000 acres. An invitation has been sent to the Colfax of the pioneers of the district, having settled here about twelve Chamber of Commerce by the Lethbridge Board of Trade. years ago. We imderstand Mr. Noble intends coming here to live, that the advantages of the Barons consolidated school may Monday October 23id 1916 page 1 be available for his family. NOBLE WILL FINISH THRESHING ON WEDNESDAY Tuesday October 24, 1916 (Special to the Herald) BIG EVENT ON THE NOBLE FARM Nobleford, Oct 23 - The final threshing on the 1600 WEDNESDAY acres on which C. S. Noble expects to beat the world's record Expect to Beat World's Wheat Record in wheat yield will take place on Wednesday morning at 11 - To Take Moving Pictures o'clock when representatives of the Lethbridge board of trade, The final event in the threshing of C. S. Noble's 1000-acre natural resources department of the C. P. R. and others will be wheat crop which is expected to defeat the world's record present. The elevator accommodation at Nobleford has been for yield, will take place tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock, in the extended to accommodate 70,000 bushels of Noble oats and presence of the Lethbridge and Calgary boards of trade, C.P.R. 29,000 bushels of wheat which will be stored therefor seed, naturalresourcesdepartmentandothers. while 50,000 bushels more of the wheat will be stored in the A moving picture man will be on hand to take "movies" of the government elevator at Calgary. interesting event, including a picture of the last load being hauled And on the same page, testifying to the threat of a world to the machine. There will then, be an auto parade. Each orm wide food shortage was this smaU article: present will he given an opportunity to register for a souvenir which will include pictures of the event, and a signed certificate Monday October 23, 1916 Page 1 of the yield by Mr. Noble. WORLD'S WHEAT CROP Lunch will be served the visitors by the Red Cross Society, at Rome, via London, Oct 23.- The total wheat harvest of the Noble Farm. It is expected that there will be a large number the world is estimated by the International Agricultural of visitors. Institute as seven per cent below the average, and 25 per cent below that of last year. The Institute's report includes for the

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m- From the Collection of Carlton R. Stewart Thousands of stooks in tiie fieldso f C.S. Noble of Nobleford, Alberta in October 1916, 3 Wednesday October 25, 1916 Page 1 Noble district were on deck, almost as anxious as Mr. Noble NOBLE WINS WORLD'S RECORD himself that the event should come off as scheduled. Nine hundred and fifty acres of threshing was all that As for Mr. Noble and his assistants, they were here, was required on the C. S. Noble farm to defeat the world's there and everywhere, welcoming visitors, keeping tab on recordfor wheat yield on 1000 acres. The last load of the the loads of grain as they were hauled to the elevator and recordcropwas drawn to the machines at 11 o'clock this weighed, helping the movie man get his "closeups," and morning in the presence of Mr. Noble himself. Mayor explaining the questions which were fired at them by the Hardie and President Marnoch of the Lethbridge Board of men from the city who, as they saw the grain pouring from Trade, officicds of the department of natural resources of the the threshing machine, developed a sudden attack of "back- C.P.R., and other visitors to a considerable number. to-the-kmdis." IfMrl Noble's countenance displayed a touch The toted crop on the 950 acres was 51,210 bushels, of pride during the morning, he had good reason for being which beats the record held be Colfax county, Washington, proud. It isn't often such an exciting occasion happens on a U.S., on 1000 acres. Mr. Noble still has about 3,000 farm anywhere. As a rule farming is hard work with mighty bushels to thresh to complete the thousand acres. few thrills. A long string of autos containing the visitors followed Some New Wrinkles the last load to the machines, and motion pictures of the The visitors from the towns and cities of the south had procession were taken for use by the C.P.R. Each one is to plenty to see and learn while the machine, were turning out be furnished with a souvenir of the occasion. Then lunch the grain which was to top all previous records. In the big was served by the Nobleford Red Cross society. field Mr. Noble had two threshing rigs working practically Thursday October 26,1916 Page 1 side by side. Even the older farmers saw some new NEW WORLD'S WHEAT KING FARMS "wrinkles" in the threshing game. As a rule in stook WITH ALL THE MODERN METHODS threshing in the west, each threshing rig has a compliment C. S. Noble has threshed a total of 54,395 bushels from of about 12 bundle teams, three 'spike' pitchers andprobably 1,000 acres. This beats the world recordfor 1000 acres by four or five field pitchers. Mr. Noble has introduced a 2185 bushels, cmd is an average of 54 bush, and 23 lbs. per number of labo(u)r saving devices which are revolutionizing acre. threshing operations on his farms. He uses the Stewart The 1000 acres was completed this morning, and this sheaf loader, two of which were at work in the field, one to makes a tota(l) of 1403 acres already threshed, giving an each threshing machine. For his bundles wagons he has average yield over all of 53.30 bushek. specially constructed racks 28 feet long, with smooth floors. At least 150 people witnessed the breaking of the Instead of the back end being fitted to the rack, it is done world's record yesterday when the golden load that carried the away with and a frame of the same shcq>e but a little smaller total over the 51,210 bushel mark on the C. S. Noble farm, is placed in the front end of the rack with a chain or rope Nobleford, was hauled away from the machine. The event attached which runs the whole length of the rack cmd drags has aroused great interest everywhere on the continent. behind. With four horses attached these bundle wagons drive Grain men from south of the line have been asking for out to the field, line up beside the sheaf loader, and away complete records of the crop. Prospective settlers write Mr. goes the double outfit, picking up whole stooks cOid Noble every day. So it isn't a local triumph, though elevating them into the rack as fast as the horses ccm walk, Southern Albertans naturally are more interested thm thus saving all hand pitching in the field. When the load is anybody else, and were out in force to witness the event, and built up, the wagon comes back to the machine, drives up congratulate Mr. Noble and his assistants on their fine on a big platform about 24 feet square in front of the showing. separator, a cable from the engine is attached to the dragging At least half a dozen auto loads from Lethbridge arrived chain behind the wagon, the team drives offi and the whole on the ground about ten o'clock in the morning. Included in load is pulled off on the platform. The driver then replaces the party were Mayor Hardie, President Marnoch and the false back of (on) the wagon rack and drives out to the Secretary Hay of the Board of Trade, Manager Kennedy of field for another load. The next team that comes along the Merchants Bank, J. Harris, F. Waddington, A. J. unloads in the same: way on the other side of the machine. Blackburne, Geo. B Mackay, J. D. Higinbotham, E. The feed elevator is lowered so that men working on the Rossiter, A. V. Gibbons, the Herald representative, and platform canfeefL the sheaves into the machine with very others from Lethbridge. From the headquarters of the C. P. little lifting, and the work goes merrily on. When a new R. department of natural resources, Calgary, were Mr. "set" is necessary, the engine runs forward, hooks on to the Stokes of the publicity department and moving picture big platform to which the separator is attached, and the photographer taking the pictures for the department, the whole outfit is dragged away to any point desired. Mr. Chicago office having made special request that the event be Noble is well satisfied with the work that the new system is filmed that it might go down in history. Other turning out, and farmers who see the outfit in action is the representatives of the south were J. A. McNaughton, movies will learn something about making horses do the M.L.A. of the district in which the record was made; A. E. hard work of threshing. Sheaves are handled once by hand Quayle of the Carmangay_Sun: Mr. Wilson of Carmangay; instead of twice or three times as usual. In fact the labo(u)r Mr. Milne of , who has been interested with Mr. saving devices seen by the visitors at the Noble farm Noble in various farming ventures in , arui impressed them as being Just what to expect on a big farm bankers from other towns in the south. run on "efficiency" principles which would apply to any Arui the people of Nobleford - they were as excited as in manufacturing concern. The day's outing was greatly a fourth of July celebration in an Arizona frontier town. enjoyed by all present. Everyone was "shot" by the movie The school children were there for the occasion. Farmers mem who filmed the parade of the winning load of wheat on and their families who are proud of the showing of the its way to the elevator, so all felt that they helped to make history. Mayor Hardie had the hono(u)r of riding in the first car behind the winning load, so that Lethbridge is shown case of engine plowing, eight to ten 14 in. plows are run doing official hono(u)r to the wheat king not only of behind an engine; behind the plows is a packer or discs Southern Alberta, but the whole world. tumed about straight for use as a packer, breaking nubs and getting the soil to the desired firmness beneath so that Saturday October 28,1916 Page 5 moisture will pass through it quite freely up or down; and Noble, New World Wheat King, then behind the packer is attached the straight-tooth harrow Scientific Farmer. to work the desired mulch for the purpose of keeping the The year 1916 will surely go down on record as the moisture confined. The engine, of course, has some most prosperous year that Southern Alberta has ever known. advantage here in being able to run on firm ground while 1915 was considered a most exceptional year as report after doing all this work and in getting it all done at once with report of phenomerud yields, came to hand and the wise (?) the least possible waste of moisture. men said that never again would such a thing happen. Oats 130 Bushels Per Acre. Again however, are the wise in their wisdom confounded, It has been the practice on the Noble farms to get low and the world stands amazed today at the tremendous yields enough each plowing to turn up a little new soil. Eight to that have been recorded cU the east farm of C. S. Noble at ten inches, however, is thought to be the limit and hereafter Nobleford in the southern part of Alberta. the depth must simply be varied from time to time to avoid Just as threshing commenced it became known to him producing a hard, permanent furrow bottom. Making the world's recordfor wheat production was held by a farm in allowance for differences in seasons it has been found that Whitman County, Washington, U.S.A., with a yield of ten-inch plowing produced the best crop of oats - 109 51,210 bushels for 1000 acres. As he had in crop over 1800 bushels and 21 pounds per acre on afield of nearly 1000 acres he thought that it would be a good advertisement for acres in 1913, and as high as 130 bushels per acre in 1915. the Dominion if the world's record could be captured. A At present the Noble farms are giving preference to 1000 acres was therefore set apart and the weights as they American White Banner oats arui Marquis wheat to the were put through the elevator were carefully kept and the exclusion of all other varieties of these grains. result was that on Oct 26th his last load was weighed arui White Banner oats are very dependable as regards the the number of bushels was 54,395, an average of 54.23 bus. quality of its straw and its yield is certainly the best we have to the acre. The world's record of 1906 being thus beaten by found with this dependcd>le straw. There may be other 2185 bushels, cmd a new record set up that will take a lot of varieties which will yield a little more under favorable beating. conditions and there are certainly other varieties that will Many people, particularly farmers, will ask the question make a better showing at seed fairs. But in every instance how it was done and it is to try and answer this query that they, for one reason of another, fail to give the desir^ the writer has written this article. results that are to be looked for so confidently in the Banner. First the man. Mr. Noble trekked into the country in Another reason which is weighty with us is that the grain is the year 1909 and commenced breaking a choice bit of smaller arui hence requires much less seed per acre to get the prairie on the Aldersyde branch of the C. P. R. about 18 best results. Where growers of other varieties recommend as miles N.W. of the city of Lethbridge. The soil was a rich high as two or even three bushels of seed per acre, M% brown loam, but moisture, although not absent, was a ourselves have made a practice of sowing 5 pecks Wy limiting factor in crop production unless careful cultivation measure or about 45 pounds by weight, and our yields, werepracticed. except in the dry season of 1914, have been about 100 Mr. Noble believes that moisture like time, was bushels per acre each year. In fact our test plots both for money, and from the inception of his farming activities he 1914 arid 1915 showed that one bushel will yield more per has adopted the policy of thorough cultivation. The secret acre than any seeding heavier or lighter." of success in the farming operations on the farms now Marquis Wheat Suits Best owned by the winner of the world's record, lies in successful Marquis wheat has proven itself first-class in all summer fallow. In cutting grain, stubble is always left as essential virtues; it yields best, having gone as high as 60 high as possible, not only for the sake of getting as little bushels in this vicinity. The straw is all that could be straw as possible to handle in threshing, but also for the desired in strength, practically none of it having lodged purpose of leaving a good stand of stubble so that it can be anywhere at Nobleford even during the extremely wet harvest turned well in the spring. Mr. Noble admits that this is not last year, and it does not shell readily while standing ripe in theoretically the proper method, that turning stubble under the field. In fact this seems to be an ideal wheat for this deeply andpacking the larui well at the time of plowing so whole west country. Our Marquis last year made 45 bushels that moisture will attack the stubble arui rot it for the next arui 48 pounds after an adjustment of 21 per cent, for loss by crop, is, theoretically, more correct, but having tried this hail. Experience has proven to us that one and one-half plan to some extent at the east farm, he is not yet convinced bushels of wheat per acre gives us best results." that this method is perfect and certainly the results of this Last year one of the Noble farms raised 26 acres of year's crop speaks against it. All the crop from which the registered White Banner oats, and as those yielded well, world's record was taken was grown on summer fallow, no ripened early, cmd were satisfactory in every other way, 100 fertilizers being used whatever. bushels was saved in the bundle and was picked up for Plowing is never delayed on this farm to let the weeds seeding in 1916. This 100 acres will, Mr Noble believes, get a start or for any other reason, but is crowded forward as be good for 5,500 to 13,000 bushels for 1917, and with this hard as 150 horses and mules and two traction engines can for seed, in 1918, the Grand View farm expects to have do it. Weed growth is never tolerated because Mr. Noble 300,000 bushels of first generation registered American reasons that the moisture extracted from the the soil while White Banner oats for sale. weeds are growing is worth far more than any manure that could possibly be produced by plowing them under. In the Undoubtedly there were further articles in the Herald that In 1986 I was saddened by tiie news that Mr. Rossiter had named C. S. Noble. It would take a great deal of work to search passed away. Later, I made contact with Mrs. Rossiter, in the them aU. C. S. himself wrote articles for various farm papers. hopes that the photos and grain sample had not been tossed out The total production from the selected 1,0(X) acre tract was when Don's office was taken over by die new owner or manager. 54395 bushels. Of the 1606 acres sewn, the average was 53.30 Indeed tiiey were both still intact. I asked Mrs. Rossiter if she bushels per acre. The late Shirley F. Noble, son of C. S. Noble, would be willing to allow me to have a portion of the grain to once told me during an informal interview or chat that his father incorporate into a plaque to be presented to the Village of had hied to better his own World's Wheat Record tiie following Nobleford on her and my behalf, and mark die 70tii anniversary year (1917). The record was missed by only a small margin. of the historic occasion. She agreed, and I obtained a couple of Weather that year had cooperated almost to its fullest extent cubic inches of title grain. I built the plaque with two small again. Shhley, about 10 years old at die time, remembered the containers of the grain, one on eitiier side of the engraving. (Ten large fields of wheat. Harsh winds in the fall of 1917 during seeds were given to Alex Johnston who gave them to the harvest was the cause of die reduced output, damaged by shelling- Letiibridge Research Station for germination tests to see what out of many of the grain heads. Shirley's recollection was of would happen after lying dormant 69 years - three grains of tiie "the soil being UteraUy covered with kemels of wheat". ten .sprouted, but they soon withered). CharUe Noble's holdings were too large for him to take a physical part in the day to day operations. Rather, he was a ,...^-* manager who would travel to various parts of the farm each day, seeing that equipment was maintained, horses were weU looked after, the work was being done properly, arranging purchase of anything that was needed to get the job done properly and timely, especially cultivation to keep weeds down. He was not what you would caU a hands-on type of owner, but a very conscientious overseer who was at some work site or other almost every waking hour of the day. Later on, he had some 600 to 700 head of horses and mules >f - to be looked after and fed, water to haul, grain to be sold and moved, new machinery to be evaluated and purchased tested then t-' m. redesigned and tested again to meet his expectations, special apparatuses had to be developed and improved on to speed up and SlfjBiSJpjilqSsjjj^^ make workers more efficient There were hundreds of other tasks to be looked after every day too. Most of his employees were loyal, he saw to it that their efforts were recognized. He had a rwMs. 9V s -.lis- •-« profit sharing / back-into-the-farm investment plan (the Noble Foundation) that his workers could voluntarily t^e part in. This plan was working very well for all parties involved, then came Commemorative plaque dlngned by Carlton R. Stewart die agricultural market plunge after WWI which speUed disaster. Commemorative Plaque: "Noble is Wheat King" Shortly after I began working for Noble Cultivators Limited In 1916, Charles Sherwood Noble threshed 54,395 bushels in Nobleford, I was approached by Donald E. Rossiter, who of Marquis wheat from 1000 measured dryland acres near owned and operated Rossiter Insurance Agencies in the Nobleford. The wheat crop exceeded the existing recordfor MacFarland Building on 4th Avenue South. In addition, Mr. 1000 measured acres held in Colfax County, Washington by Rossiter was the Federal Retmning Officer. I had business 2,185 bushels and stands to this day. Samples of the contact with Mr. Rossiter when I was a sales representative with Marquis wheat grown by C.S. Noble are attached to this a local printer. He wanted me to work for him, but I declined. plaque. He had noted that I had terminated my employment with the Presented to the people of Nobleford by The family of Herald Printers and had joined Nobles. (He may have had earUer Donald E. Rossiter, The Nobleford Agrictdtural Society, and tiioughts of asking me to join him but didn't want to take me Carlton R. Stewart on Oct. 27,1986. The 70th anniversary away from working for one of his close friends.) While in his of the threshing of the record breaking crop. office on die night we met to discuss the employment matter, he Seventy years plus one day after C.S. Noble harvested his pointed out to me some photos on the wall and explained that world record crop, the plaque was presented to the Mayor of they were of the World Record harvest that C. S. Noble had Nobleford, Henry J. Lingstedt and now hangs in tiie Nobleford accomplished back in 1916. At this time I was only slightiy Area Museum aware of the record and had not been in a position familiar hi 1916, when the crop was harvested, officials from tiie enough to discuss such matters with my new employers at Dept. of Natural Resources, the Canadian Pacific Railway, Noble. Besides the photos on the wall, Don reached into his (including a photographer with a movie camera), representatives desk drawer and puUed out a bottie which was plumb full of of the Calgary and Lethbridge Boards of Trade, the Mayor of grain. He told me that the grain was from the World Record Lethbridge, the Lethbridge Herald, and numerous others were on harvest Apparentiy Don's father, Edward Rossiter had been a hand to mark the occasion. An invitaion to the news media to member of the group of dignitaries who were invited out to mark/publicize tihis day of recognition seventy years later, Nobleford to witness the threshing and delivery of the last load of brought only the local correspondent for the Sunny South News. wheat tiiat broke the old record. He had taken or was given die How unfortunate opportunities such as this are not seen as a momento of the grain sample. (C. S. would have tumed over in chance to promote Southem Alberta, and recognize the his grave had he known it was stored in die whiskey bottie). accomplishments of our early pioneers. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY T:HE LETHBRIDGE C;HAPTER Of the Historical Society of Alberta •ha

P.O. BOX 974 LETHBRIDGE. ALBERTA. TIJ 4A2

©Copviiahn995 Numbers NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 ^_ May 1995 Memljership in the Historical Society of Altjerta, including a subscription to the quarterly ALBERTA HIS IOHY: $20.oo per year single $25.00 aouple or family. Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the L^hbridge Historical Soci^ and receive newsletters and notices. Your mailing label expiratbn date will be highlighted when it is time to renewO Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Carlton R. (Barbara) Stewart Secretary/Newsletter Editor Irma (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Member (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1997) Greg Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard Shockley Regular meetings are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Notices Carly Stewart, and his book committee are to be commended for diis fine new publication. We are indeed fortunate to have The next regular meeting of the LHS wiU be at 7:15 p.m. on such talented and dedicated workers in our membership. The April 25, 1995. Hosted by George Brown, the program wUl book sells tiirough tiie LHSociety for $8.95 ea. or 5/$27.00 commemorate the ending of the war in Europe 50 years ago. Cash and Carry, or $10.95* ea / 5/$32.00* mailed to any one "Where Were You on VE Day, May 6, 1945?" Come Canadian or US postal address (* Can. $ to Canada, US $ to out and share your memories with us. USA) *************** Spring Tour: June 3, the spring tour travels to the Nanton Lethbridge Through Crowsnest Pass Lancaster Bomber Museum, the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, and the HMS Tecumseh Naval Museum. A registration Notes from the 1991 Coach Tour of the Lethbridge form is included with this newsletter. Historical Society, supplied by Bob Shore. The next time I drive this route I'll have a better idea of the history of the countryside. HfW:************* This tour will closely follow the route of tiiie Canadian The Annual General Meeting of tiie Historical Society of Padfic Railway line constracted in 1897-98. Alberta wUl be held at Edmonton on May 14, (May 11-14) Our trip destination is the Crowsnest Municipal District not on June 3, 4, & Sth as previously aimounced in the which now includes the former towns of the "Pass", Hillcrest, last newsletter. Your editor regrets the error. There is no BeUevue, Frank, Blairmore, and Coleman; aU bmlt to serve die conflict with the spring tour. Edmonton is celebrating the coal miners of the valley, none of which are presentiy operating. bicentennial of Fort Edmonton this year, and a most interesting three days has been planned. Be sure to attend if at all possible. The original railway tracks foUowed a route south and west of Letiibridge. (Mayor Magratii Drive foUows tiie grade), to cross *************** over the St Mary River and tiien straggle west and north towards NOW OFF THE PRESS . Parts of tiiis old grade can stiU be seen along tiie east banks of die Oldman and St. Mary River, where tiiere were a The Whoop-Up Trail written in 1953 by Gerald L. Berry, series of deep cuts and fiUs,joine d by some 20 wooden tresties. was released at die March 21st LHS meeting. The Charles M. Russell painting on the front cover is really a standout. This In 1907 the present more direct route was started, requuing 1995 edition contains all tiie text of the first printing and has the constraction of the two major steel tresties at Letiibridge and many additional photographs. Monarch, crossing the Oldman River twice. This route opened in 1909. Before the coming of the steel, the track from Lethbridge to setting for a well known photo of a classic Soutii Alberta dust Fort Macleod was used by wagons, stage coaches and the buggies storm rolling in over the fields north of here. of the day, with stopping houses along the way. Some of tiiose Fort Macleod: buildings still exist along the river between Kipp and Monarch. As we are now approaching today's Fort Macleod, a brief StiU earlier, a number of trading posts existed for short history of its colorful past. The town has been sited in various periods of time along the river vaUeys ~ Fort Whoop-Up, Stand Off, Slide Out, Kipp, (Robbers Roost), Conrads, (chimney locations and had varied names over the years. stones can be noted just south of the new bridge on the Blood OriginaUy established as a Royal North West Moimted Reserve). Most of these posts were rough log cabins used PoUce fort in the fall of 1874, the first such settiement south of seasonaUy and (they) were often destroyed by the natives as soon Fort Edmonton. The first log stracmres appeared on an island of as vacated. tiie Oldman River about 1.5 miles east of where it is now. Spring floods and wet cellars decided tiie move to higher ground ViUage of : at the west end of today's town. Some of these stables and To our right and across the tracks is Coalhurst, originally barracks were stUl in place here until tiie 1950's when they were buUt to house the coal miners of the Lethbridge ColUeries #9 demoUshed to make way for highway and fairgrounds. shaft. It was not a fortunate town. That mine was found to have gas pockets. Many businesses were destroyed by fire in 1934, When a C.P.R. Une was extended from Calgary in 1891, it anda kiUer explosion rocked the mine just before Christmas in terminated at the north bank of the Oldman and this was caUed 1935, killing 16 men. No more coal was extracted and it became West Macleod, with only a stage to connect to the main almost a ghost town. With the development of West Lethbridge, settiement. In 1897 another rail Une was built from Lethbridge many new homes and businesses have been built, and Coalhurst to Cranbrook and again the C.P.R. managed to swing south cf has become a "bedroom' community for Lethbridge. Now the the town and to estabUsh first a work camp, then a station, caUed C.P.R. marshalling yards are just a mile to the west at Kipp so Haneyville after a rail contractor. When the Lethbridge Une was further development is assured. relocated in 1909 the town and railway finally got together (by act of parUament) "To locate the station cU no greater than 500 Blood Reservation: yards from the south town boundary". Somewhere along the way the name was shortened to just 'Macleod', either by the post To our left, south of the highway and the Oldman River, office or maybe the citizens wanting to shed their frontier image. Ues the Blood Indian Reservation, largest in Canada at some (There was even petitions to rename the Belly River as this was 350,000 acres, or 54 square miles. It's bounded by the Oldman too vulgar a term.) Anyway, in the 1950's Fort Macleod again on the north and east, with the St. Mary on the south, and tiie came into use, probably with the tourist potential in mind, BeUy to the west. Present population is about 5,000 people, anotiier early designation was "Stamix-atokanokowy", Blackfoot with the Band headquarters, schools, and industrial park at for BuUs head house which was Colonel Macleod's home with a Standoff, near the junction of the BeUy and Waterton rivers. bison skull at the entrance. Now as we proceed west along The high elevation soutii of us is known as Wild Turnip highway 3, The Crow route, we stUl parallel the Oldman vaUey. HiU. The Belly Buttes can be seen on the west face of these Good eyes might just spot Head Smashed In Bison Jump at tiie hUls, overlooking the site of the annual Sundance ceremony of southeast face of the Porcupine HiUs and it is suggested that the Bloods. traces of the Old North Trail may still be detected leading down to an historic fording place at the river. MonarchBridge: Not too many years ago this was all Indian Territory and As we cross the Oldman River once more, we are entering shortly we will be entering what is left to caU their own. The an area of Ught sandy soils, where tiie strip farming techniques Peigan (Pagan) Indian Reservation or 'Peigan Nation' as you can were initiated to try to reduce the potential for severe wind note on the road side sign. Today's roads, rail Une, irrigation erosion. Even this was not always successful and much of it has canal aU cut across what littie land is left to them. Our fuhire been retumed to grass. The blow outs in these fields have could see closures, blockades, and other disputes as these people yielded many stone artifacts over the years. try to reassert their independence. When observed from the air, what we see as hUls can be Brocket recognized as very large sand dunes, probably formed soon after tilie reh-eat of die last glaciers, about 13,000 years before present, The viUage of Brocket near the west end of tiie reserve serves and before vegetation had been established to protect it as the Administrative and commercial centre for this Nation. Alex Johnson once mentioned that the dwellings sitting on the Orton: open prairie seem barren to us, but that this has always been A sign here points south to a place named Orton. This was where they preferred to camp. never a town but rather a rural community of Mormon settiers, The Pincher Creek vaUey just west of Brocket is not part of mainly aU of them related to the Orr famUy. the reserve, however archaeologists excavated an arm along the Pearce: creek just south of the bridge, exposing burial campsites, indicating thousands of years of occupation here. The farmstead to the right or north of the road is all that remains of Pearce, Elevators, post office, store, and air post have Oldman Dam site: all vanished. A Commonwealth Air Training School was buUt A road to the north (our right) leads to and over the new dam andusedhereduring World War n, with service men from alUed and reservou:,aheady starting to fiU. (1991) Over the past 5-6 countries coming here to train as pUots. Even then Saturday years much activity has taken place in the valleys, assessing nights in Pearce were not too lively. This spot also provided the environmental, historical and archaeological impacts during and after completion of the project. Many local people and others have served in advisory roles and as volunteers. Thanks to those The Gait Companies efforts we now have pretty substantial evidence of human occupation here, at least 96(X) years before (the) present / was cleaning out some files, when I came across this article on 'The Gait Companies' written by the late Dr. Alex One interesting note here. A rail grade was actuaUy Johnston. It does not seem to have been printed in any previous constracted along the edge of tiie river before tiie C.P.R. line was newsletter, so I am including it at this time. bmlt higher up on the plain level. This grade was never used. Sir Alexander TiUoch Gait and Hliott Torrance Gait built Pincher Station: 355 miles of narrow gauge raUway and 150 miles of irrigation The elevators to our right provide another story of an canals throughout southem Alberta, and developed coal mines established settiement being bypassed by the railroad, this time witii a daily capacity of 2,000 tons. In all, the Gaits formed with some justification, as it would have been difficult to rise eight companies in connection with their southem Alberta again out of the valley. Pincher Creek townsite, along the banks enterprises. It would have been easy to secure legislation to of the creek, provides a very pretty situation with no tracks to extend die life of any of them, but shareholders would not take divide and mar the community. Their Shell Gas Plant and on additional responsibiUties. The companies were: former Gulf Plant have provided jobs for some years. The town North Westem Coal & Navigation Company, Limited, also is the gateway to the West Castie recreation area and a wind formed in 1882, absorbed by tiie Alberta Railway & Coal power energy research project is now utilizing the renewable Company in 1889, absorbed by the Alberta RaUway & Irrigation resource issuing from the mouth of the Crowsnest Pass. Company in 1904. Mountain MUl: Alberta Irrigation Company, formed 1893, reorganized as die A few nules southwest of Pincher, lies the 1880's site of Canadian North-West Irrigation Company in 1899, absorbed by Mountain MiU Sawmill, buUt on MiU Creek. Very littie to be tiie A.R. & I. Co. m 1904. seen now. Great FaUs and Canada RaUway Company, formed in 1889 Beaver Mines: to build the Sweetgrass-Great FaUs portion of a narrow gauge railway, sold to J.J. HiU of die Great Northem RaUway m 1901. The location of a number of coal roine sites as well as buildings, some of which are still occupied as leisure homes. A St. Mary's River Railway Company, formed in 1898, short rail line once served these mines. Train crews did not trast absorbed by tiie A.R. & I. Co. m 1904, and tiie Alberta RaUway the wooden trestie over MiU Creek, so they would set the and Irrigation Company, formed by amalgamation of aU previous locomotive tihrotde, and let the train cross by itself, to be Gait companies on 1 (Dctober 1904. It was known for a time as boarded again on the far side if it arrived there. "The Group" but became best known by its initials, 'The A.R. Cowley: & I.". The A.R. & I. company was purchased outright, partiy by conveyance and partly by 999-year lease, by the Canadian Named by F. W.Godsel an early rancher, supposedly after an Pacific Railway on 1 January 1912. (The C.P.R. retained tiie EngUsh poem about cows wandering o'er the lea. If you don't corporate name. Alberta Railway & Irrigation Company, which like this version, you can try your own. Cowley now provides is stiU listed on land tities as owning mineral rights to a large the junction for the new road and bridge crossing the west reach area of soutiiem Alberta.) of the Oldman Reservoir. To the North and behind us lies Massacre Butte, where a party of gold prospectors were delayed The Montana and Canadian Railway Company was by the native Toll Keepers. There is supposed to have been a mentioned frequentiy around 1888 when a line from Lethbridge blond woman's scalp in someone's collection. to Fort Benton was proposed. The company was never incorporated. (According to a 12 December 1888 Lethbridge The Cowley district stUl is home to a number of people News report, Elliott Gait had raised money in England to with Russian names. A satellite Doukabor Colony was transform the Dunmore narrow gauge road to a broad or standard estabUshed here to grow grains for the people in the Grand Forks gauge road and, at the same time, to extend the raUway to Fort district of B.C. and many of them stayed to farm as individuals, Benton, Montana, to connect wititi the Northem Pacific, which sometimes in the original colony buildings along the rivers. had reached Benton in 1887. This was the source of the rumors Some of these buildings, including a batii house and a log bam about the establishing of a new company. The railway to are now in the Pincher Creek Museum Compound. Benton was never built although a narrow gauge line was Lundl^eck: extended to Great Falls m 1890. It was all part of an effort to open new markets for Lethbridge coal.) The name is a combination of Lund and Breckonridge Coal Co. operating coal mines and sawmills in the locality. The Montana section of die 1890 narrow gauge had cost tiie Lundbreck is more recentiy noted for the two-story outhouse Gaits about $2.0 milUon to build. It was purchased by J. J. HiU attached to the old Lundbreck Hotel, desttoyed by fire some 20+ for $750,000. years ago. The very scenic Lundbreck Falls and campsite is to our left and just ahead. This is the Crowsnest River, or middle fork of tiie Oldman. Life in Lethbridge in 1902 We are now approaching our first stop on today;s tour. "The year 1902 in the Lethbridge section of the North-West First we'U note Burmis, a now abandoned sawmill and general Territory was a year to be remembered. The year of the Big store, and just to the west is Police Flat. (The site of an early Flood. The water in the "Belly River'" as it was ccdled in those police post, - just a tent perhaps) - and also of Passborg another days before the modesty of later and more sensible citizens abandoned townsite built to house the miners of Leitch changed the anatomical nomenclature to the "Old Man", ColUeries which we are now preparing to inspect established at its crest, a high water mark never subsequently reached, and carried upon its turbulent tide, houses, barns. End of article. , chicken coops - often with the birds still in them or perched deep. This only required the area to be plowed once each precariously on top - carcasses of dead animals, bridge timbers, direction to cut the blocks. uprooted trees arid all the debris which it had gathered on its rushing course. When the blocks were broken free they were floated in a channel to the loading platform. There a team hoisted the blocks up a skidway to the platform, by tongs fastened to a chain and Lethbridge at that time was essentially a coal town not to pulley. From the platform six or eight blocks were loaded into a become a city for several years, this event taking place in 1906. wagon and hauled by team to the ice house up town, for storage. For trimming the blocks a wide bladed, keen axe was used. These tools in the hands of experieru:ed men did a wonderfully There was much prairie surrounding Lethbridge in those efficient job. Every ice harvest was made exciting by a man early years, and few fences as far as one could go in a day's ride slipping into the river, or the ice breaking arui letting horses, on a good horse. The Blood Indian Reserve was but six miles wagon and teamster through." (Kate left her children a away and the last herd ofLonghorns to trail into the country was description of her early Ufe in Lethbridge.) yet to arrive in 1905. Fire was dreaded Uke the "black plague'. The fire engine was pulled by horses, and the firemen were volunteers. Most of the buildings were wooden strucmres, and bumed very quickly. That year of 1902 saw the completed irrigation system Lethbridge had strict fire regulations for any buildings in the constructed by the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, the downtown area. A.R. & I. This was the result of the foresight of C.A. and other men of vision. live theatre was offered to Lethbridge citizens, by local groups and h^velUng shows. Oliver's Hall on SHa. Street was The day of the tenderfoot, the new settler, the homesteader used for many plays and some dances. The OUver BuUding is was at hand, and so my father arrived with his family, and stUI standing between 3rd and 4th avenues. purchased land five miles southeast of Main Street on the Fort Benton Trail." Piche and Miron had the first butcher shop next to the Hudson Bay store on "Round Sfreet". The Hudson Bay store was Charlie Parry's recollections of early Lethbridge were next door. Liquor could be purchased by bringing a container to pubUshed in tiie JubUee edition of tiie Lethbridge Herald. He die Hudson Bay store, and getting it filled from a larger vat goes on to speak of watching huge loads of hay pass his gate. Higinbotham's Dmg Store, was just down the block, and served "Six to eight teams, or pairs of horses, to each string team, as the post office too. hitched to a huge 12 by 14 foot rack with one or two trailers hitched behind making an outfit perhaps 125 feet in length." The main emjdoyer of the city, was the mines. Lethbridge owned its own mine from 1909 on. (until 1941) Located near Letiibridge had tiuee livery bams, some of which suppUed the present site of the power house, this mine supplied coal for cabs for funerals, "with drivers statable attired and wearing stove­ all the city offices, and the schools, witii some left over to be pipe hats". A local hardware store (Brodie & Stafford) carried given to needy famiUes, coffins, and would also supply a democrat to carry the coffin on occasion. Often friends dug the grave. Leflibridge was divided by the raihoad tracks, and the line was economical as well as geographical. Many of the miners The oldtimers used to meet on Saturdays in Dougal (Sandy) and their famiUes lived on the "north side", while the business McNabb's harness store, located on Main (5tii Street), just north and professional raea lived on the "south side". The 'wrong side of the Alex hotel. Some were colourful characters, "Mexican of the tracks' was definitely the north side. Unfortunately this Joe" IfiU, Malcolm MacLean flie Squaw Man, and his race horse stigma was a long time disappearing, and occasionaUy stiU crops Copper King. Geo. Houck, Chief Joe Healy, to name a few. up today. Wooden sidewaUcs were here and there in the dty. Not every In 1902, the city was just seven years old, a mere infant by street had one. ChUdren checked for coins that had fallen tiirough most standards. There were few telephones, no cars, not every when die wooden walks were replaced by concrete, but that was one even had a horse for transportation. The doctor came caUing later. in horse and buggy, after he was 'fetched', by an older chUd or a Water was hauled to homes by "Water men" and laundry day neighbour. Life was hard, and housework was dradgery, yet was often set by when the water was dehvered. If you didn't people were happy. Neighbours helped each other. As few wash on deUvery day, your water supply wouldn't last until tiie women worked out of the home, chUdren were constantiy under next deUvery. On deUvery day, you could get extra water for the eye of one adult or another. Today, we have 'latch key' your washing. chUdren, sometimes left unsupervised for an hour or more. In tiie absence of refrigerators, the ice box was king. Ice It was a hard life, but possibly a more famUy oriented one. was cut on the river and die lakes, stored in sawdust in ice We don't want those "good old days" back, but they did have houses, and dehvered by horse and wagon to homes around town. some benefits. "The ice harvest was always interesting. It had to be done when die ice was clear, not layered widi snow frozen in. About 14 inches duck was ideal to start, and the weatiier must be cdd There is notiiing wrong with the younger generation that enough so die ice kept square lines to pack weU. At first tiie ice becoming a taxpayer won't cure. was marked in blocks, two foot wide by tiiree foot long, and these Unes sawed with an ice saw by the men. Kate Andrews tells of her father purchasmg an ice plow, that The best place to find a helping hand, is at the end of your marked the ice with a sharp tool, two lines about four inches arm. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE LETHBRIDGE C:H.APTER Of the Historical Society of Alberta

•^v* ^^^^^ P.O. BOX 974 LETHBRIDGE. ALBERTA. TIJ 4A2

Copyright 1995 Nunriber4 NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 Julv1995 Membership in the Historical Sodety of Alberta, including a subscription to the quarterly ALBERTA HISTORY: $25.00 per year single $30.00 a couple oaamily. Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the Lethbridge Historical Society and receive newsletters and notices. Your mailing label expiration date will be highlighted when it Is time to renew. Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Cariton R. (Barisara) Stewart Secretary/Newsletter Editor Inna (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Member (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1997) Greg (Maria) Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard Shockley (Leslie) Book Sales & Deliveries Ralph L Erdman I Regular meetings are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. | Meeting Notice: LHS regular meeting is scheduled for Oct Historical Society of Alberta • Report of Annual 24th 1995. Announcement of speaker in the next newsletter. Meeting in Edmonton May 1995 The Dr. Alex Johnston Lectures presented by the Two worthy members of the HSA were honoured by being University of Lethbridge is tentatively set for September 26th given the HSA Award this year. 1995. With Dr. Margaret Kennedy (formerly of the U of L) and now of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as lecturer. Peter Hawker of Edmonton and Fred Holberton, a former resident of Lethbridge, and now of Calgary were presented with Watch for updates in our next newsletter on both events. the Historical Society of Alberta's Annual Award. * * * Membership Fee increase was passed: single membership is ALEX JOHNSTON AWARD OF MERIT now $25.00 per year and a family to $30.00. The Alex Johnston Award of Merit is presented * * * annually to a worthy member of the Lethbridge Historical Sorry our mistake: "For King and Society who has given unselfishly to the Society over a lengthy Country" an excellent book on Albertan's part in WW II away period of time. Should you (a Society member) have a and on the homefront is not available through the Lethbridge nomination, please forward it by September 30th to: Historical Society as reported in our last newsletter. This fine book is available for $35.00 + 2.45 GST + 4.50 = TOTAL Mr. Doug Smith, AJAM Selection Committee Chairperson, $41.95 37 Queens Road West, Letiibridge, Alberta, TIK 3W1. * * * from: Reidmore Books Inc. LHS Society Member Honoured: #1200, 10109 - 106 Sh-eet Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 3L7 Ph. 1-800-661-2859 Mr. James H. Carpenter, long time member and Treasurer of Tell them you are from the Lethbridge Historical Society and our LHSociety for 10 to 12 years, has been honoured by the they will send a commission back to our Society. Lethbridge Community College by being accepted into their Hall of Fame. As of April 29th 1995, Jim's photograph resides with other notables including ex-Society members: Dr. James "Lenders remember better than borrows". Cousins and Dr. Alex Johnston. Jim is a most worthy Lender recipient, and we congratulate him. * * * 'The reason I know my youth is all spent? June 3rd LHS Bus Tour to: My get up and go has got up and went!" Military Museums In Nanton and Calgary: Len Ingebrigslen Due to a poor response, the tour was cancelled Superintendent R. Burton Deane and the Superintendent Neale returned on the 2nd March from North-West Rebellion Calgary with two 7-pr. guns, which he had been dispatched to bring hither. Submitted by Gordon E. Toiton On the 23rd March I transmitted to Calgary your telegraphic Editor's Note: Gord has been a member of our Society for a message ordering Superintendent Herchmer to leave Inspector couple of years. He serves on tlie executive and is presently our Dowling and six men at Calgary, and to come to Regina with program coordinator. Gord authored our publication on the koclcy the remainder of his division, fully equipped, witiidrawing, at the Mountain Rangers same time, five men from Maple Creek, and Sergeant Piercy The book and presentation by local author Prof. William M. from Medicine Hat, to increase Superintendent Herchmer's Baker on the life of Superintendent R. Burton Deane, the command. Mounted Police Superintendent who commanded "K" Division of On the 23rd a telegram was received by Mr. Forget, Clerk of the NWMP, headquartered at Letiibridge Barracks in the 1890's, the North-West Council, from two magistrates at Broadview, brings to mind Deane's previous assignment stating that that place was in imminent danger from the Indians; In 1884, Deane, formerly with the British Royal Marines, and this was followed by a message from Corporal Macleod at joined the Force and was charged with writing and implementing Fort Qu'Appelle, to the effect that the Indians were getting the NWMP's official rules and regulations. Since 1873, the uneasy, and that runners from the north had visited all the Force had existed without having had so much as a single official different reserves with presents, &c. standing order. Besides this, Deane was also placed as The Lieutenant-Governor being in Winnipeg, I telegraphed Superintendent of the new Regina barracks. In this capacity. to him the alleged state of affairs at Broadview, and suggested Burton Deane soon found himself embroiled in the 1885 that Superintendent Herchmer's detachment, which was then en Northwest RebelUon. Deane's activities included dealing with route, should go on to Broadview, and go through the Crooked the Sioux, co-ordinating police movements, negotiations with Lakes reserve to Fort Qu'Appelle, where he could await General Cree chief Piapot, and the formation of Metis residents of the Middleton's orders. His Honor replied, however, that he was Wood Mountain/Moose Jaw area into a NWMP Scout Unit leaving Winnipeg with 100 men, in consequence of my report. known as the Wood Mountain Scouts. On his way westward he had an interview with the Indian chiefs After the Rebellion, Deane became the center of the and head men who had been summoned to meet him at country's attention when his position as Regina Superintendent Broadview station, when it appeared that there had been no suffi­ cast him with the responsibUity of being Louis Riel's jaUer. In cient grounds for the alarming reports which had been spread. fact, nearly all of the captured rebel leaders, including Big Bear The Indian agent at Touchwood telegraphed, on the 24th, for and Poundmaker, came under the supervision of R. Burton three men to protect stores there, and these were sent from Deane. Due to the large numbers of prisoners the NWMP was Qu'Appelle same day, being replaced there firomothe r sources. forced to deal with while awaiting trials and sentencing, Deane ordered new jail facilities to be built. Security in the jail was In compliance with a demand from Humboldt, I sent, on the tight, and guard duties had to be doubled when it was reported 27th March, three constables from Touchwood, and replaced that Louis Riel's "General", the fugitive Gabriel Dumont, was in those by others from headquarters and Moose Jaw. Montana organizing an escape plan to free Riel. Due to Deane's foresight and tight fisted control around the jail, Riel's trial and At this time the demand for men from all sides was so great subsequent execution occurred without any attempted jailbreaks. that I sought and obtained authority from Ottawa to engage special constables, with pay and rations, but with the prospect of The following is Superintendent R. Burton Deane's Official freighting before them, men, as a rule, were unwilling to engage Report to Commissioner Acheson Irvine, for the year 1885: except upon untenable conditions. RHPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NORTH­ On the 30th March Superintendent Herchmer and his WEST MOUNTED POLICE. 1885 detachment, with Superintendent Neale, with one gun, from here, left for Swift Current en route to Battieford, by order of General APPENDIX P. - REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT DEANE Middleton, to whom Superintendent Herchmer had reported Lieut.-Col. A.G. Irvine, himself at Qu'AppeUe. Commissioner N.W.M.P., Regina I now opened negotiations with some Sioux who had been SIR, D I have the honor to submit my report of events at for some time encamped in the neighborhood of Moose Jaw, head-quarters during your absence in the north, and on duty, from with a view to engaging them as scouts. I employed, for this tiie 18tii March until the 17th July. purpose, expolicemen Le Quesne, who is a Sioux interpreter, and had engaged for temporary service as a special constable. These Your departure for Prince Albert, and on the 18th March Sioux were adapted for the work, in that they were not in last, with a detachment of every available man and horse, left sympathy with the rebels, were very anxious to remain on this this post denuded of all but a small staff of non-commissioned side of the line, and were in hopes of inducing the Canadian officers and a few necessarily employed and sick men. Govemment to grant them a reserve. One of the conditions I imposed was, that each scout should mount himself, and herein In consequence of the notification from the north that arms lay the difficulty. It appeared that their ponies had been acquired and ammunition were expected from the railway by the half- by the work of the woinen, whose property they consequentiy breeds, who intended to intercept and seize them, instructions were, and the women objected to the men embarking in any were issued to all outposts in this district to seize any such undertaking which might expose them and their families to the articles that might be consigned to traders in the north, and to vengeance of the other Indians tribes. hold them pending further orders. One thousand four hundred and thirty-five pounds in all were temporarily detained. Ultimately, I obtained five Sioux Scouts who kept me Pasqua he went on to Moose Jaw, and tiience to the south end of informed of what was passing in all the Indian camps in this the Buffalo Lake, retuming via the Qu'Appelle valley to Long district, and I was more than satisfied with the work they did, and Lake, calling at every house within reasonable distance of the with the veracity of their reports, confirmation of some of which line of travel, seeking for information of any parties of Indians or I afterwards obtained half-breeds that might have been seen in their neighborhood. At RiddelTs ranche he learned that the said party in question was Runners were constantly on the move between the different probably one which had passed Craven on the 28th April, camps, inciting their occupants to join the rebels, but it was not consisting chiefly of squaws and children, heading for Fort possible to arrest them, for want of timely information, the Qu'AppeUe. On the authority of a boy who was said to have difficulty being greater because I could not run the risk of seen an Indian camp in the neighborhood of Craven, the countty exposing my scouts to suspicion. there was searched within a radius of ten miles, but no trace of A half-breed runner tried to persuade tiie Sioux to rise, witii any such camp could be found. a promise that they should have a share of the country when the About midnight on the 3rd May 130 recruits arrived from Indians should have regained their own, and bribed them to give the east, and were principally housed in large tents. It may be them information as to police movements, &c., on his return supposed that the energies of the small staff of non­ from the south, but he failed to keep his appoinhnent. commissioned officers at my disposal were taxed to the utmost, At the beginning of April, in consequence of the dearth of but they were equal to the occasion, and to the credit of the police along the line of railway, the Lieutenant-Governor recmits be it said that they shook down into their places in a approved of half (fourteen) of the police employed in the very short time. Where all did so well, it would, perhaps, be mountains being withdrawn therefrom, and held at Calgary for invidious to mention other names, but it is my duty to bring to service wherever they might be required, but Superintendent your notice the invaluable services of Sergeant-Major Belcher and Steele reported that he apprehended a shrike of railway employees Quartermaster-Sergeant Simpson. on the 10th of the month, and could not obtain reUable special The recruits themselves subsequentiy furnished valuable constables. His Honor then rescinded the order. non-comnussioned officers; and of the recmits as a body, which About tills time information was received which showed tiie have joined the force this summer, it is only fair to say that they necessity of watching the southern frontier, and Mr. Legare, of would be an acquisition to any force. Their ready submission to Wood Mountain, arrived here to represent to the Lieutenant- discipline and the cheerful manner in which they put their Governor that a large number of half-breeds at Wood Mountain shoulders to the wheel augur well for their fumre conduct. and Willow Bunch were in a starving condition that they wished On the 7tii of May I received a message from Pie-a-pot, to to remain there, so as not to be implicated in any way with the the effect that he would like to see me, and hear a correct version rebellion, and that they would be glad of any employment. Mr. of the news of the day. He said so many lies were in circulation Legare, having great influence with these half-breeds, and scouts that he and his young men did not know what to believe. Two being urgently required, it was proposed that a given number of days later I paid him a visit, and assured him of the safety them should accept service as scouts under Mr. Legare's himself and his band, provided they remained on their reserve. I du-ection. The latter undertook to see that the work was properly pointed out to him that the soldiers who were in the country done, and to vouch for the good faith of the men whom he would were strangers, who would not know good Indians from bad employ - the selection, of course was left to him — this Indians, and if they found Indians running about the country arrangement, having been sanctioned in Ottawa. contrary to the orders of the Govemment, they would probably Inspector MacDonneU was ordered from Medicine Hat to treat them as bad Indians, and the Indians would have themselves Wood Mountain to take command, and thither he proceeded with to blame for any trouble they might get into. four men and ten horses on the 15th April. Thirty half-breed On their reserves they would be free firom molestation. As a scouts were at first employed (this number afterwards increased to fact; with a few exceptions, the Indians composing Pie-a-pot's forty), and covered a long stretch of country, from Moose and the neighboring bands remained on their reserves throughout Mountain to the south-west of Old Wives, Lake. Others of tiie the troubles. community were employed in freighting provisions, &c., between the different outposts between Wood Mountain and On the 13th May I was enabled to detach fifteen constables Moose Jaw, &c., &c., and thus was fulfilled the double purpose to Maple Creek, "A" division being very much pressed for men, of finding work for "idle hands to do", and having the counhy and on the 16th to send twenty mounted men to strengthen thoroughly watched. Inspector MacDonnell's hands at Wood Mountain, the idea being that we should form an inner line of outposts to act on any The police are indebted to father St. Germain for his good information that might be received from the line of half-breed offices in connection herewith. scouts. On the 21 April nineteen recruits and eighty-two horses On the 18th May thirty-one recruits arrived from Ottawa. arrived from the east, and a few days later fourteen horses were received fix>m Fort Macleod. On the 23rd May Louis Riel arrived here by special train, in charge of Captain Young, of the Winnipeg Field battery, and was It was reported to me at the end of the month that a party of taken into custody by the police. He was, from the first, strictiy half-breeds, well armed, coming from the north, were making for guarded and secluded, although allowed as much latitude as the south, and would probably cross the railway somewhere possible, in the way of exercise and other indulgences, which between Pense and Pasqua. I sent out a party to intercept them, were not incompatible with the object in view. During the time but Sergeant Baker, on his return, after some days absence, I was in command no person was permitted to hold any reported that he had ranged the country between those stations for communication with him, unless furnished with proper some miles north and south of the railway and found no trace, authority. and could gather no information of the party sought for. From In view of the expected advent of a number of rebel prisoners While on this subject, I would beg to bring to your notice from Prince Albert, I received instructions to enlarge the prison the services rendered by Sergeant Pigott as provost non­ accommodation, and thus added to the then guard room a building commissioned officer. Since the 18th June last as many as containing twenty-four cells, foUowing the specification of the eighty-one prisoners, including lunatics (one of whom was a old building as to construction, and superadding a wash-house female) have been confined here at one time. and latrine in the prison yard. The daily average number from June to September, inclusive The notice received was too short to admit of my advertising as follows: June 26 for tenders in the usual manner, and I therefore entrusted the July 63 building to a Mr. John Ross, who had been employed by the August 69 sureties to complete sundry buildings in the barracks, in the September 46 autumn of 1883, in fulfillment of the contract of an absconded contractor. The manner in which he carried out the work then The responsibility thus devolving upon Sergeant Pigott was was a guarantee of his ability, and the buildings which he has very great, and I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which erected here this year are evidence that the interests of the he performed his harassing duties. Govemment have not suffered at his hands. On the 17th July "Big Bear" and fourteen other prisoners On the 27th the Montreal Garrison Artillery arrived at arrived from Prince Albert, under Inspector Drayner, shortly after Regina, and camped on the south side of the railway, to the west your own retum. of the creek. I have the honor to be Sir, Your obedient servant, On the 18th June forty rebel prisoners from Prince Albert R. BURTON DEANE, were brought in under a strong escort by Inspectors White-Frase Superintendent and Adjutant. and Sanders. After a thorough cleansing of tiieir persons and clothing, under medical supervision, the prisoners were all lodged in the Charles Broughton Bowman new extension to the guard room. 14 August 1867 - 19 May 1949 Submitted by L. Gregory Ellis On the 8tii July I detached a non-commissioned officer and City of Lethbridge Archivist fifteen additional men with sixteen horses, to Wood Mountain, for duty with Inspector MacDonneU. C.B. Bowman was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, the son of Maynard and Ann E. (Eraser) Bowman. Educated in the east, On Friday, lOtii July, Superintendent Herchmer arrived from Mr. Bowman came to Lethbridge in 1889 at age 22. On 13 June Battieford with twenty-two prisoners, eight of whom were under 1899 Mr. Bowman married Florence Catherine Miller (Died - sentence and en route to the penitentiary, whither they proceeded 11 August 1942 ??) at her parent's home in Paisley, Ontario. on the 12th idem. Miss Miller worked as a nurse at the Gait Hospital in Lethbridge A day or two previously I had been warned to prepare for before her marriage. Charles and Catherine had three children: about fifty additional prisoners, and received autiiority from the Catiierine May, Ronald Fraser Patrick (17 March 1904 - 28 July Comptroller to erect more prison accommodation, our present 1990) and Gwendoline Marguerite. guard room, as enlarged, being overcrowded. In 1891 Mr. Bowman opened the C.B. Bowman Agency, I therefore called upon Mr. Ross to erect at once a room 108 which dealt in insurance, loans and real estate. Mr. Bowman feet by 24 feet, with 14 feet ceiling, which would be useful continued in business until his retirement in 1936. afterwards as a barrack room. In order to avoid expense, as much Mr. Bowman was active in the community as a member of as possible, I set up temporary partitions to furnish eighteen North Star Lodge No. 4 A.F. & A.M., and Shekinah Chapter ceUs, each measuring 6 feet, by 8 feet and capable of holding R.A.M. He also served as Secretary of the Agricultural Society tiiree prisoners. The cells were placed back to back down the (1896-1901), and on the Board of the Gait Hospital (1903- cenfre of the buUding, with a passage on each side, closed at each 1924?). Mr. Bowman also served as Secretary of the Public end by barred doors. The ceU compartments were 8 feet 6 inches, School Board (1905-1912). high, and a raised platform at the nortii end enabled die sentry to overlook them all. A division at the south end, 12 feet by 24 In addition to his other activities, Mr. Bowman was feet, provided a room for the men of the guard. involved in municipal government as a Councillor (1907, 1909- 1912), Acting Mayor (1909), City Assessor and Secretary- The whole of the interior fittings were designed so as to be Treasurer (1897-1907). easily removed without defacing or injuring the building itself. C.B. Bowman and his wife Florence retired to Victoria, The building was rapidly and well built, and is now, as a British Columbia, where they resided until tiieir deaths. barrack room, capable of containing forty-five men. The specifi­ cations of the building are as follows: Sources: The studding throughout is of 2 inches by 6 inches lumber, Lethbridge News. 28 June 1899, page 1 the comer posts and frames of all windows and doors being 4 Blue, John. Alberta Past and Present: Historical and inches by 6 inches. The ground joists are 2 inches by 10 inches, Biographical Volume II. Pioneer Historical ceiUng joists 2 inches by 8 inches, rafters 2 inches by 6 inches, Publishing Co., Chicago, 1924 with collar ties. The walls are composed of inch lumber, with Haig, Bruce ed. Who's Who in Southem Alberta 1988-1989: felting and tar paper, clapboarded on the outside and ceiled Southwesterh Edition. Historical Research Centre, within. The floor is double, with tar paper between the boards, Lethbridge, 1989 as is the ceiling. The shingles are laid 4-1/2 inches to the weather. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER Of the Historical Society of Alberta

P.O. BOX 974 LETHBRIDGE. ALBERTA. TIJ 4A2

Number 5 NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 September 1995 Membership infrie Historica l Society of Alberta, including a subscription to the quarterly ALBERTA HISTORY: $25.00 per year single $30.00 a couple or family Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the Lethbridge Historicai Society and receive newsletters and notices. Your mailing label expiration date will be highlighted when it istime to renew. Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Cariton R. (Barbara) Stewari Secretary/Newsletter Editor Inna (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Member (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1997) Greg Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard Shockley (Leslie) Book Sales Ralph L. Erdman Regular meetings are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings and other Notices and awarded several medals. He served in both the Provincial and Federal governments, and was a member of the United Church The first regular meeting of the LHS for the 1995/96 season wiU and tiie Kiwanis Club. He walked to his office every day, be held on October 17 the third Tuesday in October, in the leaving home promptiy at 7:11 each moming. Some said one Theatre GaUery of the Lethbridge PubUc Library. Please note could set a clock by him. Dr. Stewart died in 1970. the change in the scheduled date. George Kush will introduce a video showing previously undiscovered photos of Southern The Lethbridge Historical Society was pleased to support tiie Alberta by western photographer William Edward Hook. Mark 18th Air Defence Regiment in placing tiiis plaque. your calendar and bring a friendt o the meeting. -

The Annual General Meeting of the Lethbridge Historical Members are reminded nominations close Sept 30 for the Society is set for November 30, 1995, at the Royal Canadian Alex Johnston Award of Merit awarded annually to a member of Legion. Donna Livingstone of the Glenbow Museum staff will tiie LHS who has given unselfishly to tile Society over a lengtiiy be the speaker. Her topic will be "Guy Weadick and tiieCalgar y period of time. Submit your nomination in writing to: Doug Stampede". Smitii, 37 Queens Road West, Lethbridge, AB TIK 3W1.

Alex Johnston Lecture Series Tues. Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. in the Lethbridge Public Library Theatre Gallery. Margaret THE SAGA OF ENGINE NO. 11076 Kennedy wiU talk on Impressions of the Upper Saskatchewan country during the whisky trade years - ca 1865-1875'. LUCY'S STORY * * * by D. TRACY ANDERSON Commemorative Plaque Erected: Tracy Anderson was bom in Magrath, Alberta and has lived most of his life here in the South. He is a member of the The former home of Dr. J. S. Stewart, D.D.S. has been Lethbridge Historical Society, has served in various positions marked by a bronze plaque. Dr Stewart's home, located at 631 including president and has represented the LHS on the executive 8th St. South, was the site of the city's first armory. of the Historical Society of Alberta. Tracy retired in 1975 from Canada Agriculture where he was involved in various aspects at the John Smith Stewart came to Lethbridge in 1902 foUowing his Lethbridge Research Station. He also served approximately 7 graduation. He was selected to be in charge of a military battery years in India as a representative from Canada Agriculture on the in Lethbridge in 1907, and travelled to the Royal School of All-India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ArtUlery in Kingston where he received a certificate as Major. four years of which were after his retirement. Tracy's lifelong Dr. Stewart used an old packing case set up in his back yard as a interest in machinery lead him to recently research the saga of desk when swearing in the first recmits. Gunnery training was these unique engines. carried out on vacant lots in his neighbourhood. In early 1911 a consignment of rail freight from Cuba, Dr. Stewart served in the First Great War, was wounded twice. probably through the Port of Halifax, was dropped off at the rail siding at Stirling, Alberta. The consignment consisted of two engine industry were available. This included those made in Fowler Steam Cable Engines, Nos. 11076 and 11077, christened Canada by: George White and Sons, Waterloo Mfg. Coy. and "Lucy" and "John" by the author. Included witii the shipment American Abel (Cock of the North). U.S. machines were used was a 5-bottom Cuban Anti-Balance Cable Plow, a Steam Cable in westem Canada including, among others: J. I. Case, Reeves, Flat Harrow 'and a Tum-Around Beet Root Lifter for 8 rows Aultman-Taylor, Garr Scott, MinneapoUs, Nichols and Shepherd spaced at 20 inches. The Fowler Z5 compound engines were and Rumely. Why indeed go to England for steam power? equipped with horizontally mounted, underslung, 6-foot diameter James Watts' observation of steam bouncing a tea kettle lid winch drams, each carrying about 900 yards of 7/8 inch steel led to his first application of steam power. It is noteworthy that cable. The engines were capable of generating about 100 h.p. this resulted in a robust industry in Great Britain and in Europe. Once the flat car was unloaded, their boilers were fired up and the Inevitably, attempts were made to apply steam power to cavalcade made its way westward 6-miles to the Knight Sugar agriculture including traction engines for use in the fields. Factory in Raymond. Thus the Cuban connection for Lucy and During the heyday of English traction engine developments, John ended and the Raymond coimection began. innovations such as crawler traction drives, four wheel drive with The Knight Sugar Factory started production of sugar from all wheel steering, and automatic furrow guidance systems had beets in 1903. In 1901, Warren Depew, Ray Knight's foreman, been invented. Most importantly to this story was the laid out the first furrow, supervised the work of 80 teams of development of the cable plowing system that was buUt and used horses using sulky and gang plows and organized the provisions in Great Britain, France, Germany and other European countries. of feed and water for the men and horses. They did a masterful The system had been marketed from England in up to 20 job of breaking 30(X) acres of prairie sod in readiness for planting countries. John Fowler and Coy., Leeds, England was active in the first sugar beet crop. the export of special steam equipment and implements for the The sugar factory failed to obtain adequate suppUes of beets sugar cane industry and in the building of light duty rail despite such efforts as offering, through the Agricultural Society, locomotives for the EngUsh market. one hundred prizes of $150.00 each, to students for activities in Cable plowing had developed because of the wet soil all phases of beet production. It was decided to process sugar conditions that often prevailed in England and Europe. Wet cane juice. Knight rented land in Cuba for cane production. In fields could not support monstrous traction steam engines (Lucy January 1910 they purchased the Fowler Z5 Compound Engines and John weighed about 18 tons each), and would often bog (Lucy and John) from John Fowler and Coy., Leeds, England, down despite the wide, large diameter wheels they used. Engines along with some implements and had them shipped to Cuba. were fitted with underslung winch drams. The engines were Lucy and John was used to dig trenches 50 cm (18 inches) deep stationed up to 1/2 mile apart on opposite ends of the field. A about one meter (38 inches) apart. Cane cuttings were placed in specially adapted plow was pulled back and forth across tiie field the trenches and covered. A root lifter connected between Lucy and each engine moved ahead one plow width in tum. A wide and John were used to root out old cane stubs again at a depth of range of field machines were designed for cable use. Anti-balance about 50 cm. These stubs were then dried and used as boUer fuel plows were equipped with both right and left hand plow bottoms, in the engines. This cane operation proved uneconomical and hence they did not have to be tumed around at the end of each was terminated. pass across the field. According to the Raymond Rustler (April Ray Knight, director of the Knight Ranch and the Knight 21, 1911) "The steam plow owned and run by the Knight Sugar Sugar Company, had seen a cable plow system working in bog Co. is plowing 25 acres from 10 to 12 inches deep daily." land in Ireland. He convinced his father, Jesse Knight who was Operating crews consisted of two steam engineers, a the major shareholder and president of the Knight enterprises, plowman and a water boy. Lucy and John each were capable of that this system could be used in the sugar beet fields of burning up to 1-1/2 tons of coal in a good working day. The Southem Alberta. Accordingly Lucy, John and their implements engines needed water, and the crews needed food. were shipped to Raymond, Alberta, Canada in 1911. According to Bill Witbeck one of the first tasks assigned to Why were Lucy and John brought to Canada? The use of Lucy and John in Raymond was planting sugar beets in the fields steam power was at its peak. It was used for farm traction for originally broken by Warren Depew. No record has been found driving threshing machines, sawmUls, and Daniel Best's self- of tiie type of planter or driU employed to seed the 20-inch rows. propelled grain combine harvester-thresher (1889), the foreranner Another assignment for Lucy and John was lifting sugar of the Holt combine. Steam also operated the Coldwell reel-type beets in the fall using the turn-around beet root lifter. The estate lawn mower. Nor'West Farmer, a {Prominent Canadian farm newspaper of the The use of steam was not limited to the above. As early as day, in its October 5, 1914 issue described the lifting of sugar 1769 the Cugnot steam road wagon was built in France and was beets by the "Only Fowler double engine in Canada." The article said to be the first self-propelled road vehicle. It was even used by Max McD. provides the foUowing description: as an artillery tractor. In 1829 English gentry could be seen "Two engines are used, one at each etui of the beet rows, and driving to a party in the ornate James Steam Coach complete the lifter which tums but eight rows at a time is hauled back and with a real-live-uniformed Hooter (an attendant with a hom). forth by a strong cable. This steam coach was the foreranner of the steam car. In The advantage to be gained in the double engine is that none • 1906 the Stanley steamer set a world speed record of 127.66 of the machinery crushes the beets. It would be impossible to miles per hour, and by 1913 a Stanley Model 76, 20 h.p. 5 run the ordinary traction engine over a beet field without passenger 120-inch wheel base, with a collapsible top touring car practically destroying half the beets." was available. The White steam car provided stiff competition for the Stanley. Furst built in 1901, by 1910 it too had gained an intemational reputation. Many of the giants of the North American steam traction .•\A«i.# V,«.^ ..

Figure I:

Engine Number 11076, lifting sugar beets in a field near Raymond. Dave Meldrum, engineer, and Frank Hicks, plowman posed for the photograph.

John Woodruff National Archives of Canada C7817. <(*• •'^^^••.3* ,^^5fc -* . x-^-^- 'V* -ViL^ . y*'Ji~-^ , ii

5-FURROW PATENT CUBAN ANTI-BALANCE PLOUGH FITTED WITH SKIMMERS.

Figure 2: The 5 bottom anti-balance Cuban plow was designed specifically for sugar cane operations. Illustration: University of Reading.

.M.rid

FOWLER'S PATENT SELF-LIFTING BEETROOT LIFTER.

STEAM HARROW WORK. Figure 3: The turn-around beet root lifter and the flat steam harrow Figure 4: The boiler from Engine No. 11076, now sits in the were used in Cuban cane fields and in Raymond sugar beet fields. Glenwood Community Paric. Tracy Anderson photo Illustration: University of Reading. The use of this cable system represents a very early attempt Dave Meldrum was a steam engineer who had a long to mechanize beet production. Horse drawn machinery association with Lucy and John. He also came to Raymond in predominated until the threat of disruption of world sugar 1902 and worked as a fireman at the Knight Sugar Factory in supplies by German "U" boats in World War II. This threat Raymond. When the factory "run" was complete for the year, initiated in the U.S. and Canada an intensive drive to mechanize Dave operated the cable plow unit for the company. He the crop and reduce the heavy manpower demands.Lucy and John entertained his young family at the dinner table with stories played a minimal role in the breaking of sod on land which had about Lucy and John and the cable plow. We are indebted to his been taken up by the flood of settiers pouring into the Raymond son Ralph for reconstructing these tales and for his help in area. The Cuban plow was not readily adapted for this work. It determining the final stages of Lucy's saga. was equipped with long-slow turn boards that turned 30-inch Joe Demeester arrived from Holland in 1911. According to furrows. And some difficulties were encountered maintaining a Ralph Meldrum, Joe was one of those who steered the plow for uniform depth of plowing. In tough going one of the five some time. He was best known in Raymond as the gardener bottoms could be dropped off to reduce the power needed to pull who looked after the grounds of the mental hospital, he also was it. the caretaker of the swimming pool and skating rink. On one assignment, as described by Ralph Meldrum, an Frank Hicks came to Canada with his widowed mother and early resident of Raymond, Lucy and John were taken west of her family of six children in 1903. Fraiik likely worked for E.B. town to deep plow (12 inches or more) a field that had suffered Hicks, a steam engineer who owned and operated the first steam severe wind erosion. This was done to try to stabilize the field threshing outfit in Raymond beginning in 1902. Frank has been against further erosion. It wasn't successful. Erosion occurred tentatively identified as the plowman in the accompanying again later in the season. photograph. Asael E. Palmer noted (personal communication) that the Lou Hanson was hired to work at the Knight ranch. In 1925 cable outfit was used to break sod on the Knight ranch south of he was sent to the sugar factory in Raymond to fire up Lucy and Raymond. Plowing started in the spring at a depth of 10 to 12 John and move them into permanent storage in the Knight Sugar inches. As the season progressed tiie soil became too dry and Factory warehouse. It is pertinent to note that the Knight work was discontinued. The next year a crop was seeded. It factory closed down after the 1914 beet run. Intense Board of failed. This was an early indication to Mr. Palmer (later to Trade activity convinced the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company to become Superintendent of the Lethbridge Experimental Station) reestablish a sugar factory in Raymond. This factory started that deep plowing of prairie soils in Southern Alberta was a operating in the fall of 1925. Lou Hanson was the last steam questionable practice. He noted that among other effects, deep engineer to fire up and operate Lucy and John. This act plowing brought undesirable salts to the surface. terminated their active Ufe in the Raymond area. Lucy and John touched the lives of several Raymond Why did this happen? Well, steam power had been facing families. A complete Usting is not available but the following competition from a new breed of gasoUne powered farm tractors. are noteworthy: In April 1910, the Lethbridge Herald reported progress in settUng Chris ToUestrap, a prominent Raymond musician, farmer, Southern Alberta. In a survey entitled, "Hundreds of Power steam engineer, and threshing/plowing contractor probably was Tractors are Used in Southem Alberta," the Herald Usted owners, one of the early steam engineers to work with LUcy and John for makes of steam and gasoline engines and the plows used for a short period. Chris came to Raymond in 1903 with three breaking prairie sod. The survey included more than 125 steam children, four more were born in Raymond. Apparently he engines with more than 22 gas engines. They indicated that the operated steamers for others. He was reported in 1910 to be Cockshutt Plow Company had sold 80 engine gang plows by breaking sod using a Rumely steam plowing outfit. In 1916 he 1909, that the firm of MacMahon and Quinn had imported 22 purchased his own outfit and working with his two oldest sons Hart Parr gas tractors for their Lethbridge yards. Gasoline contracted out plowing or threshing. In 1916 Chris' oldest son, engines continued to develop in versatility and use on smaller Francis, was working with the outfit and crew on the Milk River farms over the years. Steam also met stiff competition from the Ridge. When returning home during a rain storm Fran was use of horses pulling sulky and gang plows to break sod on killed instantly when lightning struck a wire gate he was smaller farms. The survey noted: "Smdler farmers having less closing. Chris' second son Afton, died in the 1918 Spanish flu capital haye been busy with oxen, horses, mules, and one plucky epidemic. Chris continued his steam powered threshing homesteader even used a combination of an ox, a cow, a Cayuse, operation until the early thirties. and a mule to do his plowing and discing." BiU Witbeck came to Raymond in 1902 at 6 years of age. A final blow to the use of steam on prairie farms occurred At age 11 he was herding the famUy's milk cows, delivering when farmers began importing combine harvesters such as the milk, and delivering drinking water in a barrel to employees of "Holt" from the U.S.A. Ih 1924, Massey-Harris introduced their the sugar factory. As a teenager Bill found employment as the Model 5 pull-type combine harvester into western Canada. water boy for Lucy and John. Bill also worked with Chris Originally built for the; Argentina market, the Model 5 was ToUestrap for a time. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces and followed by Massey's Models 7 and 9. Other manufacturers went to England. BiU was a Vimy veteran and was a member of quickly moved into the market. Growth was. rapid on the the 43 Battalion, Cameron Highlanders. Bill recalled, for the prairies. The number of combines rose from 5 in 1924 to 4,341 author, that he saw a cable plow winch apparatus at work in the in 1928. The Nor'West Farmer (May 21, 1928) reported an street car system in Edinburgh, Scotiand. One car used its cable increase in use in 1927 df 340%. Nowhere in the prairies was and dram to pull a second car up a hill. BiU was never certain the adoption of combine harvesting more rapid than in Southem whether the steam tractor industry developed the system and then Alberta. The grain binder, grain stooks and steam powered used it on the street cars, or vice versa. It was Bill's proud boast threshing with straw stacks dotting the landscape, these aU but that at age 88 he could still wear his army uniform which he disappeared during the period following 1928, the year of the kept in his Raymond home. great harvest excursion from Eastem Canada. Reports indicate tiiere had been plowing witii steam engines as late as tiie 1940's This advantage was particularly evident for row crops such as in the Gleichen area. Today, steam threshing and plowing are sugar beets and sugar cane. factors only in burgeoning antique farm shows. In England Cable plowing steam engines were manufactured in England, steam was a dominant power source from tiie 1870's until the France, Germany, and otiier European countries. A very Unuted mid 1950s, and is also a major factor in antique farm shows today. effort was made in the U.S. to open up a market. This effort is discussed below. Two EngUsh fUms active in exporting cable World War II brought with it a concentrated drive to salvage plowing engines and equipment to as many as 20 countries were: steel. In 1939 Lucy, John and the plows were sold for scrap. John Fowler and Sons, Leeds and J. & H. McLaren, Midland Fate, in tiie form of "Cheese Please" intervened. The Glenwood Engine Works, Leeds. Each built both fraction and cable engines community organized a group to develop a cheese factory which and a wide range of cable implements. For example. Fowler would utiUze the milk from cows on the nearby irrigated farm produced a wide range of plows for the Cuban sugar cane market lands. They needed a boUer for the factory. Ned Davidson, a and for Hungary where sugar beets were grown. It is of interest steam engineer, convinced the Board of Directors of the cheese to note that Fowler also built a 7 furrow anti-balance disc company to purchase one Fowler engine for this purpose. The plough. This puts them near the forefront of disc plough purchase price was about $500.00 according to Ned. Ned was development. McLarens were active in equipment shows having aware of the fact that EngUsh steam ttactors generally had heavier won gold medals in shows in Scotland (1878), Christ Church boiler constraction and could operate at greater pressures than New Zealand (1906) and Argentina (1906). They buiU a 3 most North American machines. He was aware that Lucy and furrow cable plow adapted for deep work (12" to 16") in John had not had the severe service demanded of some other Germany. steamers and tiiat the boilers were in good shape when they went The root lifter used by the Knight Sugar Company for into storage. harvesting sugar beets was first introduced and field proven in Lou Hanson and son BUI went to Raymond in March, 1940, demonstrations on November 8, 1904 near Hatvan in Hungary. to select and prepare one engine for shipment to Glenwood. Fowler's self lifting beet root lifter was designed to work to They selected Lucy, stripped engine components, brass fittings, depths of from 16 to 18 inches. The Ufter tynes; equipped with etc. and readied her for shipment. North Lethbridge Auto shares, cut through the soil under the beets, raised them up and Wreckers transported Lucy to Glenwood. Her boiler was set on a then allowed them to fall back for subsequent pulling by hand. pedestal and prepared for use. Miscellaneous scrap iron went to The steam cable root lifter was considered to be a major advance the scrap drive. However, the steel cable was used by Alberta in mechanization of the sugar beet crop. It undoubtedly was a Highways as bridge support in the Beaver Mines and Westcastie major factor in Ray and Jessie Knight's decision to buy Fowler Park area and is thought to be stUl serving Southern Alberta systems rather than those buUt by the McLaren Company. today. Efforts to develop the cable plowing system were not Lucy served faithfully until 1972 at the cheese factory. She confined to Europe. Jack Norbeck (Encyclopedia of American helped supply much of the Glenwood cheddar sold and enjoyed in Steam Tradition Engines, p. 160) provides information tiie O. S. Alberta. In some years this was up to 2/3 of cheddar sales. Kelly Manufacturing Company in Springfield, Ohio. This firm During that time it was necessary to change boiler flues only made steam traction engines, cable plowing steam engines, steel once. Provincial BoUer Inspectors permitted operating pressures water tanks and grain separators. The firm was apparentiy of just over 100 p.s.i. Finally in 1972 Lucy was granted involved in exporting to Ausfralia. The company produced a few honourable retirement from the cheese factory. Dennis Prince cable plowing engines in 1905. Norbeck suggested they who was the cheese factory manager, recognized Lucy's potential discontinued production because "cable plowing was not adapted tourism value and purchased the boiler from factory owners. to the large grain fields of Western North America, where the length of furrow was usually measured in half miles rather than The cheese connection has ended. Today Lucy rests, lonely in rods. These cable plows with their short strings of cable were but proud, within the Glenwood Community Centre compound. grossly inadequate." We should recall that Lucy and John She waits patiently while plans move forward to provide a (above) each carried about 900 yards of 7/8 inch steel cable. protective overhead shelter, to gather together more completely They were frequently used spaced one-half mile apart. than contained herein, the story of the only Fowler double engine' plowing outfit in Western Canada. Lucy's story has quickly The author was told that a double engine cable plowing unit moved from the Cuban connection, the Raymond connection, the was seen at an Old Timers field day near Choteau, Montana in Glenwood connection, to the tourism connection scheduled for the early 1980's. He was unable to confirm this and suggests 1996. In doing so, she has touched the lives of many people. the unit may have been an O. S. Kelly machine. Lucy's saga continues. Rumours abound concerning other cable systems in use in * * # Western Canada but specific details are lacking. However, it was MORE ABOUT CABLE PLOWING probably for this reason that the Nor-West Farmer Report (October 5, 1914) described the Raymond Unit as the "only byD. TRACY ANDERSON Fowler double engine in Canada." As indicated in the story of Lucy and John (above) cable Efl'orts had been made to introduce cable plows into Westem plowing originated in Europe. By the year 1900 cable plowing Canada. The firm F. T. Bagshaw, Winnipeg advertised an eight was competing strongly with the more traditional traction furrow steam plough in the Nor-West Farmer, September 20, plowing. In the cable system the source of power, i.e. the steam 1901. The plough was designed for use in a cable system. The tractor, did not traverse the field pulling the plow. The wet soil firm claimed that any idle engine could be equipped to pull the conditions that often prevailed were not conducive to supporting plough thus putting steamers, primarily used for threshing to the heavy steam tractors. The use of a winching system that left work during the off season. The firm claimed that the plow the engines on the sides of the field and allowed plows and other could turn-over about 40 acres in a ten hour day. This is similar field machines to be pulled back and forth had its advantages. to McLaren's claim for their 6 furrow balance plow that "when working in connection with our very powerful plowing engines, and there were many men from the Waterton Park residents in tiie fast speed, over 40 acres may be effectively plowed in one serving in the various branches of the service, so 1 know we day." would all have been glued to our radios listening to the news. Grant MacEwan (Power for Prairie Plows, p. 44) However I contacted Mrs. Horence Hominuke (formerly Miss commented on the Bagshaw advertisement and suggested that the Moss) who taught Waterton School during those years and she 40 acres per day "presupposed a rate of travel in excess of three was able to give me some details. It seems that the Waterton and one-half miles per hour." He also discussed the use of cable Lions Club had been preparing for the momentous day for a least plows in Raymond. His discussion suggests the plows were tiie a few days, so everything was in readiness for a celebration. type advertised by the Bagshaw firm. He also suggested the This took the form of a street parade, several "house" parties, plows moved through the field without an attendant. This was a two gatherings at the school house, and a bonfire out on the misconception. All steam cable field machines carriied a seat for open area at which an effigy of Hitier was bumed. At tiie two a steersman. It was a fricky job. If the plough hit a large stone, dances which were held, the music was suppUed by one Mrs. the steersman was in danger of being bucked-off. This happened Kloppenborg at the piano. It was a joyous occasion, at which in Raymond. MacEwan also failed to acknowledge the value of we "war widows" exchanged hopes that our "men" would soon the cable systems for work in corn and sugar cane fields and return to us. fields too wet to support 18 to 20 ton steam tractors. According to Niels' letters (which I still have) VE Day in Acknowledgements: England was a quiet affair for him as he was returning by train from a leave spent in the south of England, the usual duty rosters The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of having been taken down due to the lack of activity at the Bomber members of the Raymond Historical Society; residents of Command Station on which he served as Photographic Glenwood~in particular, BiU Hanson, Dennis Prince, and Ned Interpreter. Niels wrote later that VJ Day was a much more Davidson. Use has been made of the Raymond history books; of lively affair on his Station, with Flares, Rockets, Sirens all reports in the archives and libraries of the Glenbow, the sounding, and the Tannoy blaring as officers were trying to Reynolds Alberta and the Sir Alexander Gait Museums. Thanks control the exuberance of the enlisted men. A huge bonfire bid also must go to Lyle Walker, Milk River for use of his fair to set the main buUdings on fire. Niels got back late in extensive collection of material on British and North American October of 1945, and I met him in Calgary, having resigned steam tractors and to the University of Reading Rural History from my highly paid Government job I! Centre, Berkshire, England, for their information on tiie engines and cable machinery and for their photocopies of the same A further note; how many other Lethbridge people saw the implements seen herein. bonfire on the RCMP barracks on November 11th, 1918? My twin sister Betty and I did, along with our parents.

J More memories of VE Day. "• The April 1995 program of the Lethbridge Historical Society The Spring Coulee History Book is at the printers. To was an evening of oral memories of VE Day in 1945. The reserve your copy send a $25.00 deposit to Gerry Ripley of following two stories were sent in for consideration for a Spring Coulee, AB. TOK 2C0. The expected seUing price is newsletter. Should any one else have memories they would like to $65.00. Order now for deUvery in time for Christmas. share, we would like to hear from you. Editor. From Helen M. (Bews) Newton of Del Bonita: "I was teaching junior high and some high school subjects at What's Going on at the Gait Museum? Carmangay. Leonard McKenzie was principal, and Alice Taylor, Marie Matlock, and Vilda Whitney were other teachers on staff. Saturday & Sunday Sept. 9 & 10 "Prairie We aU felt great relief and joy - to think tiiat no more promising T.A.L.E.S," Lethbridge's Third Annual Storytelling young people would be leaving for military service - but there Festival at the Gait Museum presented by TALES - was a feeling of sortow for those who would not retum - and Lethbridge. (The Alberta League Encouraging expectation for those who would. It was either that same Storytelling) The schedule of events includes aftemoon - or the next that the older students and young people Workshops by Jan Andrews & Ted Stone and of the district gathered railway ties and hauled them to a vacant performances by different storytellers from across North area at the west end of town to make a pyre - above which was America. They will spin a variety of stories every hour an effigy of Hitier, A crowd of people gathered there - where a on the hour. You can chose the stories you want to hear piano in a track served as a stage. Marie Matiock played the from the storyteUer of your choice. piano - and Gertie Fraser sang patriotic songs while the fire bumed to the ground. We hugged each other - and cheered -. It Ted Stone is a writer, editor, storyteller, author (It's was a time of mingled joy and grief. I was 30 years old at the Hardly worth Talking if You're Going to Tell the ttuth, time." The Ghost of Peppermint Flats and Other Stories, The One That Got Away, 100 years of Cowboy Stories, From Nina Kloppenborg of 1819 12 Ave. S. Lethbridge, AB Alberta Roadside History, and Hailstorms and T1K0N5 Hoopsnakes). Jan Andrews is a storyteller and author (The Auction, The Very Last First Time, and Pumpkin 1 was at the meeting last week when several people told of Time) what they were doing on VE Day. At that time, I was rather uncertain about what specifically I was doing; I knew that I was Workshop fees: T.A.L.E.S. or I.R.A. members ~ $20.00 working in Waterton Park Office (Dept. of Mines and Resources) per Workshop or $30.00 for two. Non-members $30.00 where I had been employed since the spring of 1943 as Clerk per Workshop or $45.00 for two. Grade Two. My husband had gone overseas the previous year LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE LETHBRIDGE CH.«,PTER Of the Historical Society of .Alberta

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®Coovriami99S Numbers NEWSLETTER ISSN 0838-7249 Novemberl 995 Membership In the Historical Society of Alberta, including a subscription to the quarterly ALBERTA HISTORY: $20.00 per year single $25.(X) a couple or family. Those members residing from Nanton south are also registered with the L«hbridge Historical Soci^y and receive newsletters and notices. Your mailing label expiration date will be highlighted when it is time to renew) Please send your dues to the treasurer. LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS President Wm. (Bill) (Jaunita) Lingard Past President George F. (Josephine) Kush Vice-President Carlton R. (Barbara) Stewart Secretary/Newsletter Editor Irma (Jake) Dogterom Treasurer David J. (Gerry) Dowey Council Member (1996) Douglas J. (Claudia) Card Council Member (1996) Gordon (Rose) Toiton Council Member (1995) (Position Vacant) Council Member (1995) Robert (Emerice) Shore Council Member (1997) Greg Ellis Council Member (1997) Richard Shockley (Leslie) Regular meetings are held in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Meetings & Notices United Church of Canada. The sources of this historical research include several locally written community history books, The first regular meeting of the LHS wUl be held on individual interviews with the some of the local residents, the October 17 at 7:15, om usual time, but not our usual minute books of the Church Board and the Ladies Aid, as well as date. George Kush will introduce a video showing the Provincial Archives in Edmonton. Publication date is set to photographs of southem Alberta taken by WilUam E Hook. coincide with the 90th anniversary celebration of the Mountain *************** Mill Church in June, 1996. Copies can be ordered from: Jim George, 79 Tudor Crescent, Lethbridge, AB, TIK 5C7 (320-0714) The Annual General Meeting of the Lethbridge Historical Society is set for November 30, 1995. The THE ORIGDSf OF MOUNTAIN MILL CHURCH speaker for the evening is Donna Livingstone of the The community of Mountain Mill had its origin in 1879 Glenbow Museum staff, and her topic wiU be "Guy Weadick with the consfruction of a saw mill commissioned by the and the Calgary Stampede". A registration form is enclosed Dominion Govemment. The mill produced lumber for the with this issue. homesteader's houses and jobs for many of the local residents. *************** Annual spring flood waters of the creek brought logs to the mill from furdier upstream. Floods were also unfortunately the mUl's The January 23 meeting wiU be held in tiie Ubrary as nemesis. The big flood of 1886 broke the boom and thus tiie usual, with Albert Alsop, WW II R.C.A.F. veteran, as supply of logs for tiiat year was lost. Another flood in 1902 not speaker for the evening. An Engine Mechanic with the 39th only took out the boom, but also part of the saw mill. It was Reconnaissance Wing, Albert will speak on his experiences never rebiult. near enemy lines in Europe as his unit advanced into In 1903, arrangements were made for Rev. H. R. Grant, a Germany. Presbyterian minister at Pincher Creek to conduct worship SCTvices in the recreation room of the now abandoned saw mill. THE HISTORY OF MOUNTAIN MILL CHURCH For each Sunday Service, Rev. Grant traveUed the ten miles from The following summary is taken from the script of a book Pincher Creek by horse and buggy. By 1906, tiie congregation entitled "There's a Church in the Valley". It is the history of the decided that "a church proper" was necessary. After raising $480 Mountain Mill Church, located ten miles west of Pincher Creek, in cash and promises of volunteer labour, the church was bmlt built in 1906, and still standing today almost in its original on land donated by William Gladstone. He and George condition. The history, commissioned by the Alberta and Ballantyne were the biulding foremen. The original church was Northwest Conference Historical Society of the United Church of 30' X 24' witii a 6' X 16' entry. A few years later tiie Ladies Aid Canada, has been written by Jim George. A Foreword to the had a 18' x 16' vestry added. Ninety years later the church book has been contributed by Marion Best, Moderator of the building is essentially the same as originally constructed. The exterior is painted siding, the interior is cedar. The heat is still Church to flie United Church of Canada. The unofficial and long provided by a coal and wood stove. Running water and stand links between Mountain Mill and Pincher Creek were electricity have never been instaUed. The original pump organ is formalized in 1989 at the request of Rev. Joyce Sasse when by still in regular use. The building and the furnishings are motions of each of the Boards, Mountain MiU became a part of essentiaUy museum pieces. tiie Pincher Creek Pastoral Charge. Since that time, tiie Mountain Mill congregation has sent a representative to die board at Pincher Creek.

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Mountain Mill Church about 1914. The trestle was for the .Alberta & Kootenay Railway Une which ran between Pincher Station and Beaver Mines. In 1909, die Kootenay and Alberta Railway built a branch line from Pincher Station to Beaver Mines to provide transportation for the coal mined there. Large wooden tresties Mountain Mill Church, May 1995. Note wood box at front door. were built across Lees Creek and MiU Creek. The great wooden MINISTERS OF MOUNTAIN MILL trestie bridging MUl creek, said to be die highest in Canada at tiiat time, passed right over tiie Mountain MiU Church. A very From the church archives, minute books, treasurer's books, tragic accident occurred during a Sunday moming worship service and from interviews with local people, a fairly accurate Ust has when one of the constmction workers fell to his death from the been prepared of the tiiirty three ministers who have served at frestie. The railway contractor, a Mr. Grant Smith arranged at Mountain Mill. Rev. H. R. Grant was the first minister in his own expense, to have a concrete foundation built and to have 1903. His pastorate included Pincher Creek, Cowley, and the church moved a few hundred yards to the south of its original Mountain MiU. Rev. W. M. Chalmers spearheaded the effort to site. Local legend has it that the trestie vibrated so much when build die church in 1906. It was Rev. Gavin Hamilton from the train was going over it, the crew refused to ride over tiie Cowley, who on Jime 7,1906, dedicated the church to the Glory trestie. They would set the train moving very slowly as it of God. A Mr. WiUiams, a stodent minister from Port Artiiur, approached the trestie, then jump off and let the train continue stated to tiie board of Managers on May 14, 1914 that "I have unmanned. On the other side a waiting brakeman would stop the been sent here by the Home Missions and I am entitied to $10 ttain and wait for the crews to catch up. Negotiations over the per Simday, and I am to be suppUed with board and a saddle next five or more years to have tiie railway pay for tiieir right of horse. I wiU preach twenty Sundays during the summer." way through the church property came to nothing. The Alberta Raising money for the minister's stipend was usually and Kootenay RaUway lost its contract with the CPR when the difficult. At die annual meeting of January 4,1916, the treasurer Beaver Mines were closed. During the early part of the First reported that "of the $300 as om- share of the minister's annual World War, die railway tracks were taken out and the bridges and salary for the preceding year, $113.20 was still owing to Rev. tresties were sold for timber. Nodiing remains of tiie branch Chalmers". The Ladies Aid donated $25 toward tiie unpaid raUway Une and tiie high tresties except tiie bridge foundation and balance. It is not known if Rev. Chalmers ever received his the ruinous remains of some old buildings at MiU Creek. complete salary. However, the annual meeting minutes end witii AFHLIATION OF MOUNTAIN MILL CHURCH this typical notation, "The sociable time now commenced and many a fine cake and cup of coffee and tea disappeared preparatory The Mountain Mill church has always had an attachment to to leaving for our respective homes." the church in Pincher Creek. Begun as a Presbyterian Congregation in 1903, it was served on a sporadic and piece meal A series of summer student minsters including Mr. basis from Pincher Creek. During the 1920's the official Wilkinson, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Bmce Gray, Mr. Mattiiews, Mr. designation of Mountain miU was Presbyterian Mission Field, MiUar, and Mr. Scarf, served Motmtam Mill during the 1920's. being affiliated at different times with Beaver Mines and During die 1930's and 1940's a series of ministers serving Gladstone VaUey congregations. By 1947 tiie designation as a Pincher Creek conducted services at Mountain MiU as time Mission Fields had been phased out as indicated by a notation in permitted, some years almost every Simday and some years only tiie treasm-er's book that the bank account with a balance of during the summer. These included Rev. J. H. Garden. Rev. G. $2.18 for tiie Westem Mission Field be closed. R. Lang, a long H. VUlette, Rev. N. W. Whitmore, Rev. R. Magowan, Rev. time member of Mountain Mill was church treasurer at that Erskine Pow, and Rev. L H. Goddard. time. In 1952, at tiie suggestion of Rev. Robert Moriarety, a motion was passed a congregational meeting that the property of Interest and attendance seemed to have lagged and the chiu-ch Mountain Mill church be transferred from the Presbyterian was closed tiirough 1949,1950, and 1951. Records indicate that Warren Braleigh, a summer student minister, followed by Ian GUchrist, brought renewed hope and activity to Mountain \fiU. For tiie next eleven years, Moimtain Mill was served by four deaconesses, whose work as assistant to the Pincher Creek minister included conducting worship services most Sundays at Mountain Mill. The deaconesses were Margaret Brown, Marion Hodgins, EUeen Graham, and Colleen Erb. Mountain Mill prospered under the leadership of the deaconesses and it was with a great deal of disappointment and sadness that the program was discontinued in 1963. A newspaper clipping, submitted by Rev. W. Dormer, is of sufficient historical interest to include it in this summary: On Wednesday, January 18, 1963, Robert Keith, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Myron Lang, was baptized at Mountain Mill in the church his grandfathers were instrumental in founding. It was the baby's great-great-great grandfather Gladstone who doruited the land for the United T^ 1^ i i i i is-*,% Church at Mountain MiU; and his great grandfather Lang - The interior of Mountain Mill Church taken May, 1995. This shows who was present at the ceremony - helped with the the original cedar boards which were refinished (sand-blasted and construction. His great grandmother Tourorid and his great oiled with Swedish oil), in 1988. The stove in the comer is the grandmother Nix were also present at the ceremony, along original coal or wood-burning stove, still in use to heat the church. with other grandparents and relatives. The Rev. Wellington Dormer conducted the service, arui receivedinto church membership the parents, Mr. arui Mrs. Myron Land, preaching upon the meaning of the vows they had taken. At the close of the service a lunch was served in honor of Mr. Robert Lang who was celebrating his 93rd birthday." The ministers tiiat followed in the years 1964 - 1989, Rev. Larry Edwards, Rev. Ken Jordan, Peter Pace (summer student). Rev. Bob Putnam, and Rev. Jim Henning, conducted services at Mountain Mill as time permitted and a pattem of four services per year developed - Easter, Anniversary, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The current (1995) minister. Rev. Joyce Sasse, now conducts one service per month at Mountain Mill. WORK OF THE LADIES As with many congregations, tiie chief financial support and tiie piUar of strengtii was provided by the ladies. The names of The only remaining hand-made pew from the early years of the the ladies' organization changed from Ladies Aid (discontinued church. during the First Worid War in favour of the Red Cross) to Women's AuxiUary Society, to Ladies Auxiliary, and finally to THE CHURCH BUILDING United Church Women. The minutes of the Ladies Groups One might question how this small wooden frame building, indicate they not only worked to raise funds for the operation of erected in 1906, has withstood the ravages of time, when so the church, but they also made arrangements for tiie regular many other buildings have been tom down or replaced. The littie church services and die special events. church survived because it was dearly loved by the people who Quilt making, needlework, bake sales and bazaars, catering, built and used it. For ninety years this littie church has met the and a whole host of otiier activities were organized as fund risers. requirements of worship and a centre for the commimity. Several notations in the minute books during the 1920's show A succession of dedicated volunteers has maintained the that the ladies provided whatever money the Church managers building through tiie years. All tiie cleaning and minor repairs i.e. tiie board, lacked to pay the minister's salary. have been done by unpaid volunteers. For example, in the A full course dinner after the Christmas church service Ladies Aid minutes of May 1931, "It was decided by the meeting became an annual tradition. The dedication and commitment of that we have a bee after the 12tii of July picnic, for the men to the ladies is even more remarkable when one realizes that all the paint the outside of the church, and the ladies to clean the inside dinners were served, and are still being served, witiiout the and to vamish tiie chairs." Qeaning the church and lighting the convenience of running water or electricity. The ladies also took wood and coal stove for Sunday services was done by assigning on the responsibility of providing transportation for the famiUes in rotation order. Thus the expense of caretakers was ministers, which in the 1920's was a saddle horse. The last avoided. Without electricity or running water, the utility bills available record of this provision appears in the Ladies Aid were kept to a minimum. The only recurring cost to the minutes of 1926 when it "was moved that we sell the Ladies Aid congregation to maintain the building is that of insurance. saddle horse for $15 or more, and if we can't sell it before the In 1983, after tiie building was declared an historic site, picnic, we will sell tickets on tiie horse on picnic day." government grants were made available for restoration and reservation of the littie church. The entire roof was replaced, A new act called the Westem Grain Transportation Act was he exterior was painted, the interior sandblasted and oiled, the passed on November 17, 1983, to go into effect Jan. 1, 1984. property was fenced, and other repairs made. The government Underits terms grain shipping costs were to gradually increase, grants were supplemented by much volunteer labour and the but were not to exceed 10% of the world price for grain. The ladies as usual supported the workers by supplying meals, federal govemment agreed to pay the rest of the transportation lunches, and coffee. Since that time, the broken windows have costs. Li retum railways were to spend 16.5 billion dollars on been repaired, new steps installed at the back door, storage new equipment and expansion by 1992. cupboards have been buUt, and the organ repaired. The program fffoved costiy for the Canadian government In die last crop year (1994-95), 560 milUon dollars was paid to tiie railroads for the transportation of grain. The call for a balanced budget by the Canadian people, combined with opposition to the program by members of GATT, increased pressure for the removal of the 'Crow rate'. The General Agreement on Tariffs — .'- . •r'Tr**"-".•dii."""i i..: :... •-•r-.-s .;fiK-s and Trade negotiators opposed the act, calling it a subsidy, and •"•-'-'•*• .i-aui'*i»i

• ii» WlfJl-V-«r - -T^f '5*i«; ^ Witii the Westem Grain Transportation Act scrapped, a new program has been implemented to ease the transition period for Canadian farmers. The Westem Grain Transition Payment Plan, is designed to help farmers adjust to the change in production costs. It calls for a one time payment of 1.6 bilUon doUars, the money to be shared by the person or persons who own the land, and the person or persons who farm it. In the event of custom farming, or sub-letting, no agreement is necessary. If a share ^•-'1:, -I M agreement cannot be reached between farmer and lessee, a r'T:j9MP*'?- mediator will be called in. If agreement still cannot be reached, binding arbitration will be imposed. The lessee is required to The original organ from about 1906. It has been maintained and kept in good condition and is still used for monthly services.. notify the WGTPP Administration of any problems. Precise amounts to be received will not be known until all applications So, in 1995, as this story is being written, the Mountain are in and processed. MiB congregation look back with pride at the restoration, and Farmers' costs in other areas, e.g. fertilizer, building look forward with confidence to worshipping for many years to materials, machinery, and interest on loans, has risen by 3.6 % come in their "Church in the valley". Ninety years after it was in the last year. (1.5 % in the east and 5.5% in the west. More butit, this littie church provides sanctuary for some twenty five fertilizer is used in die West.) Witii tiie loss of tiie Crow rate, people who stUl gather once a month for worship. How long transportation costs are expected to triple in eastern this pattem wiU last is only speculation. However, with the past Saskatchewan and Manitoba, (due to their distance from tiie history of faithful contributions of time and money, one can safely predict tiiat Mountain MUl wiU be alive and active for Vancouver terminals), double in the remainder of Saskatchewan, many ears to come. and have a lesser effect on Alberta. At the present time grain prices are rising which will help As 'the Crow' - 'Flies'! by Irma Dogterom, with allay the cost of the transition. The world wheat price is now assistance from Doug Smith. $201 a tonne, up from $110 for tiie previous three years, and $95 On August 1, 1995, reduced freight rates on westem grain for the 1991-92 year, however some economists forecast a introduced Sept. 6, 1897, were discontinued. The 1897 downturn in prices for the foUowing year. agreement gave the Canadian Pacific Railway a cash subsidy rf Loss of the Crow rate will bring many changes to the 3.3 mUUon doUars and 'titie to pass into British Columbia', in farming indushy. Branch line and country elevator closures are exchange for reducing rates (about 15%) on grains shipped east, forecast, with a consequent job loss. Farmers will try for and westbound "settiers effects", in perpetuity. increased local sales to eliminate transportation costs. Some The agreement was suspended during World War I, an land may be taken out of production, or altemative crops grown. inflationary period, and reinstated in 1925 "on all rail Unes to Changes in farming will bring changes to farm service Fort WUUam", after poUtical and legal maneuvering, which had industries and additional jobs may be lost. Farming has the begun in 1922. At this time the "settiers effects" provision was added problem of the producer having littie or no control over the canceUed. The rates would apply on grain and flour traffic only. price received for his product. The loss of the Crow rate will put This solution was not satisfactory to anyone and further greater stress on an already stressful occupation. negotiations produced a 1927 agreement in which tiie rates would Looking for a Christmas gift? -- a local apply to all the company lines, but only on grain and history will be off the press in time for Christmas. The unprocessed grain products. publication date is to be November 17, 1995. "Water Through die ensuing years, a large proportion of freight Works Wonders!, tile history of Wilson, White, McMahon, u-affic was taken up by grain shipments, but 'the Crow rate', as it and River Junction School Districts", is at tilieprinter s now. became known, represented a smaller and smaller portion of the There are hundreds of pictures, and histories of many of the actual cost of transporting it. Railroads were reluctant to spend first settiers of the Lethbridge area. Pre-ordering is essential money to handle the increased grain production traffic, so the as only a limited number of books are going to be printed. improvement and expansion of rail Unes was hindered, and the Be sure to get your order in now. Send it to Barbara Bond,- railroad lobbied fw an end to the reduced rates. 10 Laval Cres. W. Letiibridge, AB, or caU her at 381-0864.