First Edition — Series Book 1 Highways 1 & 3 Border —

HIGHWAY HISTORY

SERIES HIGHWAY HISTORY SERIES Bookl HIGHWAYS 1 & 3: SASKATCHEWAN TO LETHBRIDGE

Project Originator & Director •Bruce Haig*

Written & Researched by •Zola Bruneau* •Carol Turman Low»

Advertising design & layout: Glory Watson, Zola Bruneau, Naomi White Also involved in the project: Frank Huszar, Michael D. Johnston, Marty Giesbrecht, Robert Ward, Lorraine Niwa

Funding for this project was made available through the Employment and Immigration Commission's "Canadian Jobs Strategy"

This book is dedicated to the Macintosh, the Pagemaker Program, 8t the LaserWriter which made desktop publishing & therefore, this book, possible.

ISBN 0-9691010-7-4

PUBLISHED BY HISTORIC TRAILS SOCIETY OF ALBERTA c/o Historical Research Centre 1710-31 St. N. LETHBRIDGE, AB T1H 5H1 1987 Meet Fidler, the buffalo — our logo and mascot. He'll guide you down the road. Don't worry about getting lost, as he has been around a long time.

Our Fidler represents what is thought to be the first view Europeans had of the Highway History buffalo. The sketch was first published in 1554. It was done by an artist who never saw the animal, and was drawn from descriptions sent back to Spain by early adventurers in America.

WHY DO WE CALL HIM FIDLER?

The great Hudson's Bay Company surveyor and explorer, Peter Fidler, arrived in in 1792 and gave us the first written descriptions of the area. Just one of the many fascinating characters you will read about in the Highway History Series.

WHERE WILL THE HIGHWAY HISTORY SERIES TAKE ME?

BOOK 1 — Highways 1 & 3 — Saskatchewan to Lethbridge BOOK 2 — Highway 3 — Lethbridge to Cranbrook, B.C.

Available from the publisher $9.95 each Historic Trails Society of Alberta c/o Historical Research Centre 1710 - 31 St. N. LETHBRIDGE, AB, T1H 5H1 BOOK 3 — Highway 2 — Carway (U.S. border) to — available in the spring of 1988. Until then ...

To Brooks & #1

WALSH

To Coutts & U.S.A. Border To Wildhorse border crossing

BOOK 1: HIGHWAYS 1 & 3 — SASKATCHEWAN BORDER - LETHBRIDGE ITS NOT RYE HONEST! It looks, smells and even tastes like Canadian rye whisky but it isn't.

BARNWELL Anew technological What was Barnwell originally named? process allows us to Woodpecker was the name for the early railway stop here. There are those who say that produce a revolutionary Woodpecker referred to an island on the north of the settlement which had new product which been named Akka-kima-toskway, or Many Woodpeckers, by the Blackfoot. Railway en­ tastes like aged whisky thusiasts, however, might prefer the explanation that "Woodpecker" was a joking refer­ ence to an old C.P.R. boxcar which was used for years as a telegraph office. without the cost of aging... and the savings Where was Bountiful? are passed on to the Between 1908-9 Barnwell was known as Bountiful due to some clever thinking on the customer. townspeople's part. The C.P.R was diverting waste water into the coulee near Chin and the people of the community decided that if they constructed a ditch they could, by gravity, conduct this water the ten miles to Bountiful and use the water for their land and stock as well as house use.

The Bountiful Ditch was completed in 1909 with the water arriving into a public pond and dam which held it as a reservoir for future use. This helped lead the way to the Pro­ vincial Irrigation Act, which has been used for all irrigation districts that have come into operation since that time. John But like many stops along the railway, Barnwell owes its present name to someone involved with the C.P.R. In 1909 the name was changed to commemorate R. Barnwell, Palliser general agent of the C.P.R. in Winnipeg. Premium When did the Mormons arrive? Liquor The Mormons started to settle in the Barnwell area after 1903 and soon predominated. Co-operative endeavor played an important part in helping the economic stability of the Mormons and they helped construct an irrigation system which enabled them to raise sugar beets and cannery crops.

Was it difficult adjusting to a new country?

When coal mining started in Barnwell, experienced miners were needed, and W.S. Johnson influenced two Welshmen, Messrs. John Evans and Mr. Lockstan, to homestead A pioneer in our and settle there. A mining experience of Mr. Evans reveals the hardships of adjusting to industry, named by us the rigors of a new country. for a pioneer in the The first winter that Evans and Lockstan were settled at Raymond, coal was obtained history of the from nearby farmers on the St. Mary's River. William Knight, who initiated the opening of a community mine at Barnwell, assisted with finances and placed these two men in Canadian West. charge. One cold afternoon Mr. Evans decided to leave camp and walk to Raymond Manufactured by through the storm and snow. He wandered around, lost his trail, took the road to , travelled across the Old Pothole Coulee and finally arrived back in camp with Palliser Distillers severely frozen feet. W.S. Johnson brought Evans to Raymond, where he was rushed to Lethbridge, Alberta the Lethbridge Hospital. His feet were saved, but he was crippled for life. How did Barnwell evolve?

The first men to settle here heard of the fine, flat grazing land in this area and filed claims in December of 1902. In 1907 their wives and children joined them, and a school was started the following year. Although the land was good, water was scarce, and for some Full Service Gas time all water was hauled up a steep and from the Oldman River. Under Car & Truck Repair these conditions prairie fires were a real hazard, and early farmyards were surrounded Bulk Fuel & Oil with rows of plowed land that served as fire guards. Most of these early settlers were Mormons, and their sense of co-operative endeavor was responsible for many early improvements. Services we now take for granted helped to bridge the isolation of Phone 223-1212 homesteading days. Telephones appeared on the scene in 1911 and the Old Red Trail, a or 223-4621 graded dirt road, was built the following year. A regular mail service was established in 1917 with the cooperation of the railway. Highway #3 BARNWELL, ALBERTA Barnwell had big dreams, and in 1917 the original school was replaced with a fine brick building. The Mormon church was at the heart of this community. Early entertainment included church-centered activities, plays, socials and for a time an excellent band. At Brite Spot the Calgary Jubilee Stampede the band won first prize for its efforts. The townspeople hoped that the sugar factory would be located in Barnwell, and it appeared that their hopes for growth and industry might become a reality. However, the sugar factory was built at Taber, and since then, Barnwell has been content with its role as a small rural jazmes community. groceries Where did the Mennonites come from? K Kano, Prop. Barnwell, Alta Several different types of Mennonites have settled in the Barnwell area over the years, among them are those known as Somerfelder, Bargtaler and Old Mennonites. They came Phone 223-3435 from parts of Saskatchewan, northern Alberta and Mexico. Initially they worked in the area as sugar beet laborers, but some bought land and setded in the area, and others Home of the Tak Burger moved away. Of those that remain, it is generally the older generation that retain the old ways. J)t*to?tc fcteuts in Old Mennonite beliefs set them aside from what they consider the corrupting influence of Cattafra**

The Horseless Age, the first car magazine, was published When did irrigation arrive? in 1895. It predicted that: "In cities and towns the noise and Irrigation was first attempted in the Palliser's Triangle by John Quirk in 1878 when he clatter of the street will be reduced, a priceless boon to dammed Sheep Creek near to water a large hay meadow. The following year, the tired nerves of this John Glenn irrigated grain and vegetables at Fish Creek near Calgary. It was produce overwrought generation... from this farm that was used for a dinner for the Marquis of Lome at Calgary on his tour streets will be cleaner, jams & of the North West. Quirk's neighbours, meanwhile, followed suit, and by 1894 nine blockades less likely to occur, irrigation systems were being supported by Quirk's diversion. and accidents less frequent, for the horse is not so manageable Extensive irrigation didn't really get off the ground until years later. The Alberta Irriga­ as a mechanical vehicle." tion Company, originated by the Gaits, held vast tracts of land in the western segment of Sponsored by the Palliser Triangle which it wished to sell. Although the extensive grasslands were more suited to ranching than mixed farming, selling smaller blocks to farmers would be ;eOfec O' more profitable and would setde the country more quickly. But mixed farming would not be possible in much of southern Alberta without irrigation, and who would pay for such a see back cover large and not immediately profitable undertaking? Lethbridge was the main center in the area and had been created by the coal mines developed by the illustrious Gaits, who seemed to have their finger in every Southern Alberta pie. The Lethbridge News was behind the drive for irrigation as it seemed to be the only way to attract settlers to the area. William Pearce, considered to be the father of Irrigation in Alberta, was cited in arguments recommending irrigation over most of Southern Alberta as there were many rivers available for water diversion. The govern­ ment, however, was unwilling to finance such a large project although local arguments reasoned that, as the owner of all crown lands, the government would profit by any land improvements as they had when the C.P.R. went through this area. Meanwhile, private irrigation works were appearing. In 1889, Charles Ora Card introduced irrigation to 800 acres of farmland near , the town he founded. The Macleod Irrigation Company became the first chartered company in the area, when it undertook some irrigation. However, settlers did not pour into the area and government officials thought that stressing irrigation would further deter prospective settlers, who would avoid such an arid climate.

The Alberta Irrigation Company turned to the Mormons, one of the largest groups of settlers farming in the area, and offered to sell them land at one dollar an acre if they agreed to dig an irrigation canal. An agreement was reached, only to be broken by the Mormons in 1895. There was also the problem of financing the canals that would pass through government lands. The company charter expired in 1896, three years after it was started, without any work being done. Under a new name, the Canadian Northwest Irrigation Company, C. A. Magrath, the company's agent in Alberta, made a proposal to Jim Hamilton the Department of the Interior which was accepted. It authorized the company to THE RADIATOR MAN construct an irrigation system within ten years. Several things happened to push these plans to reality. Free land in the United States ran out, early maturing grain was devel­ 230-12thSt.C. N. oped, the price of wheat rose and the development of elevators, wheat pools and grain Lethbridge, Alberta ships offered better methods of shipping to distant markets. Suddenly settlers were coming in from all over. Clifford Sifton, the new minister of the Interior, awarded Phone:329-1515 irrigation efforts with many concessions. An irrigation engineer came from Denver, and he reported that the St. Mary's River would be good for an extensive irrigation project.

The Mormons were approached again, and they agreed to supply all the labor to dig the RLi canals in exchange for a payment of one-half in cash and one-half in land, the land being ENTERPRISES LTD valued at three dollars an acre. The C.P.R. gave the Alberta Irrigation Company subsidy payments to a total of $100,000.00. Arrangements made, work could begin, and on August 26,1898, Ora Card, the Mormon leader, plowed the firstfurro w for the ditch. All the work was done with teams of horses and hundreds of men. No concrete was used, and over a million feet of lumber went into sluiceways, gates and buildings. Ironically, TANK TRUCK the project was seriously hampered by torrential rains and floods which seriously eroded SERVICE the freshly dug canals. But despite the hardships endured by the workers and their • families, who lived in tents, the 115 miles of canal were completed on July 4,1900, and the water was turned on. This system irrigated 200,000 acres and the system was used 24 HOUR SERVICE for 50 years. • VACUUM TRUCK The great bid for settlers was on. Southern Alberta was labelled the "Colorado of Canada" and the certainty of farming irrigated land was advertised as "The farmer is in SERVICE fact his own rainmaker." Nature, however, thought otherwise, and in 1902 three great floods deluged the region and destroyed much of the canal system. Land sales lagged during the wet years, but the canals were repaired, and later, periods of dry years suc­ ROBERT ceeded in making irrigation a success. From this original system on the St. Mary River, today's system has expanded tremendously. Today's farmers, however, do not rely upon & ditch irrigation which causes problems with soil salinity, and sprinkler systems are now SHARON responsible for the productivity of Southern Alberta. HOWELLS BOX 98 Where did Alberta get its name? The Province Of Alberta was named after Queen BARNWELL Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. 223-4216 When did the first Japanese settle here? WJIfiWUSMTTERS The first sizeable group of Japanese came to Southern Alberta in 1903 with the opening 1246 - 3rd AVENUE NORTH of the sugar factory in the town of Raymond. Forty came in this group, and when the sugar factory closed in 1914, about half started dryland farming in the area and the rest Cool in Summer, moved to Lethbridge. Japanese farmers still make up much of the Japanese population in Southern Alberta. Ninety percent of the potatoes grown in this area are raised by second Warm in Winter, generation Japanese, who are called Nisei. Secure atfyear %gund.

BE SMART! Why did settlers choose Canada? PICK A PEKA! 329-4597 Most people came from crowded countries where opportunities for land ownership were limited. It was this that Canada offered — land and opportunity. American farmers were lured north by advertisements at county fairs that assured interested people that the frozen north was a myth. The Canadian government sponsored trips for immigration ,*• tfttttefr agents and settiers from Britain so they would spread the good word of available land. %Xx trout* European agents were paid $5 for each farmer recruited and $2 for each family member. *•• • *' Colorful government posters portrayed "Canda West— The Last Best West", and offered ranching, dairying, grain raising, fruit raising, mixed farming, and "Free homes Head-Smashed-In for Millions." Buffalo Jump & How were the Japanese treated during World War JJ?

View the finest Despite the fact that before the war seventy-six percent of Japanese Canadians were born buffalo jump in the in Canada, there was still resentment toward them. When the war broke out, animosity world with its increased, and the Japanese were accused of a wide range of offenses. Some maintained magnificent museum that the Japanese fishermen on the coastline were using their knowl­ buried in the edge of the coast to aid a Japanese invasion plot, so their movements were restricted. cliff, then... Those who had trained in the army had to turn in their uniforms; fishing boats were impounded; language schools were closed; and eventually the Japanese were not allowed fly over the famous to own cameras or radios. Frank Slide and observe cracks Finally agitation became so great that the Japanese were evacuated from the West Coast that could dictate and moved inland, first to the interior of B.C., then to Southern Alberta, where whole future disaster. families were contracted as beet laborers. Despite the fact that their homes along the coast had been confiscated and sold, their livelihoods destroyed, and their communities For more Information contact: broken up, the Japanese preferred to go to Southern Alberta as at least here their families Dtstottcal JK*seatc6 remained intact, whereas in the interior of B.C. families were broken up. There were Japanese already residing in Alberta at this time who were not restricted like those that C*titr* were relocated. Regardless, the general public did not differentiate between the two 1710-31 St. N. groups. One Japanese resident, a native Southern Albertan, recalls going into a store Lethbridge, Alta., T1H5H1 where he had shopped for years. Only a young boy, he was refused service and the store owner sent him away with, "You dirty rat, you bombed Pearl Harbour" ringingi n his ears. Residents suddenly became aware of the meetings of the Buddhist Church that had ACCU-SYSTEMS been held since 1929. The cry of subversion was raised. The locals were afraid that a C INCORPORATED 3 sinister plot was being cooked up in conjunction with the prisoner of war camp in COMPUTERIZED Lethbridge. ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS Despite continuing hardship and prejudice in Southern Alberta, it was soon recognized PERSONAL & CORPORATE that the Japanese were a hard working people, and the same farmers who were reluctant TAX to have them on their farms in the beginning were not anxious for them to leave once the hostilities were over. The Japanese do not dwell on the injustices and cruelties that PAYROLL occurred, but neither have they forgotten them, as is illustrated by a comment made by a Japanese resident of Southern Alberta: "Everyone has done well, since we started with 3 1904-13 Av. N. nothing." A visible symbol of the appreciation of the Japanese is the Nikka-Yuko PHONE: 328-8575 Japanese Garden in Lethbridge, which is open to visitors during the summer months. LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA nmm iMABl Highway History PARIS

BOW ISLAND BURGESS What is the Laidlaw Site? flUTDRDTHJE The Laidlaw Site north of Bow Island is thought to be a rare antelope kill site. It consists of two stone circles, a rectangular excavated stone enclosure with drive lines, and a Specialists in Air nearby stone cairn. Identifiable bones in this trap are antelope, and it is thought the stone Conditioning & Electrical cairn may have been a religious structure. These early Indians relied on stealth, skill and Parts for Most an intimate knowledge of game habits, but they also attributed their success in hunting to Vehicles the guidance of a higher power. HIGHWAY #3 How are archaeologists helping us piece together our past? & CENTRE STREET South of the highway the Forty Mile Coulee Reservoir is transforming the coulee of that name into another irrigation lake to provide water for crops. Before construction could P.O. BOX 40 begin, archaeological consultants surveyed the area and found over seven hundred BOW ISLAND cultural items. Since it is now mandatory that each construction project is preceded by ALBERTA archaeological investigation, many new sites in Alberta have been found and investi­ gated. (403) 545-2440 Who were the early explorers in the area? AFFORDABLE The area around Bow Island was considered a treacherous place for white men as the J FASHIONS Blackfoot did not like "White Foreheads" crossing their territory. Peter Fidler, the early FOR THE surveyor who established a fur trading post at Chesterfield House (near Empress, U WHOLE Alberta) sent some white men through this area to collect resin in the late 1700's, but FAMILY AND otherwise this was an area that was generally avoided. MUCH.MUCH d MORE! Members of the Palliser Expedition were some of the first white men to enter this territory on their way south to the in 1859. Their large party included a d geologist, a botanist, a magnetic observer and the usual contingent of packers, interpret­ ers and guides. They were the first in this area not attached to either a church or fur- y MEN'S trading enterprise and were sent to investigate the potential of the area for a suitable & LADIES' railway route and future settlement. S FASHIONS Palliser's party had an interesting time while attempting to build rafts to cross the South CHILDREN'S Saskatchewan river. Grizzlies occupied the brush near the camp and kept startling the CLOTHING men. Four bears were killed in self-defense and the place became known as Grizzly Camp. Once Palliser's party was across the river the Blood Indians brought the expedi­ P FOOTWEAR tion to visit their camp. On the way some braves raced by in a desperate attempt to save &T0YS an Indian woman who, while berry picking, was attacked by a grizzly bear. The braves I arrived too late to save her but killed the bear. At the camp a sick child was brought to SEWING GOODS James Hector, who was the expedition's doctor. He started to mix some medicine, but a before he could begin treatment a medicine man rushed in and took the child away. The doctor told the interpreter that he would take no further responsiblity, and the child died c P.O. BOX 206 soon after. Later another sick child was brought to Hector and when the same medicine BOW ISLAND man tried to interfere, the mother sprang upon him "like a tigress," for she had seen the e ALBERTA results of his last "treatment." PHONE: (403) 545-2255 From this point on, the Blood Indians travelled with the white men, and it was soon obvious that they were not about to leave. Palliser and his men found the situation annoying as the Indians showed too great an interest in the horses and goods and would often disappear with blankets, tobacco and other items. A constant guard had to be kept Treasury Branches At a feast at the Indian camp, Palliser was ominously warned about proceeding any further as only two white men had been in that area before, and the vicious Assiniboine Indians were enemies of the Blood tribe. Although not anxious to cross into Indian ALBERTANS INVESTING territory, the Bloods felt that if they travelled with such an impressive party there was less IN ALBERTA chance of problems with the Assiniboine.

Finally Palliser tried to shake them off by packing up camp and leaving very early in the P.O. BOX 339 morning. Members of the expedition thought it humorous to see the Indians frantically BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA tearing down their 300 tents in a hurried attempt to stay in the company of the expedition. T0K0G0 Freedom from the Indians was shortlived, and by noon of the same day Palliser's men (403) 545-2204 were back under chaperone.

What were the predictions for early settlement?

* Palliser held no great hopes for settlement in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan and in s Distort ^ottts $ his report he described the area: "The grass is very short on these plains, and forms no " * turf, merely consisting of little wiry tufts. Much of the arid country is occupied by tracts of loose sand, which is constantly on the move before the prevailing winds... This district, Retrace the Route though there are fertile spots throughout its extent, can never be much advantage to us of the (the British) as a possession." Original 1874 Great March West of the However, later surveys were made, and the enthusiastic reports of men such as John North West Mounted Police Macoun, coupled with the arrival of the N.W.M.P., encouraged ranchers to capitalize on Ft. Garry. MB - Ft. Macleod. AB the extensive grasslands of the plains.

With distances so far, what helped bring people together?

In 1885 Nathan Wallwork, one of the first ranchers in the Bow Island area, helped build BUS CHARTERS fi» TOURS the telegraph line from to Macleod. Neighbours were few and far between, and the Wallworks, Whitneys and Lindquists formed a close kinship created by their prairie isolation. However, as this was the era of railway travel and shipping, the trains were frequent, with as many as four a day passing the setdement after the line was rebuilt to standard gauge.

DELUXE COACHES FOR CHARTER What happened to the Home Ranch? ESCORTED PACKAGE TOURS LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED One of the largest ranches in the early 1900's was the Home Ranch, which leased 100,000 acres of crown land for its operations. The main shareholders, Sifton, McGregor, (403) 327-7200 and Hitchcock, obtained a large contract to supply beef for the company, which at the 403 Mayor Magrath Dr. S, LETHBRIDGE time was building the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. In an effort to open more land for FOR A CAREFREE TRIP CALL US the sod-busting type of settler, the government did not renew extensive ranch leases forcing these early ranchers to sell out or diversify to survive.

How did Bow Island get its name? Sir tHout* V v By mistake. The train stop was first called Cherry Coulee Siding, and then the town was • • • » supposedly named after an island, Bow Island, which was at the junction of the Old Man to and Bow Rivers. However, this junction is near the town now known as Grassy Lake. Fort Benton, Montana But to make up for this discrepancy, near Bow Island was a lake known as Grassy Lake Seven hour Trip include*: (it has long since dried up) and it is this lake that gave the town of Grassy Lake its name. Flight following the origial route into Canada Old-timers say that if Ottawa had been more familiar with local landmarks, the towns Tour of Fort Benton would still be known by the names of their appropriate landmarks. Since modern travell­ Fight down the historic Missouri River ers use the highway, the mix-up is only historical, and landmarks fall by the wayside. For more Information contact: Jjistortcal ^<0eatc6 Centre Another explanation of Bow Island's name concerns two ladies who were facing lives of 1710-31 ST. N. Lethbridge, ABT1H5H1 spinsterhood if they couldn't persuade two old bachelors to give up their lonely ways. One said she was out to "Win-a-Fred" (Winnifred) and the other retorted, "Before you do a beau-V ll-land." Thus the name Bow Island? But the names of places can be useful. It is said that a traveller from the east made a claim on his expense account for ferry fare to BOW ISLAND cross the " Grassy Lake" to get to Bow Island.

What was Old Glory? PHARMACY Bow Island was one of the first towns in Alberta to be heated and lighted with natural gas. This natural resource was discovered north of Bow Island during the early 1900's. £/?W.#£E, QOUD&frl'XS Eugene Coste undertook his first drilling venture, and it was a highly successful one. Old JT.WELL'E'Rfy, Glory, as Bow Island #1 was known, came in at 1900 feet with a gas flow of about x&LUMmx am>s, 8,000,000 cubic feet per day at 750 pounds per square inch. BOX 309 Who is often referred to as the father of Canada's natural BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA gas industry? (403) 545-2344 Eugene Coste. He was a geologist from Ontario who received his science, geology and mining degree in France. After working with the Canadian Government Geological B & Dee's Gas Bar Survey, he was hired by the to explore for natural gas. When he struck gas near the South Saskatchewan River close to Bow Island he persuaded the rail company to allow him developmental control. In 1910 he formed the Prairie Fuel Gas Company, and a year later the Canadian Western Gas, Light, Heat, and Power •Groceries Company. His company built one of the first long distance transmission lines in the • Movie Rental world. It spanned the 274 km. between Bow Island and Calgary. By 1921 it served • Fishing Tackle & Licences 11,692 customers in 8 communities. Today it serves 82, and the Bow Island field today • Gas & Diesel Fuel serves only as a reservoir. •Propane BLAINE & DONNA O'DONNELL PROPRIETORS Coste's fortune was made, and in 1913 the man sometimes known as the father of Canada's natural gas industry built a 28-room brick and sandstone mansion which can HIGHWAY #3 still be seen at 2208 - Amherst St. S.W., Calgary. BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA (403) 545-2335 What kind of maps did early travellers use? GX O The Palliser Expedition of 1857-8 made the first accurate map of the western interior. the co operators Palliser's map served as a guide for many travellers who followed after him. Butler, Insurance Services author of The Great Lone Land, used this map in the 1870's, as did Robertson-Ross when HOME AUTO FARM he did his reconnaissance of conditions in the West in 1872. COMMERCIAL Col. French used the Palliser Map as he and the new N.W.M.P. made their way west. Col. French commented, "We have in fact struck the South Saskatchewan (river) half a day O'Donnell Agencies sooner than expected, but an error of 8 or 10 miles in Palliser's map is a trifle." Sales Representative BOX 831, BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA However it was not Palliser's map that created problems but Robertson-Ross's report, BUS. (403) 545-2686 which placed the location of Ft. Whoop-up on the wrong junction of the Saskatchewan River System. When the tired North West Mounted Police arrived at their destination, they found that they were lost and headed for Ft. Benton to find a reliable guide. The original history of Southern Alberta WHEN THE WESTI ) WAS YOUNG What was Palliser's Triangle? by J.D. Higinbotham Palliser said that although some semi-arid country penetrated into Canada from the Great American Desert to the south, it was surrounded by a "fertile area" well suited for stock raising and agriculture. As a result the area between Red River (Winnipeg) and Edmon­ ^$9.95^) ton got all the attention. The Palliser Triangle in Alberta covers the area south of Calgary, west to the Porcupine Hills and runs south along the Saskatchewan border from at bookstores throughout central Alberta. Southern Alberta or order from: JHfftorical fcesearcfc Centre What did the Palliser Report say about this area?

"We knew at this time on the authority of Captain Palliser, who crossed and re-crossed the plains several times, that the central American desert extended a short way into British Territory, forming a triangle, having for its base the forty-ninth parallel..." This area became known as Palliser's Triangle — almost synonymous with the word desert — when John Palliser and his expedition submitted their reports and observations on the Great Plains of the Northwest.

BOW ISLAND Palliser reported:

PROVES The general barrenness and absence of valuable timber along this whole region of JOHN PALLISER country, has been the cause of great disappointment to us, as all the previous accounts we WAS WRONG!! had heard of the south branch of the Saskatchewan or Bow River, had led us to believe that it would have been a most desirable place for settlers, but having now examined all that river we find the whole region ... by no means a desirable district for settlement. John Palliser's expedition in 1859 said that this area The expedition's negative reports haunted the Alberta prairies for some time. While "can never be much points along the northern waterway routes (Ft. , St. Albert...) were being advantage to us as a settled, the prairie lands were bypassed by white men. Today the area is very productive possession." and at one time it produced over twenty per cent of Alberta's agricultural produce although it comprises only four percent of its farmland. It is also reputed to have one of John, you should see Canada's healthiest climates. But early explorers were interested in furs, not farmland, us now! and the Blackfoot hostility made it a fairly unhealthy place for white men in the early years. BOW ISLAND & DISTRICT IS ALIVE & DYNAMIC What did other explorers have to say about the area? Bow Island is the BEAN CAPITAL Of the West It is interesting to look back in time and see if other explorers agreed with Palliser.

Agricultural processing from our Seventeenth Century 110,000 acres of irrigation land includes: -Sunflower Seeds Henry Kelsey was the first white man to see the Canadian Prairies when he was travelling -Alfalfa Cubes with the Indians in 1690. They were mainly after beaver furs and just skirted the prairies to hunt buffalo, which were not yet in demand by the white man. Kelsey was not Our business district inspired by the prairies and merely commented: offers products of all kinds. August ye 20th. Today we pitcht to ye outermost Edge of ye woods this plain affords Nothing but short Round sticky grass & Buffilo. OUR ATTRACTIONS ARE: 9 Hole Golf Course Eighteenth Century Swimming Pool Centennial Park Campground Arena & Curling Rink It was not until 1754 , over fifty years later, that the next white man, Anthony Henday, Tennis & Racquetball Courts came west. Not only is he thought to be the first man to see the Rockies (North of Bowling Alley Colorado) but the first man to see the Blackfoot and to winter in central Alberta. His 4 Diamond Ball Complex observations of the prairies were short and to the point but not quite as negative: And soon we'll have a large recreation area at the Level land, few woods & plenty of good water. Forty Mile Reservoir Site. However Henday did not cross the heart of the plains either, although it is believed he did WE WELCOME YOU TO STOP IN AND ENJOY OUR go as far south as Innisfail. FRIENDLY HOSPITALITY.

For further information contact: It was Peter Fidler who gave one of the first well-documented accounts of the actual TOWN OF BOW ISLAND prairie lands. In 1792 the young Hudson's Bay explorer travelled with the much-feared P.O. BOX 100 Blackfoot during winter, and since the Chinook was on its best behavior, he had favor­ Bow Island, Alberta able opinions of the countryside: TOK 0G0 Phone (403) 545-2522 All the land in this country is a fine light sandy soil & if cultivated would produce excellent crops of all kinds of Grain, the seasons here being so very mild & temperate in the Winter season.

Despite this favorable review, white men still avoided this corner of Palliser's Triangle, and it was not until the next century that men actually began to investigate its potential as something other than a source for furs. On the , Nineteenth Century three kilometers west of the town of Bow Island, there Paul Kane viewed the prairies from its edges near central Alberta in 1847. He was one of exists a business that has been Canada's earliest artists, and he left an artist's image in his book "Wanderings of an Artist created by the efforts of local Among the Indians of North America." He recorded the prairies in a very mellow mood: alfalfa growers.

/ sat down to make a sketch, the rest of the party promising to wait for me at the crossing In 1984,125 local farmers, place (Saskatchewan River). It was the commencement of Indian summer; the evening growers, and business men was very fine, and threw that peculiar soft, warm haziness over the landscape, which is from the area banded together supposed to proceed from the burning of the immense prairies. The sleepy buffaloes with TIROL DEHYDRATERS grazing upon the undulating hills, here and there relieved by clumps of trees, the unbro­ LTD. of Tilley, Alberta, to ken stillness, and the approaching evening, rendered it altogether a scene of most en­ establish BOW ISLAND chanting repose. DEHY LTD.

However, back east all that was known of the prairies came from hearsay, but that didn't This company is involved in stop the politicians from voicing decided opinions about the land. the utilization of the region's ideal alfalfa growing climate Was it likely that any persons would go to these barren tracts, where, for half a year, their to produce, dehydrate, and labour would be arrested by the vigour of the climate, and all occupation at an end, when put into cube form this ideal they had far more tempting lands to go to? forage crop, and to ship the finished product to markets An American, James Doty, went north in 1855 to inform American Indians in Canada of around the world. a Treaty Conference. He left a brief comment about the area near the present-day town of Milk River: With their superior product, customers have been found The soil is a loose sandy loam, the grass although very short, forms a heavy turf & the from Newfoundland to Prickley Pear has disappeared. Island in Canada, and many places in the United Thomas Blakiston started out with the Palliser Expedition, but after he quarrelled with its States; additionally, exported members, he continued alone. His observations seemed to contradict those of Palliser's, cubes have been well received but they were ignored: in Germany, Lebanon, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and a variety of Grass for pasture is abundant all through the plain country, that on the dry prairie being other foreign markets. short, but at the same time nutritious,... excellent food for cattle and horses. If, after seeing the plant from Although the major opinion was that Southern Alberta was a deserted wasteland, rumors the road, you are interested of whisky traders violating the laws and the need for a railway through to the district of in knowing more about their British Columbia made exploration essential and in the 1870's two men were sent out. business, you are encouraged The first was Captain W.F. Butler, author of The Great Lone Land. He reported on the to come into the office and tribes inhabiting the great plains lying between the Red Deer River and the Missouri: talk to their personnel about this growth industry. ... a vast tract of country which, with few exceptions, is arid, treeless and sandy, - a portion of the true American desert, which extends from the fertile belt of the Sas­ katchewan to the borders of Texas. ... this Blackfeet nation forms a people of whom it may truly be said that they are against every man, and that every man is against them. Essentially a wild, lawless, erring race, whose natures have received the stamps of the P.O. BOX 696 region in which they dwell; whose knowledge is read from the great book which Day, Night, and the Desert unfold to them; and who yet possess a rude eloquence, a savage BOWISLAND pride, and a wild love of freedom of their own. Nor are there other indications wanting to ALBERTA lend to the hope that this tribe may yet be found to be capable of yielding to influences to which they have heretofore been strangers, namely, Justice and Kindness. Ph.(403)545-2293

Inhabiting, as the Blackfeet do, a large extent of country which from the arid nature of its soil must eer prove useless for purposes of settlement and colonization, I do not appre­ hend that much difficulty will arise between them and the whites... COMMENTATOR PUBLISHING Colonel Patrick Robertson-Ross came west in 1872 and came further south than Butler had. He commented on the prairies from his vantage point in the foothills. From above (Bringing your message Falls he looked east and said the land there was "the finest country for settle­ to everyone in ment I ever saw." Southeastern flISerta When Colonel French brought the N.W.M.P. west, he met with the Indians on the southern prairies. The 40-Mile County / impressed upon them the fact that we did not want their land, and I think civilization Commentator will be hard pushed for room when it requires the coteau of the Missouri, at least for agri­ cultural use.

After the difficult and arduous trek west, it is probable that Colonel French believed that 40-MlleJp6wfip no one would ever want to settle on the prairies. But he was wrong. Cop^rierit^tor What exactly was the Palliser Expedition?

The Palliser Expedition was the first expedition sent out to the Northwest which operated independently from a fur trading enterprise or church interests. John Palliser proposed Serving the County of 40 Mile exploring the Great Canadian Plains for the British Government, and eventually the Royal Geographical Society sponsored a "scientific analysis of the plains and search for a pass through the Rockies suitable for a railway." The Cypress Courier The group included John Palliser, the expedition's leader. Eugene Bourgeau, a French­ man, was chosen to study the botany of the plains, for he was known in Europe as the "prince of botanical collectors." Although an abysmal horsemen who spent most of the trip riding in one of the Red River carts, he became known for his good nature. Thomas Blakiston was chosen for the job of magnetic observer, an avant garde field of study at the time. James Hector was also included in the expedition as he was a geologist and naturalist as well as a competent medical doctor. These men reflected the scientific interests of their times and were part of the movement that helped lay the underpinnings of our modern beliefs. It is interesting to note that Charles Darwin was consulted about this expedition.

Palliser hoped to travel across the prairies westward from Red River and then search for a Serving the M. D. of Cypress pass through the mountains.

Two papers serving How do we know how far Kelsey travelled on the prairies? Southeastern We don't. Kelsey's journal left us with a mystery as it gives only a vague idea of his Alberta together. route. There are those who believe he travelled quite a distance onto the prairies and as proof cite a poem Kelsey wrote: To get your message to every Now Reader Read for I am well assur'd Thou dost not know the harships I endur'd agricultural In this same desert where Ever yt I have been household in both Nor wilt thou believe without yt thou had seen municipalities give The Emynent Dangers that did often me attend... "their" paper a call. The ground begins for to be dry with wood... Thus it continues till you leave ye woods behind PHONE And then you have beast of sever all kind The one is a black a Buffilo great. (403) 545-2258 Certainly a thin song on which to base travelling deep into the prairies. 10 PAHL'S AUTO SERICE LTD. Burdett Highway History

COMPLETE BURDETT AUTOMOTIVE/ Who was Baroness Lady Angela Burdett-Coutts? FARM REPAIR

Burdett was named after the Baroness Lady Angela Burdett-Coutts, a very interesting TEXACO OIL lady. She lived from 1814 -1906 and was considered one of the wealthiest women in England. She was the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett and the granddaughter of Thomas & Coutts, a proprieter of England's Coutts Bank. King Edward VI said she was a remark­ GAS PRODUCTS able woman — second only to his mother, Queen Victoria. She had many suitors but was wary about their intentions and did not marry until she was in her sixties. Her husband, FULLY STOCKED William Ashmead Bartlett, was an American, thirty-seven years her junior, who had PARTS worked with Lady Burdett-Coutts as a secretary for her charity work. By royal licence, she retained her name after marriage. Despite the differences in their ages, she oudived DEPARTMENT her husband though they did manage to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary — when she was 92 and he was 49. P.O. BOX 1 Her tremendous wealth came with a great deal of responsibility, and she was involved in many undertakings. One of her more interesting ventures involved sending three BURDETT shiploads of single women to the frontier of British Columbia in hopes that they would ALBERTA find husbands among the miners flocking into the Cariboo country. The theory was that matrimony would encourage many of the men to stay in the country and help settle it (403) 833-3803 after the gold was gone.

Burdett-Coutts was a shareholder in many companies, including the North West Coal and Navigation Company that was organized by Sir Alexander Gait. This company initiated much of the coal mining in Southern Alberta, resulting in the construction of the rail line between Medicine Hat and Coal Banks, later Lethbridge. She became a shareholder in the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, which inspired the irrigation that made the prairies the productive farm land it is today. In 1908, due to these developments on the prairies, the Burdett area and the land surrounding Bow Island and Grassy Lake were thrown open for homestead. GROCERIES PRODUCE The town of Burdett got on the map when a boxcar was placed along the rails for a depot. & The settlers soon provided the small-town amenities, and another prairie community was MEATS born.

The town of Coutts on the American border on Highway #4 is also named after this notable lady. "SERVICE IS OUR SPECIALTY" How were prairie fires controlled in the early days?

From the late seventies until the end of the century, prairie fires took a severe toll every year. These fires burned over large areas, sometimes for several weeks at a time without ALBERTA any control being exercised. W.H.Cox reported that on one dip from Fort Walsh to in August 1881, he saw one strip eighty miles long that had been burnt by a P.O. BOX 34 prairie fire. As more people moved in, fires became more of a concern, but the most a settler could do was to circle his home and buildings with fireguards — rows of furrows (403) 833-3770 which turned the flammable material, grass, under. As the country became more popu­ lated, there was more manpower to fight fires.

11 R. Dykstra Before Palliser explored our prairies, I hear he was an adventurer, What had he done? Trucking Ltd. In an earlier trip in 1847, John Palliser had travelled up the Missouri with a trader for the American Fur Company on a hunting expedition and returned home to Ireland laden with souvenirs. Not only did he have the usual buffalo robes, grizzly bear and wolf skins, but he also brought back three live buffalo, a black bear, an antelope, two Virginia deer, and of course Ishmah, his half-wolf dog. These live mementos did not adapt very well; the buffalo died of tuberculosis, and the dog started killing sheep and was put in a zoo.

He wrote of his adventures in his book, The Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the Prairies.

His five brothers also shared this desire for adventure. Frederick and Edward went with HOPPER BOTTOM Sir Samuel White Baker (he discovered the source of the Nile) to Ceylon, Richard &HY-BOY SERVICE rescued a lady from pirates in the China seas, George travelled the Australian wilderness and Walter, the most notable of all, was lost with Sir John Franklin on his final disastrous polar expedition. 24 Hour Answering Service What caused the Dirty Thirties? (403) 833-3750 The financial ups and downs of the world were bearable on the prairies as long as the • farmers could raise enough to eat. But the weather was out of their hands.

P.O. Box 49 The years between 1931 and 1936 were characterized by cold winters and dry, hot sum­ BURDETT, Alberta mers. First there was a complete crop failure, and a drought followed by erosion and soil drifting. The following year, grasshoppers were bad. The drought of 1933 drove 500 farm families out of southeastern Alberta to the bush country northwest of Red Deer — ^ more would have gone in 1936, but by then there was no way out. In 1936 it was so cold that none of the department stores did enough business to pay heating costs. Calgary VILLAGE averaged twenty-seven degrees below normal for two months. The winter that had started with a balmy chinook was followed by a killer freezing rain and then blizzard OF after blizzard. This almost killed the ranching industry in Southern Alberta. BURDETT Then came the heat wave of 1936. At Foremost the temperature reached into the nineties tr * almost every day for six weeks. During ten days 500 died in Ontario from heat prostra­ POPULATION tion. By July 20 the Associated Press of New York calculated that 3000 had died from 282 the heat. The heat built up day after day, and when it finally reached 108 degrees F., it %, J broke in the east with a wild electrical storm. However, it was not over for southern Ji Alberta, where the heat wave stretched into August. About 400,000 cattle were moved from southern to northern Alberta in an attempt to save them. PAVED STREETS By 1937 most areas around the Palliser's Triangle had improved. But within it they had a PARKS snowless winter and a rainless fall. The worst dust storm ever recorded hit in the first • week of June and devastated the south east corner of Alberta and southern Saskatchewan. RECREATION FACILITIES In southern Alberta the C.P.R. used snow plows to clear drifts of dirt 10' high from the SUMMER & WINTER tracks. By mid-June the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration set the disaster area • at over 60 million acres, of which 45 million acres had once been prosperous and occu­ FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURS pied farm land. It is said that the following was found pinned to an abandoned homesteader's shack: "No wheat, no pasture, no garden. Nothing Of Everything All Over."

Finally in 1938 things began to look better until hail, grasshoppers and rust arrived on the scene, but the following year the crops were good — the best anyone could remember since 1928.

12 <3 Gu\p*Gulp

Chin Highway History

CHIN Does yourfn'3 «s+alk'•crc makq How did Chin get its name? your pop disappearpt?theh n 1 t call 327-97671_J Chin gets its name from a land formation known as Chin Coulee. On a map it can be Soda Express traced from where it begins near the highway at the roadside picnic shelter and then runs in a southeasterly direction for over fifty kilometers. Dams and irrigation canals trans­ formed this natural formation into an integral part of the prairie irrigation system. fllTlSTRRD Chin Coulee, Forty Mile Coulee, Etzikom Coulee, Whiskey Gap and Middle Coulee were all formed by the advance of the glaciers during the different ice ages. The glacial PC 1640 meltwater was blocked by the ice formations to the north and thus flowed south, creating channels and lakes as it went. Over the years glacial lakes drained and streams eroded the valleys and formed the hills that we know as coulees today.

Are there the remains of earlier cultures in the area?

Before the coming of the white man with his get-rich schemes, the Indians utilized the coulees and surrounding plains in their search for food, shelter and clothing. Today we The Computer have reconstructed their existence from the archaeological artifacts that remain and also from what has come down through native oral history. that

Teepee ringsdo t much of the Southern Alberta landscape, and although extensive Comes uuith cultivation has eliminated many teepee rings, they form the most frequent archaeological site. South of Taber and Chin, the hills were once dotted with the teepees of the Evergthing Blackfoot Indians who roamed this area not so very long ago. Teepee ring sites such as those at Chin Coulee are considered to be summer sites because they are in such exposed • IBrn Compatability • locations. Archaeologists have excavated the teepee ringswhic h once lay where road­ ways were planned, and artifacts in the excavated rings indicated the various activities • Fully Configured • that were carried out in and around their homes. Sites have been excavated at Coal • Ilo Expansion necessary • Valley (west of Cochrane), Lundbreck and Strathmore, and the ones near Cochrane are thought to be 2500 to 3000 years old. CHinOQK ELECTRDniCS LTD 1113-3rd flvi. South The teepee rings found in this area, however, are more recent and are thought to be LETHBRIDGE. HLBERTH predominantly those of the Blackfeet nation who are credited with originally naming PHOnE:320-1424 Chin Coulee. They called the coulee "Mistoamo" or "beard" and it is thought to refer to the chin-like shape of a hill on the coulee when seen from a distance. CHIN POTATO Was this area ever used for ranching? STORAGE

One of the first ranches in this area was started by "Hod" Main, who had previously had a For those who butcher shop at Macleod and a ranch at Kipp called the Whirlpool Ranch. When he was are curious bought out at Kipp in 1883, he moved to a new ranch site north of Chin. about the three He was then bought out by a friend of Sir Alexander Gait's, Sir Roderick Cameron. At igloo-like one time his holdings, the Cameron Ranch, amounted to 60,000 acres, but little ranching structures along was actually done. One project he developed originated from the use of Shetland ponies Highway #3 in the coal mines of the area. He shipped several hundred ponies over from Scotland which roamed around Chin. It is uncertain whether or not the ponies were actually used in the mine, and it is said that they were eventually wiped out by the wolves. Patrons: Gerald Perry Knud Petersen In 1917 Sir Roderick Cameron sold what was left of his ranch, 30,000 acres, to 13 C.S. Noble, who intended to raise wheat. Noble once set a world wheat record at 54 bushels to the acre on a thousand acre field. He never finished cultivating the land he got from Cameron, as he ran into a series of dry years and went bankrupt. Eventually the land was broken up into smaller farm units and remains so today. The O. W. Kerr CUSTOM IMPRINTED Company, a Minneapolis land company, brought in many of the farmers who first settled this area.

Was Chin ever any more than a post office and general store? * Fashion Sportswear * Fleece Unlike Tank 77, which grew from a water stop for early trains, to the thriving town of * Caps Taber, Chin never grew much beyond a small community centered around a post office * Company and Team and a general store. Jackets Chin shared this fate with many early settlements. In early days the railway was the * Gym Suits connection with the rest of the world. Once off the train, the early setder moved by horse * Hockey and Ball and wagon, and the distance between towns was necessarily small. Each little stop had Uniforms mail service, stores, elevators and a church or two, and the train brought in most goods. * T-Shirts The advent of the car made the many small communities unnecessary, and gradually many disappeared. Often, nothing remains to remind us of another time and way of life. Embroidered Chenille or Who was Coyote Henry? Screened Crests Coyote Henry, a wolfer by trade, was one of the earliest white settlers in the Chin Coulee area. In the late 1800's, before the buffalo were practically exterminated, they were PHONE 328-0644 hunted by Indians, white men and wolves. As the buffalo dwindled, the wolves that had OR 329-1638 once made a good living off them switched to ranchers' cattle, and a bounty was issued for wolf hides. Hence wolfers sprang into being. Coyote Henry's favorite trapping 442- 10 STREET NORTH, grounds for wolves was the Sugar Loaf (now known as the Sweetgrass Hills of Montana), and to supplement his income he also raised horses, both Clydesdales and other horses LETHBRIDGE which he entered in races. In summer, he would put up wild hay near his shack at Chin Coulee. All these activities were typical of his time, but he did have eccentricities. His r A barn was outfitted with a bell, which was attached to his house with a wire, and his shack was riddled with bullet holes due to Coyote's severe case of cougar-phobia. SEABGH Once Coyote was haying on the Hyssop Ranch near Lethbridge. He stayed in a tent under a tree near the ranch house. One night, in the wind, a branch broke off, hit his tent and bounced to the ground. Coyote Henry was convinced the mountain lions were out there and fired shots into the roof and side of the tent all the while yelling/'Save me! Save me! The mountain lions are after me!" Mr. Hyssop heard the commotion, realized old Henry was having another spell, and ordered his family into the basement.

Some folks found Coyote's fear of mountain lions entertaining and teased the old fellow about it. Once, when dogs had dug a hole next to the house he was staying in, the men commented that it looked like the mountain lions had almost gotten him. That set Henry off, and he grabbed his gun. Unfortunately a neighbour happened to be riding up at this crucial moment. Coyote yelled "There he goes!" and started shooting. Needless to say the startled rancher promptly headed off in the other direction, and Coyote felt that once again he had averted an attack of mountain lions. By 1911 Coyote's condition was worse to the point where he took a shot at a neighbour and threatened the man's family. He was then jailed by the Lethbridge police force, examined medically, and committed to the insane asylum at Ponoka, where he died a few years later.

How bad were the "black blizzards"? Jj (statical &eseatc& Centre 1710-31 St. N. On May 12,1934, the Associated Press reported huge clouds of dust hovering 10,000 feet Lethbridge, AbTlH5Hl over the Atlantic Ocean. It was estimated that 300,000,000 tons of top soil were lifted (403)328-9011 from the drifting fields of the American and Canadian mid-west. . ¥(03 Smpttt j 14 Mac's We've got Coaldale Highway History the corner on more! COALDALE

What was the big event known as the boxcar barbecue?

During the hard winter of 1906 - 07 all there was at the site of today's town of Coaldale was an empty railway shed 12' wide and 80' long. When the blizzards hit, the cattle looked for shelter and would pile up along fences, buildings and cut banks. It is said that after a blizzard that winter the cattle were found along the riverbanks of the Bow, Belly and , stacked like driftwood. On a similar occasion the shed at Coaldale was found to be jammed full of frozen cattle, still standing up, packed so tightly that they were unable to he down. The C.P.R. couldn't find the catties' owners and finally burnt down the shed, cattle and all.

Was Coaldale really named after a house? Open This thriving town was named by the C.P.R. after the first mansion built in nearby Coal 24 hours Banks (now Lethbridge). Elliot T. Gait christened his riverbottom home Coal Dale as it a day was situated near the coal mine and built in a dale. This sumptuous home was a reflec­ tion of the affluence possible to a select few within the early coal industry. However, the 1919 - 17 St. surrounding riverbotto m had mostly poorer dwellings. The mansion was torn down to COALDALE make way for the Lethbridge Bridge. The Gaits were a prominent Canadian family; Elliot's father, Sir Alexander Gait, was one of the Fathers of Confederation. Why are there so many German and Dutch names in this area? at AJD Wiebes, Klassens, Dycks, and Thiessens — these are just a few of the family names that reflect the Mennonite roots of many of Coaldale's residents. They were attracted by the land offered to immigrants by the C.P.R., and between 1927-29 they settled 28 farms in the Coaldale district. Today, Coaldale's trading area is made up of about 50% Mennonite farmers.

Are Mennonites just a variation of Hutterites?

No. Hutterites live communally, in a way that is similar to the kibbutz system of the Israeli: the land and buildings are communal, work and childcare are shared, and meals are eaten together. However, like the Alberta French, Jews, and many other ethnic We groups, the Mennonites have settled close to each other and share the same language and religion. It is even a point of dispute among the Mennonites whether they are in fact a religious group or an ethnic one, for those who have left the Mennonite faith find that they are still, after all, Mennonites by heritage. Although predominantly of German, %eaily Dutch and Swiss origin, converts came from all parts of Europe at a time when countries were not distinct entities. What they shared was a desire to return to Biblical teachings Corel which they believed the Roman Catholic church had long since deserted. Their many moves were in search of a place where they could be free to worship without persecution for their beliefs. Hours: Mon. - Thurs. When did the Mennonite religion begin? 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Fri. & Sat. The Mennonite church goes back to the Anabaptist movement in Europe over four 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. hundred years ago. In 1536 a priest, Menno Simons, after whom the Mennonites were named, assumed leadership of the group. Over the centuries, Menno's church has tried to 15 91 •XUBUJJOQ JSUIBSB jjoddns uBissn^j UIBS oj SunduiojjB OJOM SUOIJBU UJOJSOM pus 'jOMod oj Suiuioo SBM 8p>pp>03 jopiH 'IPAV sy 'DOJBJOSSBXO OJOM Asm jpj XUBUI pus 'Bissn^i ui suioiqojd oqj oj OAisuods -ojun SBM JSOM. 9ML 'UOIJBAJBJS pooBj Xoqj ojoqM 'Buoqis oj 000'£I ouios Surjjodop dn popuo 'OABOI SJOJSISOJ oqj OABq oj snoixire 'suBissn^ oqx 'pouosjOM uopBnjis qof oqj puB ZZ££-£f£ SAVQNOW ansoiD uoissojdoQ aqj SB Bissn^j UIOJJ UOIJBJSIUIUII joqjjnj po^oojq BpBire3 so£toqj ui ojoqMosjg

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•ouqdiosip qojnqo snojoSu puB 'jonpuoo JBJOUI reuo&iod jo SSOUJOUJS 'sqjBO o^rej oj iBsnjoj 'ooiAJos XjBjqiui Suipnpui OOJOJ IJB JO uoqoofoj 'siSBqduio reoqqia puB reoipg -UBAO SUOJJS sji JOJ UMOUJt uooq SBq dnojS oqj 'XnBuonipBJX 'ppoM oqj jo sjJBd snouBA oj SJUOUIOAOUI SSBUI oouoq 'uopnoosjod oiqBJOpisuoo uooq SBq ojoqj JBqj jpsoj oqj qjiM 'OOUOJOJJOJUI OJBJS JSUIBSB puBjs B opBui UOJJO SBq snqj puB 'sSuiqoBOj reoiiqig uiqjiM OAq During the Second World War, many young Mennonites were torn between a desire to serve their adopted country and yet remain loyal to their pacifist beliefs. About half of eligible Canadian Mennonites did serve in the Canadian forces, and although there were cases of imprisonment and harsh treatment, many of the 7,500 registered as conscientious LAND-®rLAKES objectors were sent to work in national parks. The Loyalist League in ^oM and ^Doun^y. ^DIU^ wanted farm lands held by Mennonites to be purchased by the government and resold.

After the Second World War, many Mennonites in Russia were permanently uprooted. As the Germans entered the Ukraine, groups were torn apart and resettled in various parts of Russia. Those that remained ended up in refugee camps in Germany. North American k18 CHAMPIONSHIP Mennonites tried to keep these people from having to return to Russia after the war but HOLES the Yalta agreement had stated that all refugees had to go back to their home countries. The Russians forcibly repatriated as many as they could but others escaped into Switzer­ land, Belgium and Holland. 'FULLY LICENCED CLUB HOUSE What happened after the war? 'FULLY STOCKED Canada was not open for immigration for some time, as our war personnel had to be repatriated first. Many of Europe's displaced Mennonites went to Paraguay, but eventu­ PRO SHOP ally Canada allowed in close relatives of immigrants already in Canada as sugar beet workers and lumber industry employees. This time the government helped with the 'DRIVING RANGE transportation costs, and by 1949 over 6,000 Mennonites had arrived in Canada, with 717 coming to Alberta. By 1953 about 85 families were working the beet fields. Many of the Russian Mennonite families consisted of widows and their children. Their husbands had CALL been sent to forced labour camps in Siberia, and most died there. 345-2200

Although the Mennonites had been used to farming before coming to Canada, the back- FOR breaking work of thinning beets was a new experience. The majority left the farms as DETAILS soon as their contracts were finished. Like most of the immigrants that arrived after the war, they did not have the money to buy into farming. Farms were being quickly mechanized, requiring more and more investment.

Unlike the immigrants who had come between the wars, this group had much less of a COALDALE transportation debt to pay off, and they had better job opportunities. They were more NURSERIES LTD. inclined to go to the cities instead of the farms and were quickly assimilated.

Later there was a lot of opposition to allowing more Mennonite immigration due to a depressed economy and misunderstandings of their theology. The Board of Trade objected to the Mennonite and Hutterite "invasions" and warned that the best land was going to the wrong kind of settler. Across western Canada, municipal organizations, veterans' groups and others joined the protest. The federal government left it up to each province to decide, and both Saskatchewan and Alberta decided to limit their immigra­ tion. * Complete landscape service

Continual immigration over the years has prolonged the use of German. With the • 80 acres of nursery stock additional support of post war immigrants, the Mennonites established several high • ornamental & shade trees schools and Bible schools across Canada to try to hold their people and culture together. • evergreens A Mennonite high school in Coaldale was established in 1946 but closed in 1964. Today, most Mennonite children go to regular public schools although there are Mennonite high • ornamental shrubs schools and colleges in other parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan to which some parents • fruit trees send their children. • windbreak trees

By the early 70's the seasonal visit of Old Colony workers from northern Alberta had stopped, as many of these people had moved to South America to escape the changing values of modern society. Some 200 families moved to Bolivia, although in later years, because of far-from-ideal conditions, a number have returned. In the last few years, the 345-4633 government has taken an active part in helping minority groups preserve their cultural If No Answer Call Res. 345-4074 heritage. Unlike the melting pot approach found in the United States, Albertans consider themselves part of a cultural mosaic. Box 1267, COALDALE

17 I thought this was prairie. Why are there so many trees?

All the trees that are found on the prairies away from creeks or riverbeds are a product of the white man's desire for shade. Actually, most early settlers came from wooded backgrounds, and the shelterless prairie did not seem attractive or practical to the early farming and ranching people, so they began the struggle to make trees grow where nature had not intended.

Shelterbelts are an old idea. In 1696 the Russians tried to establish an oak forest clear around the Sea of Azoz by planting millions of acorns. The Mennonites on the Volga in 1792 started the practice of planting shelterbelts around their farms. In 1890 the Russian scientists discovered that the caragana would grow where nothing else would, and faster, too. And remember Arbor Day? It was first held in Nebraska in 1873 and in Canada in 1886. In 1901 tree planting was started on a large scale in Canada. But a project an­ Off nounced in Washington towered over any previously imagined. The Americans proposed to plant a windbreak 100 miles wide and 1000 miles long between the Canadian border and the hills of Oklahoma. The project was started and carried on for eight years during which 200,000,000 trees were planted on 228,000 acres.

TOWN OFFICE 345-4417

POLICE Readymade was never a town but is the name for a school district built up by the 345-4422 Canadian Pacific Railway in 1913. The rail company offered seventeen "ready-made" farms for sale. Each of these consisted of one hundred and sixty acres — fifty acres of FIRE & AMBULANCE which was broken and seeded to alfalfa. A snug new home and barn were included in the 345-3333 package deal, and each farm was completely fenced. In 1955 only one farm was still OR operated by an original owner's family, but both the house and the farm had been added 327-3333 on to. These ready-made farms illustrated a misconception common during the early 1900's. It was then thought that homesteaders could make a good living off a quarter section of land. In successive years this was proved wrong, and farms have increased in PRAIRIE MEAT size in an effort to maintain viable farming operations.

PROCESSORS For many years Readymade had a school which served the immediate area, both as an educational facility, and a community center. However, in 1981 the school was closed by the County of Lethbridge. In an effort not to lose the benefits of a community center, the Readymade Community Association was started. They leased the school "to keep the community together for recreation." Readymade now has the facilities for any kind of function through winter or summer.

•CUSTOM Who are some prominent people who have come from Coaldale? SLAUGHTERING •PROCESSING Rudy Wiebe, a well-known Canadian author, was raised in Coaldale. His first book, •HOME MADE Peace Shall Destroy Many, written in 1962, deals with the conflict of a young man SAUSAGE dealing with the traditional Mennonite belief in pacifism. In later years, Wiebe dealt with Riel in The Scorched Wood People, and he has also written other novels. He now lives in Edmonton and teaches at the University of Alberta. Joy Kowgawa is another writer Our specialty is and poet who lived in Coaldale. She wrote Obasan, a novel about the removal of the Mennonite Japanese from the west coast of Canada during World War II. Prior to the publication of Sausage her novel, she was primarily known for her collections of poems — The Splintered Moon, A Choice of Dreams, and Jericho Road.

Corne Martens is a talented artist who still lives in Coaldale and is widely known for his PHONE 345-2190 western art. In his paintings and sculptures, he captures scenes from the early West. An P.O. BOX 1498 example of his work may be seen in the entrance to the Lethbridge Community College, COALDALE, ALBERTA where a sculpture of an early coal miner commemorates the history of the area.

18 GOOD/YEAR POLMIS THE LTD. -WHOLESALE- Cranford --RETAIL-- Highway History --COMMERCIAL-- NEW TIRES & CRANFORD RETREADING Big and Small- How did Cranford get its name? We Sell Them All LETHBRIDGE Cranford was possibly named after Cransford in Suffolk, England. It is thought to refer Ph. 329-3901 to a ford for cranes or herons, and the name appears to have no local significance.

Is there a place to fish near Cranford?

South of Cranford on a gravel road is Chin Lake — again. The road passes over an earth- Frank de Walle filled dam which controls the flow of water through the irrigation works. Fishermen can Barrister and Solicitor be found here in all seasons either ice-fishing or on the shore or in a boat casting for "the 'one that got away." Professional Corporation 323 - 7th Street South LETHBRIDGE Is this a fish story? Alberta T1J 2G4 Not only has irrigation made farming possible in many areas that would otherwise be unproductive, but lakes on the prairies are a valuable recreation resource. Swimming, Telephone: boating, waterskiing, windsurfing, skating and fishing are just some of the activities that 328-8800 take place during the year. And, of course, even irrigation lakes have their fish stories.

In 1913 a veritable giant of a sturgeon was caught in an irrigation lake near Bassano. It weighed 78 pounds and measured over six feet long, but it presented a dilemma for the fellow who caught it. He was fishing illegally, and in order to brag about it publicly, he had to pay the fine associated with the offense. It is on display in the lobby of the southern Imperial Hotel in Bassano. stationers LTD. What effect did the railway have on settlement in the south?

The Canadian Pacific Railway was originally projected to run through the "fertile belt" (through Edmonton) and then through the Yellowhead Pass. What caused the change in route? It is probable that the C.P.R. was considering the economics of the situtation. ACCOUNT BOOKS More land would need to be bought up if the rails went north. The land was considered FILING SYSTEMS worthless along the southerly route and would be granted to the railroad. In later years LEDGERS the rail company planned to sell this land to settlers. WP & COMPUTER RIBBONS DISKETTES & PRINT WHEELS As a result some 800 towns and villages got their start along the railway line as it came ELEMENTS & West. TYPEWRITER RIBBONS DRAFTING SUPPLIES SCHOOL SUPPLIES What are McNally and Sunnyside? ART SUPPLIES COMPUTER FURNITURE Like Readymade, McNally and Sunnyside are the names of schools built after the war years, when one room rural schools were still supported. Unlike Readymade, however, KEEP THE SOUTHERN these rural schools are still in use. Both are elementary schools, and older students are HABIT bussed to junior and senior high schools in Coaldale. The McNally school was named (NO CHARGE DIAL) 1-800-562-8055 after Dr. G. Fred McNally, University of Alberta educator and longtime deputy minister 328-2301 of education. The name Sunnyside is descriptive. 316-7th St. S., LETHBRIDGE 19 HOW SWEET IT IS! Did the Indians use most parts of the buffalo?

In 1757 the idea of making sugar Yes. But contrary to the belief that they didn't waste any meat, they often did. They beets provided an alternative to could not control how many buffalo would go over a jump, so they used what they could importing cane sugar. By 1806 and then left before the unused carcasses began to rot. the first successful sugar beet factory in Europe was in operation. The Plains Indians were almost totally dependent on the buffalo. Buffalo furnished fresh In 1879 the sugar beet industry food in summer and preserved food in winter. Their homes and clothing were made of was established in the United buffalo robes. Indian sport and religion were centered on the movement of the buffalo. States. Every part of the buffalo was of some use. Buffalo flesh and fat provided the main bulk The sugar beet industry was not of the Indian diet. The organs were eaten raw as an aid to the hunter's virility. It is said feasible in Southern Alberta that its gall was a favored dressing, particularly as an addition to broiling meats. Sausage until irrigation became well was made by pounding sun-dried meat, fat and chokecherries, stuffing the mixture into established. The first sugar the small intestine, and smoking it over a willow fire. Fat, mixed with the dried sap of beet factory was opened at the box elder tree, was a candy. Raymond in 1903 and operated for eleven years before it closed Flesh was hung to cure, cut into strips and then dried. Some of this dried meat was made due to financial difficulties. Ten into pemmican, which was a mixture of the dried meat pounded into powder and mixed years later the expansion of with animal fat and berries. The rest was eaten as jerky. irrigation made it possible to re-establish the sugar beet Although most Indians preferred antelope skin for garments, the buffalo calf robe was a industry. standard material. Young animal hides were tanned and made into moccasins, leggings and tunics. Cow hides were favored for making tepees, and the size of a dwelling was In 1931 the Raymond plant was known by its numbers of skins. An eleven-skin tepee, with two or more for the wings, purchased by the B.C. Sugar which were moved to keep the fire drawing, was average for the homes of prosperous Refining Company. A factory was Plains Indians. The bull hides were used in the manufacture of shields, moccasin soles, built in 1936 at and and heavy leather containers which have been likened to small trunks. The hide of a in 1950 at Taber. At its height buffalo could be eaten if it was steamed long enough, and many Indians survived lean 46,000 acres of beets were under periods by cooking and eating their homes. Any hides taken in the winter were used as cultivation. However, the sugar sleeping robes, as the wool was left on these. market is an unstable one, and in 1962 the plant at Raymond was It is said the pericardium of the buffalo, carefully moved from around the heart, formed closed. The Picture Butte plant the only nursing bottles that Indian infants ever knew. Buffalo bladders became buckets. was closed in 1977. Today about The brains were dried and rubbed on skins as their unparalleled softening qualities made 30,000 acres of beets are grown. them excellent tanning agents. The tongue and nose of the buffalo were its greatest delicacies, and its hooves were equivalent to a tough old stewing hen. The beets are harvested in mid to late September, and it is then The hair of the buffalo was braided into rope, and its tendons split for thread and bow­ that this industry is most strings. Children used the ribs as sleds, and from other bones they were able to have noticeable to the traveller. cutting and scraping tools, as well as toys. The horns became drinking cups or were Farmers truck their beets along boiled until soft and carved into spoons. Its paunch was used for buckets and stew pots. Highway #3 to the sugar factory The thick hide was boiled for glue. Its scrotum was dried and loaded with pebbles and at Taber, or to one of the six became a rattle. The dung, or chips, were a source of fuel. The bones were cracked and receiving stations. Here the beets "boiled for grease. The blood was sometimes boiled in the animal's stomach and thick­ are stockpiled until their turn ened by the natural rennet into a transparent pudding, which was rubbery when cold. comes up for processing at the Taber sugar factory. Rawhide had many uses. It was made into bridles or drumskins. Shrinking rawhide can break stones, and rawhide binding was unmatched for holding the heads of stone ham­ mers. And finally, they used the tail as a whip or fly brush.

The buffalo was the Indians general store, and as long as the buffalo were in great supply, the Indians lived well and wanted for nothing. Buffalo hides were also traded for guns, horses and in later years, whisky. When buffalo hides became white man's commodity, competition for them became intense, and the Indian's supply was soon dwindling. Suddenly the Indian had to look elsewhere for food, and a culture which had, for generations, been based on the movements of the buffalo, found itself thrust into the twentieth century. 20 Treasury Branches Cypress Hills Highway History ALBERTANS INVESTING IN ALBERTA

CYPRESS HILLS 536 - 2nd St. S.E. How did the Cypress Hills get their name? MEDICINE HAT Alberta The Cypress Hills were given various names by the Indians that reflected their intimate relationship with their environment: (403) 529-3601 Peigan — ahya kimikwi — divided mountains or hills COATS Blackfoot — katewius netumoo — the hills of whispering pines Cree— mun-a-tuh-gow — beautiful highlands for — thunderbreeding hills Stoney or Assiniboine— grizzly bear hills, sweet pine hills ALL SEASONS

The present name for the hills is due to a misunderstanding by the first white men and is and typical of their relationship with this virgin land. The Metis called the hills the Montagne ALL REASONS de Cypre or Mountains of Jackpine as the jackpine they found in the hills were used for their tent poles. To the English, the Metis name sounded like the word "cypress" and although there were no cypress trees in the hills, the name stuck. See our fine selection of Why were the hills so special to early travellers on the prairies? cloth, leather, The Cypress Hills form one of the few prominent landmarks found on the great prairie and fur lands of Western Canada. To the early traveller crossing the seemingly endless plains, Outerwear for each landmark must have been a relief and a reassurance as it appeared on the horizon. LADIES & What is the Blackfoot legend which explains the existence of these iso­ lated "mountains" on the Western Plains? GENTLEMEN

Once there was a range of mountains that ran east and west across the plains. In a game gTQfte FURS of chance, the Indian god, Napi, gambled them away. Most of the range that ran east and CLOTH, LEATHER * FUR OUTERWEAR west was lost in the game and only the Cypress Hills, Sweet Grass Hills, Bear Paw and Wolf Mountains remained in their original location. The ones that were gambled away 640 - 3rd St. S. E. were placed among the Rocky Mountains. MEDICINE HAT 527-8200 How does modern science explain the formation?

Modern science proposes that the Cypress Hills area was once an ancient riverbedtha t was thrust up by the folding of the earth's crust. Geologically the hills are known as a ^ •••••••••••^ "cap" made up of a layer of hard rock over a softer rock formation. During the ice age, this structure enabled the hills to resist erosion, and aside from an area known as The Gap, they were never covered by glaciers. While the Medicine Hat area was covered by : ROUTES : 2300 feet of ice, the Cypress Hills formed a frost-free refuge for exotic flora and fauna. Fossil remnants of sabretooth cats, three-toed horses, tapir and camels have been found there. Some of the fossils are thought to be seventy million years old — the oldest found YOUR in Canada. ADVERTISEMENT How did the Indians explain the Rock Pile? COULD BE IN OUR NEXT The Rock Pile is an unusual formation found in the Cypress Hills. The rocks are great HIGHWAY HISTORY! rectangular blocks, each weighing many tons, that almost appear to have been cut by stone masons because they are so symmetrical and regular in appearance. White clay is 21 also found among these hills, and the Blood Indians explained its presence with another story about Napi: Travelodge Napi, the Old Man, was once passing through Southern Alberta after a battle. Blood was still flowing from his wounds and wherever it fell, red earth is found to this day. The Indians used this earth (red ochre) for paint. When Napi's wounds were in a bad state the poisonous matter flowed from them and where it fell the white earth is now found. When mixed with water, the earth became the white mud which the Indians used to clean • 129 Air buckskin clothing. Conditioned Units What has archaeological evidence revealed about the Cypress Hills?

• Waterbed Rooms It was thought for many years that the Indians regarded the Cypress Hills with fear and Available superstition and seldom if ever went into or even near the hills. However, in 1966 an • Indoor Swimming archaeological survey was made, and over ninety occupation sites were found. The & Waterslide oldest artifacts found were the 7000-year-old remains of an Indian. • Lounge What do we know of the history of the area?

• Games Room We know little of the Indian history, before the arrival of the white man, and even histori­ • Whirlpool cal events that have been passed down over the years are often vague and distorted. Most of the information that has come down through time concerns warfare, but this is proba­ bly only because this was a major concern of the first white men travelling through TRY THE WORLD'S Indian territory. HIGHEST INDOOR One of the earliest stories to come out of the Cypress Hills is about an Indian battle. A HOTEL party of sixty Cree was massacred by the Blackfoot as it journeyed into the hills for WATERSLIDE! spruce gum. One of the first events that we can pinpoint with any accuracy occurred in 600 FEET the spring of 1867 some time after the white man appeared on the scene. The Gros Ventres and Crows had a large encampment on the lower Milk River to celebrate a peace OF SLIDING between their tribes. On their way to this camp, a small party of Gros Ventres spotted a FUN! camp of Peigan on the edge of the Cypress Hills. The Peigans and Blood Indians were longstanding enemies of both the Gros Ventres and Crows, and this seemed to them like the ideal opportunity to seal their new alliance and settle an old score with the Peigans.

Confident of the victory ensured by their increased numbers, they took their women along to help carry back the spoils. With feelings running high, they were not as stealthy as usual and were spotted by a Peigan while still a mile from the camp.

The next day members of Palliser's expedition went off to replenish their stores. Soon shots were heard, and the Indians were seen hurriedly packing off to the Northwest. Palliser thought his hunters had been massacred while hunting. But soon a guide returned for the pack horses. It appeared the hunters had spotted a herd of wapiti (elk) after they left camp and had fired several shots, killing four. The Indian encampment, however, heard the shots and thought the white men were about to make good their threat. After replenishing its stores, the expedition was anxious to be off, except for Hector, the geologist, who thought that the Cypress Hills were one of the most interesting parts of the country for studying geological formations.

When did Isaac Cowie come to the hills, and what were his observations?

Another early visitor to the Cypress Hills was Isaac Cowie, a Hudson's Bay factor who established a trading fort in 1871 at the east end of the hills in Chimney Coulee, so-called for the chimneys left from an old Metis camp. This fort was shortlived as he couldn't Now some of compete with the independent traders who used liquor to trade with the Indians. The fort our drive-thrus was also in a precarious situation as the Cree and Blackfoot were at a period of intense hostility with each other. are open way past midnight. The prospering buffalo trade altered the Indian's traditional pattern of life, and the competition for game increased. The Cree left their familiar hunting territory and headed west into the neutral zone which separated them from their long-standing enemies, the Check your Blackfoot. Tribal animosities led to sporadic raids and truces until 1865, when the Crees participating moved into the last refuge on the western plains, the Cypress Hills, about 150 miles west of the Cree's traditional territory. Isaac Cowie visited the area and found "three hundred Burger King and fifty leather lodges, containing a mixed population of probably two thousand five restaurant hundred or three thousand people, of whom about five hundred were men and lads for capable of waging war." Although the Blackfoot resented the Cree's intrusion onto their lands, it was only a desperate step taken to ensure their very survival. Late Show hours. What is meant when it is said that the Cypress Hills were neutral ground to the Indians?

The idea that the Cypress Hills formed a neutral ground for Indian tribes was started by Isaac Cowie, who wrote: BURGER As far back as the memory and traditions of the Cree then living (1868) extended, these Cypress Hills... had been neutral ground between the many different warring tribes, south KING of the now marked international boundary, as well as Crees and the Blackfeet and their friends. No Indians for hunting purposes ever set foot on the hills whose wooded coulees and ravines became the undisturbed haunt of all kinds of game, and especially abounded in grizzly bears and the beautifully antlered and magnificent was-cay-son, known 934 Redcliff variously by the English as red deer and elk. Only wary and watchful war parties of any Drive S.W. tribe ever visited the hills...

In reality the Cypress Hills were frequented by many Indians as this area provided building materials for the Indians' lodges and a meeting place for the Sun Dance cere­ mony. MEDICINE HAT The concept of "neutral ground" reflects a European concept of fixed borders and a Alberta deserted "no-man's-land." The Plains Indians' concept of neutrality was actually quite T1A5E4 different as E.T. Denig, a fur-trader on the Upper Missouri, wrote in the mid-1850's:

None of these prairie tribes claim a special right to any circumscribed or limited territory. Their arguments are these... All the prairie or territory in the West (known to them) and 23 now occupied by all the Indians was created by Wakonda (Assiniboine creator) for their sole use and habitation... All this is to prove their general right to the whole of the hunting grounds, where buffalo are to be found and Indians stationed. Now each nation finds themselves in possession of a portion of these lands, necessary for their preserva­ tion. They are therefore determined to keep them from aggression by every means in their power. Should the game fail, they have a right to hunt it in any of their enemies country, in which they are able to protect themselves.

*Hut, From this view it would appear that their right to territory is nothing more than defending that portion on which they are located as necessary for their support.... It is because they are at war that their lands appear to be distinct portions assigned to each nation, although * Regular between each there are several hundred miles of neutral ground, the nature of their forces not admitting of closer approximation.

and Pan When the buffalo moved north over the "Medicine Line," tribal boundaries became a Pizza thing of the past. Who were the people who reported on social conditions in the west? * Lasagna The era of the whisky traders was a black time in the white man's relation with the * Indians. The Indians acquired a desperate liking for the white man's fire water, and the Spaghetti whisky traders greedily capitalized on the situation. The trading was unfair, for in ex­ change for valuable furs, the Indians received a diluted, vile-tasting rotgut. The combina­ * tion of greed, whisky and distrust was a lethal combination, and in drunkenness the Fettuccine Indians lashed out at each other and at the traders. * Sandwich One of the first white men to report on the deplorable state of lawlessness in the North West Territories was John MacDougall, a missionary. Next the Lieutenant-Govenor sent Supreme William Francis Butler west in 1870 to find out exactly what was happening in his new jurisdiction. On his return Butler advocated an armed force of 100 to 150 men as the * "region is without law, order or security for life or property; robbery and murder for years Soup & have gone unpunished; Indian massacres are unchecked...and all civil and legal institu­ tions are entirely unknown." He also recommended that the proposed force not be Salad Bar situated near existing Hudson's Bay posts so that the two institutions would be distin­ guishable.

The next investigator, Colonel Patrick Robertson-Ross, was sent by the Canadian government, and his report was equally grim. Just before his arrival at Fort Edmonton, a plana particularly notorious Metis, Charles Gaudin, had killed his wife and gone unpunished. -Hut. Was the smallpox epidemic of the late 1860's started by a whisky trader? There is a story told of a whisky trader by the name of Evans. It is said that while they were trading in Southern Alberta during the late 1860's, Indians killed his partner and 1277 stole his horses. Outnumbered by the Indians, but determined to get revenge, Evans devised a devious but effective plan. He headed east to St. Louis and purchased bales of Trans-Canada used blankets that had been infected with the dreaded smallpox, which the Indians had Highway little immunity to. He then returned to the heart of Indian territory and left the blankets where they were sure to be found. It is said that this event led to tens of thousands of deaths among the Indians from smallpox. Whether the devastating effects on the native MEDICINE HAT population can really be traced to Evans will never be known. Alberta What was the ? The name Evans emerges again in an account of the Cypress Hills Massacre in 1873. A group of wolfers camped near Fort Benton, Montana, claimed their horses had been PHONE: stolen by Indians and formed a posse of sorts to track them down. John Evans was the leader of the motley crew. He was a wolfer of dubious reputation who was associated (403) 526-1234 with the I.G. Baker Company in Fort Benton. Once, he had been captain of the notorious Spitzee Cavalry which terrorized the area. Another equally disreputable 24 member was Thomas Hardwick, the Green River renegade, known for his considerable shooting ability.

For some reason the posse decided their horses had been taken north and headed for the SOUTHVIEW Cypress Hills. Here they called at two small trading posts, Farwell's and Solomon's, located opposite each other on Battle Creek. Neither fort had seen anything of the MALL missing horses although George Hammond, a visitor at Abe Farwell's post, had a missing horse returned to him by the Indians at a local camp previous to the posse's arrival. All hands in the fort settled down to drink and talk over the situation. In the midst of the drinking Hammond discovered his horse was gone again and blamed the Indians who had returned his horse the first time.

A conflict broke out. The Indians realized a peaceful settlement was unlikely and their women and children scattered for cover. It is said that an Indian fired the first shot although it seems it was only fired into the air as a warning. Hammond claimed to have tried to avert trouble, but when he returned fire, he shot one of the Indians fatally. The consequence was inevitable.

In spite of the wolfers being outnumbered, two factors made it an unequal fight weighing heavily in their favor. The white men had repeating Henry rifles and a more strategic 13th Avenue position in a gully. The Indians had old buffalo single-shot guns and were picked off as they tried to return fire. There was only one white fatality, and some say that as many as at two hundred Indians were killed, though conservative sources say only about thirty. It is said that Chief Little Soldier was killed during the fight and the wolfers cut off his head Trans Canada and put it on a stake in the middle of what had been their camp as a warning to other Indians. There is some doubt as to whether this is true, but it is known that the body of a Highway wolfer, Ed Grace, was buried under the Solomon fort. It was then burned to the ground so that the Indians wouldn't mutilate the body. (A few years ago, a body was found by archaeologists working at the site of the fort.) Your friendly The wolfers then rode off to Fort Whoop-up to continue their search for their horses. community In 1875 the newly arrived N.W.M.P. swore out warrants for the 14 men connected with shopping the massacre, but Fort Benton sheriffs refused to make any arrests. With the help of the American army, five men: John H. Evans, Tom Hardwick, Trevanion Hale, Elijah centre Devereaux and Charlie Harper, were brought to Helena for extradition hearings but, to the dismay of the Mounted Police, the charges were dropped. The whole proceedings sparked the American ire. Some thought the investigation of the massacre was just a plot Serving by the Hudson's Bay Company to stop American competition, and others felt that the Canadians were interfering with the God-given right to take the law, and the Indians into Medicine Hat their own hands. At one point during the hearings, the defense lawyer shouted that he would "wade knee-deep in British blood'" before the Americans were handed over for and trial in Canada. The men were all released, and Elijah Devereaux even had Colonel Macleod, who was attending the hearing, briefly arrested on a charge of false imprison­ surrounding ment. communities Helena celebrated the release of the heroes with a torchlight procession, and when the for over men returned to Fort Benton, a holiday was declared. "The Stars and Stripes" was hung in the street. Beneath it was a drawing of the British lion having its tail twisted by the 13 years. American eagle. Evans capitalized on his new popularity by opening the Extradition Saloon, and the whole episode ended without any discredit to the men involved.

But it was the Cypress Hills Massacre that was the turning point in the establishment of OPEN EVENINGS the N.W.M.P. Until word came of the massacre, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald had MONDAY TO FRIDAY been trying with some difficulty to pass a bill through parliament which would establish a & force to bring law and order to the west and establish a Canadian presence there. Reports SATURDAY TILL 6 P.M. of the massacre came east highly exaggerated and inflamed both the House of Commons and the Canadian people. In August 1873, the bill was passed that established the famous K MART OPEN TILL force. A replica of both posts are at their original sites, and markers indicate where the 9 P.M. massacre took place. 25 When was Fort Walsh built?

Despite rumors in American newspapers that the Indians had exterminated the N.W.M.P. on their way west, the police arrived and established Fort Macleod in the fall of 1874.

Soon after, Colonel James F. Macleod decided that "B" Troop of the N.W.M.P., who were stationed at Fort Macleod, should establish a fort in the Cypress Hills. In the spring of 1875 Superintendent James M. Walsh and his troops, accompanied by Jerry Potts, the MEDICIM renowned guide, headed south. On June the sixth they crossed Battle Creek and made camp in the hills close to where the fort was to be built

The first order of business was to construct the fort, and soon 2500 logs and 4000 roofing poles were hauled to the site. Other supplies were shipped in from Fort Benton by the Economic I.G. Baker Company. Until the fort was completed the men were not allowed to leave Development camp alone as the men were not sure what hazards lurked in the hills. By mid-August a huge Union Jack, twelve by eighteen feet, proclaimed that law and order was there to Attention to detail, flexibility stay. and a positive attitude result in excellent provisions for What did the Mounties do for entertainment at Fort Walsh? expansion, future growth It was a lonely, out-of-the-way place, and to combat the isolation, the men invented and development programs for diversions. They played cricket, had races and even put on a "smashing evening" of live a growing list of impressive entertainment which included a quartette, readings, poetry, feats of Legerdemain (athletic residential and commercial feats), drama and comedy. There were also splendid balls which were usually held on projects. Accommodation for New Year's. future plant construction on new, fully serviced industrial The availability of female dancing partners was always a problem, and the demand was parks is of vital importance. usually filled by Metis and Indian women. Frank Fitzpatrick, who joined the police in 1879, wrote that during his stay at Fort Walsh there were no white women in the country — or at least not near Fort Walsh. In three years the only women he saw were native or he future looks very Metis. The authorities did not encourage consorting with Indian women, but as with their T bright for Medicine Hat. policy about liquor, recognized the needs of the men and only asked that they cause no The community has a young trouble in their after-hours behavior. Most of the policemen, however, sought out the less and vital spirit dedicated to tangible comforts in letters sent to loved ones at home or to those adventurous ladies who would respond to such an ad placed in the Montreal Star: growth and development. It would be our pleasure to Two lonely Mounted Policemen desire to correspond with a limited number of young include your plans for ladies for mutual improvement. success in our fine city. Contact us for further Pets were another diversion for the men at Fort Walsh. A buffalo calf, a baby antelope details and information. and dogs helped break the monotony of fort life. An especially memorable pet was a goose that belonged to Constable Hardy. It used to strut alongside the men during drill practice and spent its nights outside the guardroom, where it would give advance notice of men trying to creep back into the fort late. Unfortunately, its fondness for chasing Opportunity Indian dogs led to its untimely demise. KNOCKS ... How did the Battle of the Little Big Horn affect the Cypress Hills?

Soon after Fort Walsh was established, the Battle of the Little Big Horn was fought south ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT of the border. With the defeat of General George Custer and the U.S. Cavalry, the DEPARTMENT victorious Indians realized that it was only a matter of time before the Americans would CITY HALL retaliate. They headed north, and on the 17th of November, 1876, Jean-Louis Legare 580- 1st Street S.E. found his little store near Wood Mountain surrounded by Sioux who wanted trade goods. By May 1877 about 6000 Sioux were camped in the vicinity of Fort Walsh. MEDICINE HAT Alberta How did Superintendent Walsh handle the influx of Sioux?

PHONE: Characteristically, Walsh took the bull by the horns and rode directly into the Sioux (403) 529-8353 camp, accompanied by only six men. He approached Chief Sitting Bull and told him bluntly that once in Canada they must abide by the Queen's Law. Despite the fact that 26 the 200 N.W.M.P. at Fort Walsh were woefully outnumbered, Sitting Bull agreed to the stipulations, and Walsh and his few men slept safely in the "enemy" camp that night. JUk™^!&£* What was the White Dog incident? HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTRE The day following the Sioux arrival, another crisis occurred when White Dog, a Sioux MEDICINE HATS warrior, rode into camp with three horses stolen from Jean-Louis Legare. Walsh and his men disarmed him and threatened to put the brave in irons if he did not surrender the NEWEST animals. Protesting that he had found the horses wandering the prairie, he surrendered & them, but angrily threatened Walsh, 'TII meet you again." Walsh ratded the irons and told him to take his statement back or face arrest. Some versions record that Walsh FINEST threatened to place the braves and Sitting Bull under arrest if horse stealing was not stopped. Regardless, the sheer guts of Walsh's fearless behavior impressed the tough old TRANS-CANADA Chief and won his respect and admiration. HIGHWAY AT DUNMORE ROAD In another incident, the Sioux took three Americans prisoner. How was that handled?

Not long after the horse stealing episode, three Americans were taken prisoner by the Sioux. The intruders were a Benedictine priest and two scouts who had been sent to persuade Sitting Bull and his people to return south. During a meeting with the N.W.M.P., the old medicine man turned on the priest and said:

You told me you came as the messenger of God. I don't believe the Americans ever saw God, and that is the reason they don't listen to me. You know as a messenger of God that they tried to kill me. Why did you wait until half my people were killed before you came?

After discussing the situation, the Americans were released. Irvine and his party re­ 200 DELUXE GUEST mained in the Sioux camp that night, and late at night, Sitting Bull crept into Irvine's tent ROOMS and talked of his many grievances against the Big Knives (American soldiers). When he EXECUTIVE SUITES left, he gave Irvine a pair of beaded mocassins. GIANT INDOOR WATER&IDES What did the eastern politicians think about the situation? INDOOR POOL, WHIRL­ POOL, STEAM ROOM The eastern politicians and the Canadian Indians wanted the Sioux out of Canada as soon DINING ROOM & as possible. Walsh had the same goal in mind but realized that if the situation was not COFFEE SHOP handled fairly and firmly another disaster could erupt. He also knew that the Canadian LICENSED PREMISES Indians were watching to see how the American Indians were treated. BANQUET & MEETING FACILITIES - 6 TO 600 What finally caused the Sioux to return south? REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTRE NEARBY The deciding factor in the Sioux refugee problem was the movement of the buffalo. By the summer of 1879, the plains were bare of game, and the Indians were starving. They were desperate for food, and beseiged the forts. At Fort Macleod the Indians were 1051 ROSS GLEN DR. S.E. supplied from the police's own supplies and at Fort Walsh, which was the centre of the MEDICINE HAT greatest number of Indians, the police wagons were continually supplying the Indians T1B3T8 about the fort, which became known to them as Medicine House.

When the Indians headed south over the boundary to follow the buffalo, they were turned back by American soldiers. A meeting was finally arranged between the American 5292222 government and the Sioux, but the Indians insisted that negotiations be made through CNO CHARGE DIAL) James Walsh, whom they called White Forehead, as they trusted and respected him. The 18006618095 talks fell through, and the politicians in both countries were getting impatient and uneasy. Soon after, the N.W.M.P. made some changes in personnel, including moving Col. Walsh from Fort Walsh, and then the policy of starving the Sioux out was stricdy enforced. We'll add more splash to your On July 21, 1881, in the face of starvation, Sitting Bull surrendered to the U.S. Army, and he and his people returned south. All that remained of the Sioux's many years of stay occupation in Canada, were the scaffolds supporting corpses on the hills. 27 Who killed Constable Graburn? ^ (f The first member of the North West Mounted Police to be killed was Constable Mar- Requesting maduke Graburn, a 19 year old recruit who had been with the force only six months. He Nominations was stationed at the nearby Horse Camp where Fort Walsh's horses were kept, and had gone back to retrieve a forgotten axe. When he failed to return, a search party led by for Jerry Potts went out after him. His body was found in a ravine with a bullet hole in the back of his head and nearby was his horse, also shot. From the tracks at the scene of the Who's crime, it looked like the work of two men, but a chinook blew up and obliterated the trail. Who No additional leads were found until about a year later when two Blood Indians were caught for horse theft. While they were jailed at Fort Walsh, they admitted they were in camped nearby at the time of the murder. They then made a break for freedom as they Southern thought this admission might place them under suspicion. Two Mounties were playing Alberta tennis nearby and gave chase, tennis rackets still in their hands. When the escapees were caught, they revealed that another Blood Indian, Star Child, had • • • committed the murder and then fled to the United States. Colonel Macleod tried to persuade the American authorities to return the fugitive but was unable to meet the five thousand dollar payment the sheriff wanted for Star Child's return. For some reason Star Who Child returned to the Blood encampment near Fort Macleod. It is said that four police­ men and Jerry Potts attempted a surprise attack on the camp to apprehend the suspect. should But Star Child heard their approach and fired a warning shot in the air, alerting the whole be camp. The police still managed to grab the suspect and raced back to Fort Macleod with recognized most of the camp at their heels. in your Records show that Star Child confessed his crime to a jury of six white settlers in 1881, community but was acquitted as there was insufficient evidence. There were rumors that the accused had made a pest of himself at the fort and that Graburn had reprimanded him. Some said or Star Child left the country the day the murder was discovered. Regardless, the verdict organization? was an unpopular move, as the whole country was crying out for vengeance. One of the jurists, an old-timer named Gladstone, explained the reasoning behind the verdict:

Indians did not regard the killing of a white man or an Indian of a hostile tribe as a crime but rather as an achievement to boast about, and that Starchild, especially as he was only Contact: Historical %*%t%xt\ a boy, might have lied and said he killed Graburn. &tntvz Those that thought Star Child's confession was only egotistical boasting felt the real 1710-31 St. N. killer may have been an Indian whose sick daughter died while being treated by a white LETHBRIDGE, AB man. It was said that when she died the father swore revenge against all white men. Another theory proposed that Graburn was killed by white rusders who were attempting T1H5H1 to scare the N.W.M.P. off their trail. Perhaps some day a historical sleuth will solve the (403)328-9011 murder.

Two years after the trial, Star Child was arrested for horse theft (would a horse thief kill Preserving Graburn's horse?) and was sentenced to five years in jail. Upon his release he suppos­ edly was a changed man and was even made a deputy. Starchild believed he led a the charmed life because he never took a woman. But he finally succumbed and stole the Past Indian wife of a white man. This ended his charmed life. His "medicine" left him. He and the was fired as a deputy and died of consumption within the year. Graburn Creek in the Cypress Hills was named after the young Mountie, and his grave is Present situated on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. for Why didn't the government pass a law to stop the killing of buffalo? the During the Sioux crisis in Canada the Territorial government passed a law to restrict buffalo hunting. The idea of conservation in the face of starvation puzzled the Indians, Future and when it was obvious that this strategy wouldn't work, the law was quiedy revoked.

28 What was the old town like around Fort Walsh?

During these years a town was growing up near Fort Walsh. The settlement had about 85 medicine hat regular residents in addition to the N.W.M.P. at the fort. As the Indians often camped nearby, these numbers could swell to as many as 4000 when they were in the vicinity. Not only did they come to this area for trade but also to collect treaty money, which was mall distributed at the fort and amounted to as much as $30,000 a year.

The American companies from Fort Benton, I. G. Baker and T. C. Power established stores and soon two hotels, a laundry, a blacksmith shop, a billiard room and other estab­ 67 STORES lishments joined them at the townsite. In 1877 a former Mountie, George Anderton, set up a photographer's studio. The town's population was made up largely of wolfers, AND hunters and drifters, some of whom decided to reform and settle down rather than leave SERVICES with the coming of the N.W.M.P.. TO SERVE For some time the town was a lively place, and records show that in 1878 a bumper crop YOUR NEEDS of 20,000 buffalo robes was taken in. By 1880, two short years later, only 300 buffalo hides were traded. Like the record take of 300 grizzly bear hides traded previous to the establishment of Fort Walsh, these bumper crops foretold the irreversible scarcity to DEPARTMENT STORES, come. GROCERIES, DINING, In 1882 Regina was chosen as the site of the new N.W.M.P. headquarters. Commissioner SPECIALTY SHOPS & Irvine urged that Fort Walsh be abandoned altogether as he disliked everything about the BOUTIQUES place: Shop In / wish to goodness we were out of this hole. It is a bad situation in every way. From a Climate military point of view the situation could not be worse, the place invites attack ...we are surrounded and commanded by hills on all sides. It is a most unhealthy place and the Controlled buildings are in a wretched state. Comfort

He had other reasons for wanting to abandon the fort. He thought it encouraged Indians to remain in the area, and it also attracted settlers who would be better off farming Shopping elsewhere as the land was more suited to ranching. The railway bypassed the fort and Hours:" town, and the decision was made. In May 1883 some of the buildings at Fort Walsh were moved to Medicine Hat and to Maple Creek, which became the new N.W.M.P. post. The Mon., Tues., remaining buildings were burned. Wed., & Sat. 9:30 a.m.~5:30 p.m. What became of the abandoned site of Fort Walsh? Thurs. & Fri. In 1893 the old site of the fort was purchased for a ranch. Ten years earlier Michael 9:30 a.m.~9:00 p.m. had begun ranching in the area. He was a short, swarthy Basque who had come from the French Pyrenees via Texas, Oregon and Montana. He hoped to raise horses to capitalize on the growing demand for them but was soon frustrated by mix-ups at TRRNSCRNRDR customs and then by a charge of larceny. Luckily, he was acquitted, and he settied down HIGHWAYS' in his ranch in the hills, where he became renowned for his fine Morgan horses. DUNM0RER0RD Old trails were abandoned and their names and destinations forgotten. The old town of S.E. Walsh slowly became a ghost town as its buildings were moved closer to the new trails of steel that would see new towns spring up around them. Two of these towns were named after Walsh and Irvine, officers of the N.W.M.P. TELEPHONE: 526 4888 And what about the Cypress Hills today? YOU'LL FIND Today this historic area is the site of three parks that share the distinction of being located in the hills that form the highest point of land between Labrador and the Rockies. The IT ALL AT THE Cypress Hills Park in Alberta has an area of seventy-eight square miles. It dates back to almost the turn of the century when summer vacationers were attracted to Elkwater Lake. MEDICINE The hills often get eighteen to twenty inches of rainfall per year compared to ten or HAT twelve inches on the surrounding plains, and the extra moisture makes the hills a mecca for wildlife. Although grizzly, buffalo and wolves are long gone, moose, elk, mule deer, MALL!! white-tailed deer, lynx, bobcat, coyotes, fox and raccoon are still native to the hills. Two 29 hundred species of birds and 75 species of butterflies are known to frequent the area.

The Cypress Hills has their own ski hill which has intermediate and novice ski slopes and p-OW-N-T-OW-N extensive cross-country ski trails. Witt the assistance of • The City of Medicine Hat • Heritage Canada Foundation • Main Street Program Not far from rebuilt whisky posts, a replica of the old fort stands where old Fort Walsh once was — a monument to James Walsh, the N.W.M.P. and the many historic events Within downtown Medicine Hot that once took place there. This reconstruction also commemorates Sergeant David there exists one of the most Fleming and Commissioner Wood, who worked so hard to ensure that we would not dense concentrations of historic forget an era of history in a once vital and thriving place on the map of our country's past. Buildings on the Canadian Prairies. The City's downtown Did the famous Canadian botanist, John Macoun, ever visit the Cypress core is comprised primarily of Hills? "Boomtime" Buddings constructed In 1880 John Macoun and his party passed through the Cypress Hills. He was surveying Between 1900 and 1914 which the suitability of the prairie lands for farming, settlement and the possibility of a southern provide for an incredible insight railroad route. One of the first to use wagons with iron-clad wheels, he crossed the into Medicine Ofat's formative prairies of Saskatchewan, jolting and shaking, for the drought had cracked and dried the years. "While many of the land to a brick-like consistency. The stop at Fort Walsh was a welcome one. As a original Buildings in the botanist he was fascinated by the variety and abundance of foliage and game and re­ downtown have Been tost due to corded sighting a sage grouse. fire and demolition, and subsequently replaced By more As the Sioux were in the area, John Macoun took the precaution of flying a Union Jack at modern contemporary Buildings the front of the procession when he left the fort. Soon after leaving, they came upon a of their own eras, the downtown large encampment of Assiniboine who were then holding a Sun Dance. core has remained virtually intact Many of the young braves were being initiated into the status of 'Braves' and we enjoyed over the ensuing years. 'The City's the sport very much ...my men and a number of the young Indians gathered at one point Business community understands and I put up some tobacco and gave a plug to each one who could hit the mark. The the value of Medicine Mat's shooting was the worst I had ever seen, both by the Indians and the white men. The head heritage and its historic Chief was named 'The man who stole a boat,' and he was about the worst of the lot. Buildings, and is most receptive to the preservation and conservation Macoun was an independent traveller and never used a guide as he had litde faith in their of the City's historic downtown abilities: core through a concentrated programme of economic Most people when travelling, take a guide or a man who has been over the country before revitalization. and who knows or professed to know where the water holes are. As a rule, these men are not of a high order of intelligence, and dare not venture off the beaten track... When the Thank you to those who generously Canadian Mounted Police first entered the country, they always took a guide when offered their support to preserve moving from point to point. On one occasion, when Colonel Irwin and party were Medicine Hat's historical buildings. passing from Fort Walsh to the Saskatchewan in the direction of Battleford, they camped on the open plain. In the morning, when they started off, the atmosphere was cloudy and the sun obscured. After travelling steadily all day, they reached their old camping place in the evening, although they hoped to be forty miles from it. When questioned, their guide explained that he had travelled with the wind on his right hand all day and could not be blamed if it changed.

This incident confirmed John Macoun's opinion of the Indian attitude toward travel. Macoun often remarked that when in doubt of their location an Indian's attitude would be, "Indian here, wigwam lost."

tICK s CHURCH - 1912 The story of James Williams' arrival at Fort Walsh... is it true? THE MEDICINE HRT D.B.R.Z. REUITRLIZRTION If you believe this, I've got some... It is said that one of the first visitors to the fort was a PROJECT very lost and bewildered man from the Isle of Man named James Williams. He appeared 219-6th AVE S.E. from the North: tattered, weather-beaten, dressed in rags and skins, with matted hair and MEDICINE HAT, beard. Unsure of his whereabouts, he had originally been shanghaied from his native ALBERTA country and shipped to York Factory, where he had been bound over to the Hudson's Bay Ph. (403) 529-2575 Company. He escaped and headed desperately south and west until he reached Fort Walsh, where it is said he first learned that he was on the North American Continent! 30 How did the Mountie Wilde make quite a name for himself?

The Indians resented the construction of the railway across their traditional lands near the Cypress Hills. They terrorized the workmen, appearing at the construction site and demanding payment or provisions. Horses were stolen, and once a tomahawk was found embedded between the rails.

Finally the Cree Chief, Piapot, "Lord of Heaven and Earth," led his people to obstruct the construction crews by pulling up surveyors' stakes and camping on the proposed track NATIONAL way. William Brock Wilde, a Mountie, was called in, and he gave Piapot and his follow­ ers fifteen minutes to clear out. They didn't budge, and when the time was up, Wilde NEON strode into the camp and kicked the centre poles of the lodges down, collapsing the tents on their inhabitants. Whether it was an act of bravery or foolhardiness, it impressed the 327-4215 Indians and they gave way. 3302-5 Ave N.

What is the story of Lady Macdonald and the missing headstone? LETHBRIDGE

Captain Clarke, the nephew of Sir John A. Macdonald and Lady Macdonald and captain with the N.W.M. P., was buried at Fort Walsh in 1880 after he died of typhoid. A ILLUMINATED headstone for the grave was sent to the Maple Creek detachment some time after the SIGNS detachment at Fort Walsh had moved to its new quarters. There never seemed to be a reason to go out to the Fort Walsh cemetery and place the headstone until one night at & 10:00 p.m. when a telegram arrived saying Lady Macdonald would stop there in three AWNINGS days' time to pay her respects at her nephew's grave. That same night six men were off, equipped with scythes, hoes, shovels and the headstone. LEASE Everything was in order by the time Lady Macdonald arrived, and she complimented the men on the well-maintained gravesite. She didn't have much time to visit as she had to SALES catch the train at Maple Creek, and it was a rush to drive her back. The driver pushed the SERVICE horses to their limit, so much so that one horse died in its tracks, but they continued after the horse was removed from his harness. The trip was swift and very rough, and it is said that Lady Macdonald never forgot it.

How would a buffalo and a grizzly bear match up in a fight?

Abe Farwell, when trading near Fort Walsh, told of a fight he witnessed in 1872 between a buffalo bull and a grizzly. Farwell was riding along when he heard the buffalo bellow­ ing. A grizzly had come upon a calf and attacked just before its mother sounded the 1405 - 33rd St. N. alarm. Like a squadron of cavalry, a number of large bulls answered this call. One Lethbridge, Alberta immense bull reached the place where the grizzly was trying to get away with his prey. T1H5H2 As the bull charged, the grizzly reared up on his hind legs to catch his opponent rushing Bus: (403) 327-6877 in. But the bull managed to knock the grizzly aside. Almost instandy the grizzly was Res: 381-7127 surrounded by several large bulls, and though he tried to make for the timber, the com­ CONTRACTORS bined assaults brought the bear to the ground. The frenzied bulls soon had the grizzly RENTALS gored to death. Farewell examined the grizzly afterward and found there was not a whole EQUIPMENT piece of skin in his hide from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. They literally tore him to pieces. <8ttitefr flit Cour# When did the last traces of the buffalo disappear? Explore the badlands — After the buffalo were almost exterminated, all that was left was their bones and chips on Aworld heritage site the prairies. On the treeless prairies, buffalo chips made almost the only source of fuel Includes a 4 hour tour of the famous Tyrrell Dinosaur for fires and were soon used up or decomposed. The last traces of buffalo were removed Museum when homesteaders gathered the millions of bones left from the buffalo slaughters between 1820 and 1874. They were a major export to the U.S. until 1893. The buffalo For more Information contact: bones sold for between $5 and $8 a ton and were used in fertilizer and in refining sugar. J)i8t0vlcal Itesearcfj Centre This is the reason few traces of their existence are found on the prairies today. 1710-31 ST. N. Lethbridge. ABT1H5H1

31 Is there a legend about Alberta's flower, the Wild Rose?

Alberta is known as "Wild Rose Country." Here is a legend about our provincial flower.

Long years ago the people of the western plains looked forward to the coming of spring as much as they do today. When the soft breeze of the south took away the snow, and a green tinge appeared on the dreary land, the people's hearts were glad. One reason for their rejoicing was because they knew that with the coming of spring the buffalo herds would return. The buffalo was the life-stay of the people. It provided them with food • the FRIENDS of the and robes, and with hides to make their tents. > FRANK SLIDE One day the Great Spirit called the people together. "I am speaking to you," the Spirit said, "to remind you that there are other things in life besides the buffalo, and the food, . CENTRE SOCIETY clothing and shelter it provides you. There is also beauty. Many of you don t seem to •k .... know this. My birds sing their beautiful songs, but your ears are closed, and you don't hear them. Among the grasses grow my delicate flowers, but your eyes are closed, and you haven't seen them. Now I am going to give you something to force you to behold •ti... the beauty of my world. You will see it, but you will not touch it. I will always protect it invite uou from your hands." Then the Spirit departed from them. Vv*,,, to visit A- Next morning the people got up early to see what the Spirit had given them. At first they saw nothing. Then they spied a color they had never seen before. It was a delicate pink. the FRANK SLIDE On coming closer they saw there were bushes covered with flowers of this color. De­ lighted, they ran forward to pick some of the flowers. Instead of doing so, they screamed % "* * INTERPRETIVE with pain. One the stems of the bushes were thorns, which caused their hands to bleed. Then the people remembered the Spirit had told them he would protect his gift from their CENTRE hands.

From this time, the people of the plains heeded the message of the Spirit. They listened to the songs of the birds, and they admired the flowers, especially the roses. They re­ membered the Spirit's words, that life does not consist of food and drink alone, but that, f\^ as in the songs of the birds and the beauty of the flowers, there should also be loveliness in the life of every person.

EXPERIENCE How many kinds of buffalo were there? the There were two kinds of buffalo — the woods buffalo and the plains buffalo — and the LEGACY old traders always regarded them as being of totally different species. The woods buffalo of were said to be larger, and they had differendy shaped horns and longer hair. They kept to the north of the Saskatchewan River, never ventured on the open plains and were COAL­ found as far north as Great . The prairie buffalo kept on the open plains and MINING spent the winter in the coulees and wooded river banks. Grey buffalo were not uncom­ mon, and occasionally a pure white one was found. These were regarded with great in ihe historic reverence by the Plains Indians. CROWSNEST W53 Why did the buffalo almost die out? Before the white man supplied the Indians with rifles, they used a short bow about three feet long and arrows tipped with flint or buffalo bone. Although the Indians and the Metis killed the buffalo by the thousands every year, it is doubtful if this regular slaughter would have greatly depleted the herds. It was the professional buffalo hunters of the western states who killed them by the millions for their skins, and gradually over a period of 15 to 20 years wiped them out. During the 1870's and 80's there was a careless slaughter of the great animals with the introduction of the repeating rifle. In 1877, 30,000 buffalo hides were shipped out of Fort Macleod. Two years later, in 1879, there were only 5000 skins traded at the post.

32 8

The town of Dunmore was named after Charles Adolphus Murray otherwise known as the 7th Earl of Dunmore, Viscount Fincastle, and Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillemot. He was prominent and a typical man of his class and times. * GRADING * GRAVELLING What did an Earl's life consist of? * ROCK HAULING *LOWBOY WORK He was born on March 24,1841 in London, England, but his principal residence was a * SNOW PLOUGHING country estate, Dunmore Park near Falkirk. He married well, to the daughter of the 2nd P.O. Box 1028 Earl of Leicester, and served for a time as Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria in 1874-80. Medicine Hat, Alta His son, the 8th Earl of Dunmore, served in the same position for George V. T1A7H1 527-6389 Lord Dunmore was a large shareholder in the Canadian Agricultural Coal and Coloniza­ tion Company which, along with the Department of the Interior and the Farmer's North­ west Land and Colonization Company made agreements for selling land in the 1800's. The Canadian Agricultural Coal and Colonization Company was considered to be a "very important experiment" in western colonization, with Sir John Lister Kay as chief pro­ moter. He formed the company with Lord Queensbury and others, acquiring ten separate tracts of 10,000 acres each with the expectation of cultivation and stock raising that -CEDAR- would stimulate setdement. The ten tracts were at Rush Lake, Gull Lake, Crane Lake, -HARDWOODS- Swift Current, Kincorth, Dunmore, Stair, Bantry, Namako and Langdon. Each had a (ALL DIMENSIONS AND PROFILE) frontage of about five miles along the railway line with a station or siding at each. The company later purchased the Powder River Ranch Company of 80,000 acres and 8000 TED BULANDA head of cattle which was located between Mosquito Creek and the Little Bow River. Dunmore ALBERTA Young English farmers were sent out to work the land. They had little knowledge of Ph. (403) 526-6069 prairie farming, and that, combined with the harsh climate and poor management, caused the collapse of the Company. J-SYSTEM. What was the "Turkey Track"? \pi. CANO Polly, an old-time stagecoach driver, called the rail line the "Turkey Track" because the BUILDING PRODUCTS line twisted and turned through the coulees and over the flats. Polly didn't think the rail (DIV. OF COZEE STRUCTURES) line could match his stage-driving expertise. Trains were more efficient at hauling coal, but the insulting name stuck. BEN ANDREAS What was the Northwestern Coal and Navigation Company? General Delivery, DUNMORE, Coal was the vital resource behind industry and rail travel in the early mining days at ALBERTA Coal Banks (Lethbridge). The problem on the prairies was how to get the product to T0J 1A0 market. Over land was out of the question as freighters and stagecoach drivers were Ph. (403) 526-4845 expensive and not suited for such a heavy cargo. Sir Alexander and Elliott Gait, who 33 controlled the coal industry along with investors from England, formed the Northwestern Coal and Navigation Company and built a fleet of riverboats to haul the coal from Lethbridge to Medicine Hat. Although steamboats worked well on the Missouri and ^AJOC&U (Dacu&nwrU *X%&. Mississippi, the low summer and fall water levels of the Oldman river played havoc with the steamers. HEINZ TRAICHEL PROPRIETOR A rail line between Lethbridge and Dunmore became the new means of hauling the coal. * GENERAL REPAIRS * INSTALLATIONS & SERVICE Because of financial difficulties, it was built as a narrow gauge railway with three foot WORK ON ALL TRUCK HOISTS rails rather than standard gauge of four feet eight and a half inches apart. The building of AND GRAIN & GRAVEL BODIES this line proceeded under the military guard of the Rocky Mountain Rangers as it was feared the Riel Rebellion farther north might incite the local Indians to join the fight GENERAL DELIVERY against white men. The little company laid the 109 miles of track in 43 working days and DUNMORE, ALTA. had the line completed by August 28. The railway was opened on September 24,1885, T0J1A0 by Lord Lansdowne, Governor General of Canada. The rolling stock included six loco­ Ph. (403) 526-4073 motives, two auxiliary water tenders, ninety-five coal cars, each with a capacity of nine to ten tons, one pay car, four cabooses, twelve freight cars, two accommodation cabooses, two passenger cars, and six stock cars.

What is the story of the governor and the cowboy?

The grand opening of the Turkey Track Railroad was quite a formal occasion and the station platform was carpeted to add the proper distinction to the celebration. It is said that amidst the bowing and scraping on the platform as the early settlers were presented MUNICIPAL DISTRICT to His Excellency, a cowboy rode up to the edge of the platform and without dismount­ OF ing, called to his Lordship, "Hello, Governor, come here!" CYPRESS NO. 1 DUNMORE, Lord Landsdowne, immaculate and resplendent, walked over to the cowboy and his ALBERTA delicate hand was engulfed in the rough, weather-beaten grip of the cowboy, who said, "Put it thar, Governor, for forty days," then with a wave of his hat, turned his horse, dug T0J1A0 in his spurs, shouted, "So long, Governor," and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

How was the coal transferred from the narrow-gauge to regular-gauge ANDERSON cars? MEDICAL The narrow-gauge rail cars were unable to transfer to the standard-gauge railway, so the DENTAL last segment of the railway was laid parallel to but above the standard track, and coal was moved down shutes from one train to the other. Because of the severe grades at Medi­ PKARMACy cine Hat, the eastern end of the line was laid to Dunmore, seven miles east. Coal was .(LETK) LTD. stockpiled at Dunmore during the summer in anticipation of the cold and windy prairie winters.

Serving Southern Siberia How were the rails kept clear in winter? for 40 years! They weren't. Winter months were hard on the exposed line on the prairies, and there were no plows for the engines to clear the wind-packed snow. In 1887 the severe winter PRESCRIPTIONS weather led to some problems with the operation of the railway between Lethbridge and Dunmore. It is said that a train left Lethbridge at noon on February 1,1887, and didn't 24 HOUR arrive at Dunmore, 109 miles away, until March 17. The snow in some places was twenty feet deep, leaving only the smoke-stack of the blockaded locomotive visible. EMERGENCY However, with typical Chinook country abruptness, the snow was soon transformed into SERVICE lakes filling the formerly dry depressions that covered the flat country.

Between the Hospitals When did the Turkey Track become part of the C.P.R.? 1609 9 Ave. South In spite of its tiny size, a lot of traffic moved over this line in the years before it was acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1897. For some time Dunmore threatened Lethbridge to become more important than Medicine Hat, as the town gained importance when the 328-3822 Canadian Pacific extended its branch line from Dunmore past Lethbridge to Cranbrook and the interior of British Columbia. However, the main center of operations for the extended railway remained at the Hat, and the engines were shunted awkwardly between 34 the two points. When the C.P.R. took over the venture they widened the Turkey Track to standard gauge, allowing it to become part of the Crowsnest Line four years later. Are there any of the old narrow-gauge trains still around? Isn't it time None are in working order in this area. Today, one of the narrow-gauge engines lies in Yoho National Park, where it was driven off the edge of a spur line when its work was you completed after the building of the Spiral Tunnel there, many years later. published What were some of the Turkey Track's connections? a Like the track of a turkey in the barnyard, the Turkey Track was narrow and wandered Family drunkenly, following the lay of the land between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge and from Lethbridge to Great Falls. The railway originated to ship coal but also did service when History the homesteading settlers arrived. It later became a part of the C.P R. lines in Southern Alberta.

The line was privately built, and was owned by the Alberta Coal and Irrigation Co. operated by the Gait family at Lethbridge. In 1855 they laid track from Lethbridge to Dunmore near Medicine Hat to supply the C.P.R. with coal. In 1890 another line was stretched from Lethbridge to Great Falls. This was a second line in the west to cross the We International Boundary. The Lethbridge to Dunmore route was originally the North Western Coal and Navigation Co. One reason for building the railway between those two can points was that the river steamers used almost as much coal to return against the flow of the rivers as the barges they hauled could take in the first place. The southern route, Help! which was built with tiny twin tracks, was called the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Co. and went as far as Sweet Grass, Montana, 66 miles from Lethbridge. The remaining 134 miles to Great Falls was the Great Falls and Canada Railway. We offer complete What was the Phantom Train? services In the early summer of 1908, train engineers James Nicholson and Robert Twohey with the latest reported, each on separate occasions, of being blinded by an oncoming train's headlight, seeing passengers flash past in lighted coaches, and even receiving an all-clear wave from in computer the other train's crew — despite there being only a single track on this section. The technology "Phantom Train" had rushed towards them around the same curve of track between Medicine Hat and Dunmore. In both cases the fireman had been Gus Day, who also saw the unearthly spectre with its shadowy crew at the controls. Twohey had also been told by a palm reader that he and his crew would all die in a train accident on May 10,1908. As a result he booked off for the month of May.

However, on July 9,1908, James Nicholson took engine 702 and headed for Dunmore, where he expected to hook onto the Spokane Flyer and haul it to Moose Jaw. The operator gave him the required information but forgot to mention that train #17, which was operated by Twohey, was two hours late and had not cleared that section of the track. Nicholson also forgot to check the bulletin board which would have given him the necessary information. There were scant seconds before the trains met, but there was enough time for both men to jump to safety. Instead, each stayed and applied his brakes. Neither survived the dreadful crash, which threw both engines to the roadbed and tele­ scoped two freight cars, a baggage car, and the first passenger coach. Seven trainmen and two passengers lost their lives. ftUtoricaJ JU*tar*$ The operator who had failed to give the engineer complete clearance fled to the United ttntvt States when he heard of the accident. The inquest showed that he had been working long 1710-31 St. N. hours of overtime to take up the burden caused by sickness among the regular yardmen. LETHBRIDGE, AB

Thompson, who took Day's place as fireman, escaped death by jumping from the engine. He recalled later that he had seen a farmer standing on a hill, frantically waving his arms, but thought it was only a friendly gesture. The farmer could see what was about to happen and waved his arms to warn everybody of the impending crash. 35 Are there any interesting anecdotes that happened at Dunmore during Prohibition?

Some funny things happened in the old days," the man said, smiling. "This was still part of the North West Territories when the Turkey Trail was in operation. They had some sort of prohibition in effect here. I was at Dunmore once when the Mounted Police seized some barrels of liquor. They had no place to put the stuff and it was standing there on the Dunmore station platform. The police placed a guard consisting of one man on the We provide liquor. The old station platform was a raised affair. It was put up on posts and there was homes throughout quite a space underneath it. While this guard was sitting on one of the barrels a couple of Southern Alberta fellows who were interested in the booze crawled under the platform, drilled holes up through the platform into the barrels and quietly and neatly drained the liquor away.

What was the Lambert case?

A man named Lambert was given six months' imprisonment for horse theft. His was a classic case of returning to the scene of the crime.

He stole a horse off the prairie and then fled to Conrad, Montana, where he was spotted with three other horses. The American authorities were notified, but by then Lambert had already headed back to the scene of the crime with a horse he had stolen from the States. Heritage House He was warned by a friend at Lethbridge that he was wanted and started at a full gallop Lethbridge for Dunmore following the Turkey Trail.

An Alberta Provincial The N.W.M.P. were notified. They took a hand-car and captured the felon about fifteen Historic Resource miles down the line. this home is considered one of the finest examples of the Are any ranches in the Dunmore area still owned by the original settlers? International-Art Deco design in the province. The Cavan Ranch was established in 1883 by Dan Cavan, and is still operated by family descendants. Dan came to Canada from England and worked for the Canadian Pacific on Built in 1937, the "National Dream." On his way west he decided to settle in the Dunmore area and put the home is still in the down roots. Along with ranching Dan operated a market garden and sold the produce at possession of members the farmer's market in Medicine Hat. He also ran the Dunmore Livery Stable and his of the original wife Annie was proprietor of a boarding house. Their son, Henry Cavan, was reputedly family. the first white child born in the Dunmore area, and eventually took over the ranch. He also worked for the C.P.R. as a surveyor and later as a dam and irrigation inspector for For reservations contact: the P.F.R.A. Another son, Robert, operated the Dunmore Cash Store, which is still Historical Jt*s*a?cJ standing today. €tntvt 1710 -31 St. N. The ranch is run today by Henry's son, Lionel, who was born in 1918, and his son LETHBRIDGE, AB Warren. The house where Lionel grew up still stands on the property. Lionel remembers T1H 5H1 the old town of Dunmore well: It was larger than today's town, and had a brick hotel, a

or call: church, a post office, a brick school house, and a dance hall. Lionel remembers the ranch (403) 328-9011 round-ups and recalls his father talking about Southern Alberta's famous cowboy, John Ware.

Avails How did ranching get its start in southern Alberta? West Ranching in Alberta started almost by accident. In 1877 an American drove 14 cows, 10 calves, and a bull north from Montana to Fort Macleod. They became the property of Constable Whitney of the N.W.M.P., but since there wasn't enough feed for cattle, he turned them loose on the prairie over the winter.

The next spring, Whitney rode out to see if any of his catUe had survived. To his 3Bweau surprise, all were intact, and all the cows had calves. The next year, a Montana rancher drove 1000 head across the line.

36 Did the rest of Canada send aid to the drought-stricken provinces in the west? The In 1931 the rest of Canada became aware of the extreme difficulty farmers in the West Lethbridge Herald faced as a result of three successive crop failures. The Canadian Red Cross launched an appeal for food and clothing for an estimated 125,000 destitute farm families. Crops averaged less than six bushels to the acre. Mail order houses soon noticed a radical drop in rural orders. Not only were yields small, but the price of wheat fell to a record low. SERVING The Red Cross heard of the hardships the Westerners were undergoing, and sent 247 SOUTHERN carloads of food and clothing (of which the United Church supplied 135 cars) to the ALBERTA needy. AND A carload of salted cod was sent by eastern fishermen, but the poor drylanders had never SOUTHEASTERN heard of the stuff and tried to figure out some way of making it palatable. Few thought of de-salting the cod. They probably wondered what kind of tastebuds those eastern BRITISH fishermen had. COLUMBIA

How did those who acquired homesteads fit in?

Quite a few didn't stay long enough to find out. William Pearce believed that only a third 7 St. & 5 Ave. S. of the homesteaders ever intended to farm. At one time the C.P.R. alone had a list of LETHBRIDGE 50,000 absentee landlords who acquired land and then left the country. Alberta

TELEPHONE: What was the early cowboy like? 328-4411 The slaughter of the buffalo made room on the range for cattle and of course, cowboys. Ranching was a big job as virtually all the country between the North Pole and Texas was fence free. Ellingson's Good cowboys earned their wages, but such men were hard to find. There were plenty of cowboys, both the genuine kind and the "imitation" type, who usually had a little more Organ sombrero, cartridge-belt and gun than the real sort. There was always something to learn Service in the cattle business, and the best cowboys added to their knowledge every year. Particularly during the early 1880's, good hands experienced no difficulty finding work.

The cowboy was usually an employee, often with dreams of starting his own spread. But dreams or not, he generally liked the outdoors and the freedom. During the late 1800's SERVICE & REPAIR the ordinary cowboy's monthly wage was about forty dollars, on top of which might be FOR ALL TYPES OF added board. The payroll of the Cochrane Ranch in 1885 showed that the foreman, Jim Dunlap, received $25 per month, the bookkeeper $67.50 and the cook $50. It was ELECTRONIC obvious the men weren't in it for the money, although at times wages rose considerably. ORGANS & BAND EQUIPMENT How did rodeo get its start? PHONE (403) 328-4147 Rodeos got their start from wagers made by cowboys of different ranches while on roundup. It became traditional to hold a riding and roping contest to discover the fastest roper or the best bronc rider. These informal rodeos lacked chutes and today's sophistica­ tion. The rules were vague and often not too clear. There was no time limit in bucking events. Cowboys just hung on until the judge figured they had ridden long enough.

In 1903, Bill Pickett, a Texas black cowboy near Austin, originated the bulldogging 538 - 36th St. N. event. After leaping from his horse and grabbing the steer by the horns, he would twist LETHBRIDGE, the animanl's neck. It is said that for a final flourish he would sink his teeth into the ALBERTA animal's lip, bulldog fashion. The event remains today, a little altered maybe, but fun to T1H 5H6 watch. 37 Who were the Rocky Mountain Rangers?

In 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway was reaching further and further west, bringing a new civilization. The Indians felt it would trigger the end of their culture. For three months during the Riel Rebellion, the border country was patrolled by the Rocky Moun­ tain Rangers. They were a volunteer group of 114 men, divided into three troops and assigned to watch the border country for American Indians trying to come into Canada.

Indians and Metis had begun demanding a better deal for themselves from the govern­ ment — unfortunately, in a violent manner. There was an increase in the number of cattle being shot by Indians, and the settlers were worried that these actions would increase. Everyone was conscious of the fact that there was only a small contingent of police at Fort Macleod. W.F. Cochrane, of the Cochrane Ranch, expressed it this way: "... the police have not enough men to give any help outside of Macleod and we will have to look after ourselves." Once the news of Indian and Metis fighting in Saskatchewan reached Fort Macleod, nerves were on edge, and the desire for protection began in earnest. Highway History Capt. Stewart, owner of a ranch near the Blood Indian Reserve, wrote a letter to Adolphe Have you P. Caron, Minister of Militia and Defence stating his scheme to get a body of volunteers read together in the Fort Macleod area to supplement the local forces in the district. these Provisional Cavalry Force of 150 officers, non-commissioned officers, and ex-Mounted Policemen, Englishmen and Canadian Montanians to patrol an area bounded by High History River, Medicine Hat and the International Border.... Each volunteer would supply his Books own horse, bridle, saddle, blanket, and lariat. Officers were to bring their own uniforms, ? that of an undress cavalry officer, while other ranks were to use their own serviceable wearing apparel.

1874 TREK After receiving permission, Stewart recruited, equipped, and trained volunteers. The • D. Coulter & B. Haig • famous Kootenai Brown was hired as Chief Scout, receiving 75 cents a day. The men $3.50 had their first drill on April 18,1885. TEN YEARS OF TREK • B. Haig • On April 29, sixty men received ammunition and marched east to Coal Banks (Leth­ $9.95 bridge) to guard the C.P.R. telegraph line which was being built from Coal Banks to WHEN THE WEST WAS Macleod and the narrow gauge rail line to Dunmore. Once they reached Coal Banks, the YOUNG men split up, one troop going north to patrol the area around High River, the second troop • J.D. Higinbotham • going to Medicine Hat and Cypress Hills. They also patrolled the border areas in case $9.95 American Indians came into Canada to join the Rebellion. On May 15, Louis Riel was arrested, but this news didn't reach Macleod until two days later. Even then, police and FOOTHILL & PRAIRIE MEMORIES rangers continued to patrol. • J.D. Higinbotham • $3.50 Throughout the three months of the Rocky Mountain Rangers' existence, there was only one incident in which shots were fired. Ranger Jackson and a small band of Indians STORY OF THE CLIMATE exchanged fire, but the Indians fled back across the border. By mid-June, 1885, the OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA Rangers were ordered home. They arrived in Macleod on July 8, and the town cele­ • J. McCaig • brated. Ten days later, the men were paid off and disbanded. At the end of the month, $1.50 the Mounties held a Ball in their honor, complete with a sumptuous banquet. Major Stewart negotiated with Ottawa, and each Ranger received recognition with a North-West IN THE FOOTSTEPS Medal and 320 acres (130 hectares) of land or $80.00 in scrip (I.O.U. or voucher). OF THOMAS BLAKISTON • Bruce Haig • $5.95 Jawbone? For more information contact: 3f)isto?tcaI 3U**at$$ The story goes that as Lord Dunmore was travelling west he happened to kill a moose. Cent** On his return trip to the east, he used the moose's jawbone to repair his Red River Cart 1710 - 31 St. N. and this is how the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, got its name way back in 1883. LETHBRIDGE, AB (403) 328-9011 38 Porkdale Farms L+d, Highway History Fincastle ^S Hank & Dick Klok

FINCASTLE WE PUT THE BEST PORK ON YOUR FORK How did Fincastle get its name? FINCASTLE The Viscount of Fincastle was commemorated by the C.P.R. when the siding of Fincastle ALBERTA was named after him in 1915. Who was the Viscount of Fincasde? Does the Earl of Dunmore sound familiar? Like many members of British peerage, the illustrious Earl had more than one title, and his interests in the C.P.R. were not forgotten when it came time to name sidings and stations along the rail line. The entire southern rail line was known MORE as the Fincastle branch up to where it joins the main line at Dunmore. A small lake near GREAT BOOKS here is also called Fincastle. FOR HISTORY BUFFS

Didn't anyone speak out against the buffalo slaughter? A HISTORY OF THE An interesting journal was written by a contemporary of the Earl of Dunmore, the Earl of • Wm. James Cousins • Southesk. As he travelled, hunted and explored the west in style during July 1850, he $9.95 kept an interesting journal. It reflects the class and culture of a few Victorians of his time. WATERTON LAKES PARK I have just made the unpleasant discovery that we have barely two days' provision in the • M.B. Williams • camp ... Great gloom overspread the camp. I did my best to seem cheerful. I divided all $5.95 the pemmican into portions ... and served the tea out in allowances: for my own part, I ate some of the leg of the larger white goat brought in on Saturday. The old ewe must have LETHBRIDGE 100TH reared a dozen kids at least, - tougher and drier fare I never fed on... Read Romeo and ANNIVERSARY PLAN Juliet. BOOK • B. Haig & J. Tilley • $9.95 His comments may appear melodramatic and affectatious but he was an ecologist before the word was coined: LETHBRIDGE - A1911 PUBLICITY GUIDE With the buffalo it is the same — kill, kill, kill. All the year round the Indians are $9.95 hunting and slaughtering them, and in the winter they drive them into "pounds" by hundreds at a time, and murder every beast in the enclosures, male and female, young or JAMES HECTOR, old, usable or useless. Such waste will soon bring its bitter punishment. ...It grieves the EXPLORER heart of a lover of trees to travel through America. For hundreds and thousands of miles • Bruce Haig • his eyes behold nothing but wholesale destruction of those noblest ornaments of the earth. $7.95 Fire everywhere, the axe everywhere, the barking knife and the bill-hook, —joint ravagers with the storm, the lightning and the flood, — all busy in pulling down nature's PAUL KANE, ARTIST forest handiwork - and who builds up anything in its stead? • Bruce Haig • $11.95 If he could see us now.

For more information contact: What changed the open range? fttstotical Ztszavth ttutxt Until barbed wire was invented in 1874, the problems of the open range were bound to 1710 - 31 St. N. get worse as cattle increased. Barbed wire did for farming and ranching what the tele­ LETHBRIDGE, AB graph did for the railway — made it safe and possible. (403) 328-9011

39 What is Hutterite life like? MORE GREAT BOOKS Hutterite congregations moved from South Dakota to Alberta, where they established ten FOR HISTORY colonies by 1918. Hutterites are easily recognized by their dark clothing — the women in long skirts with aprons and kerchiefs in their hair, and the men in black from boots to BUFFS hat. The married men wear beards. They speak English for dealing with the outer world but their mother tongue is German. Their way of life may seem strange to us, but it works. Each colony functions within a religious framework. Families have their personal quarters, but meals, child care, and work are all shared communally. Hutterites have their own schools on the colony, but the agrarian nature of their lives doesn't require that they go much farther than mandatory levels of education. The Hutterites are known all over Southern Alberta by their fresh produce, which they sell at farmers' markets.

Highway History During both wars there was a strong feeling against the Hutterites as they were pacifists. They also drew resentment as their ideal of communal property enabled them to thrive when other farmers were under financial difficulty. In 1919 the Alberta and Manitoba Riel Rebellion governments placed restrictions on the Hutterites. Immigrants with "peculiar customs, Centennial habits, modes of living and methods of holding property" were considered undesirable. Expedition The groups which were specifically named were the Hutterites, Doukhobours, and Men­ • B. Haig • nonites. However, the attitudes to Hutterite colonies in rural areas are changing as the $9.95 rural areas themselves change due to the changing economic times. As small farms are becoming increasingly absorbed into large corporations and those that do stay on the Gladstone's Diary farms spend less time in their localities, the Hutterites are seen as retaining some of the • William Gladstone • traditional rural way of life. Although outsiders criticize their lack of freedom and $9.95 individuality, their members are noted for the stability of their way of life as they have a low rate of mental illness and an almost nonexistent divorce rate. and, of course, the book you are reading now is the first in a series of two books on Highway #3 Didn't irrigation stop some areas from suffering during the Depression?

Read the second book! The Canada Land and Irrigation Company at Vauxhall acquired 400,000 acres of land at the turn of the century. They installed huge irrigation works, placed between 300 and 400 settlers on the irrigated farms, and supplied water to scores of ranchers in the area. Lethbridge Cranbrook, B.C. Lake Newell is the heart of this irrigation system. Although the company sank $15,000,000 into the project, falling grain prices made it impossible for the farmers to T: meet mortgage payments, interest, or water charges, and the company went broke. Rather than let the settlers be without water and be forced to leave or let the irrigation works deteriorate, the federal government advanced $100,000 a year to keep it operating. This kept the farmers going when drylanders were suffering.

ALBERTA Did any Jews settle in Southern Alberta? HIGHWAY HISTORY Among the crews imported to Canada for work on the C.P.R. were 150 Orthodox-Jewish by immigrants. They worked along the line as far as Medicine Hat, and due to their religion, • Bruneau, Haig & Low • they were given the privilege of worshipping on the Sabbath (Saturday). However, with the human species' typical distrust of non-conformity, one Jewish work crew was $9.95 severely beaten, and as a whole, they were not well accepted into the group. In the early For more information contact: 1900's the Jewish people settled in agricultural settlements in Western Canada, but of those who settled as farmers, few remain, and now most live in cities. Many Jewish Ujistorical 3U**arc$ people first started as pedlars, acquiring country stores, and some eventually opened ttutxt clothing stores in larger centers. 1710 - 31 St. N. LETHBRIDGE, AB It was one of these Jewish merchants who introduced the concept of the installment plan, (403)328-9011 which has since become a major facet of our economic system.

40 Grassy Lake Highway History

GRASSY LAKE (1985) Ltd. How did the town of Grassy Lake get its name?

Remember Bow Island? No. Well, here we go again. Grassy Lake was named by the Full Line of Groceries C.P.R. in 1893, after a lake, which the Blackfoot called moyi-kimi or Grassy Lake. The lake has long since dried up. It is said that the lake was actually located near the town of Bow Island, and that a mix-up in Ottawa resulted in the place names being interchanged. Well-Stocked Deli The "real" Bow Island is situated north of Grassy Lake on the Saskatchewan River.

Are there traces of the early Indians in this area? Cold Refreshments

On a hill overlooking the South Saskatchewan River north of Grassy Lake are the shattered remains of hundreds of teepee rings, a cairn and a medicine wheel. It appears Pop, Candy & Chips that the cairn was intended to represent some animal form, perhaps a turtle. Artifacts were found here that are otherwise rare or nonexistent in the rest of Alberta: tubular and elbow pipes made of soapstone, a ring, a pendant and beads, and pendants made of shells Ice Cream & Frozen thought to be traded from the Pacific Coast. Refreshments

Are medicine wheels common? Fresh Submarines The medicine wheel found here is one of the twenty-five known to exist in Alberta. The MadeDaily! wheels are usually found on hills and built of stones, either from the site or carried there. Typically there are four to twenty-eight spokes radiating from the centre, which usually contains a cairn built of stones. Sometimes cairns are also found at the end of the spokes. The Grassy Lake wheel consists of a larger circle about a central one, and the spokes extend over eighty meters. The cairn at this site is not in the center but is located twenty- Come into five meters away. It is linked to an interesting story.

It is said that a small boy fell unnoticed from a travois one day when the Blood tribe was Grassy moving camp. A bear found him and raised him to about the age of six, when a South Peigan finally rescued the boy and returned him to his people. They built a cairn on the Lake's site of the bear's den to commemorate the event. Finest Early descriptions of the cairn mention a mound of stone and earth about six meters in diameter and two meters high. The cairn was rebuilt according to these descriptions after being repeatedly looted and vandalized. Grocery

Did the North West Mounted Police pass through this area? Store!

Some of the earliest white visitors to this area were the N.W.M.P. in search of the notorious Fort Whoop-up. After warnings of lawlessness from missionaries in the Northwest, Colonel Butler and later Col. Patrick Robertson-Ross were sent out to verify the situation. Nothing was done, however, until reports of the Cypress Hills massacre P.O. Box 661 moved the politicians to pass a bill establishing the Force. GRASSY LAKE When the force was assembled and rapidly trained, it was sent out to enforce the British ALBERTA ideal of law and order in a lawless land. Training, however, did not prepare the recruits Ph. (403) 655-2227 for the actual journey west, which Robertson-Ross described as "An easy and agreeable march of a few weeks duration (which) would suffice to establish them in their respective posts of occupation." 41 In reality the journey was an excruciating ordeal plagued with desertions, sick men and horses, lack of rations and water, dubious guides and an inaccurate map, also comple­ ments of Robertson-Ross. Quotes from Lt. Col. French's diary capture some of the highlights:

... Delayed I -112 hours at a mud hole. Overshot the proper watering place and conse­ SERVICE CENTRE quently had a long march in the heat of the day, several horses played out.... Horses very weak... Prairie set on fire by carelessness ... A number of officers and men are suffering from diarrhea. ... Road very rough and uneven... Found that one of them (a guide) was a FUEL AND AUTO/ FARM PARTS regular imposter... Tremendous thunderstorm ... nearly all tents blown down.... Struck a small lake which proved to be salt, had to push on two more miles.... Also left 26 sick and weak horses and a dozen wagons ...found out a couple of swamps where the water is RESTAURANT all right...

WITH But they were encouraged by the thought that this was the last leg of their journey. Just north of Grassy Lake, at the junction of the Bow and Saskatchewan Rivers, the N.W.M.P. "HOME COOKING" expected to find the notorious whisky trading post, Fort Whoop-Up. All they found were three trappers' huts without roofs, and the only trace of the whisky traders was the "head OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK of a cask with Kelly, Bourbon printed thereon found on the beach." The problem of the misplaced fort seemed to be the last straw for the exhausted, diminished and hungry force. P.O. BOX 702 GRASSY LAKE, Commissioner French thought their guide was deliberately leading them astray and called him "an out and out liar and hitherto has proved so utterly useless as a guide that no one ALBERTA believes him." The poor guide, however, was only following the report made by Robertson-Ross, which placed Fort Whoop-Up at the junction of the Bow and Sas­ PHONE katchewan Rivers instead of at the proper location, seventy-five miles away on the (403) 655-2255 junction of the Belly (Oldman) and St. Mary's River.

Could what followed be called a "detour de force"?

Yes, for although the troops were only a few miles from the heavily used Whoop-Up Trail that ran north from Fort Benton, the scouts missed finding it. They reported back that the surrounding country was even more desolate. In weary frustration, it was decided they should head to the Sweetgrass Hills, where they knew they would be able to find good grass. They camped with relief as the men were in poor shape, "with bare feet, not one half-clothed, picking up fragments left by the American Troops and hunting buffalo for meat." w> jCs^.2fco y Finding a trail south, French and a small party went on and covered the remaining eighty miles to Fort Benton with empty wagons. It took them three days, and much of the time they travelled through a vast buffalo herd. At Benton, Commissioner French had his first opportunity to telegraph back east. He was greeted with the news that the location of the N.W.M.P. headquarters was being changed to Swan River (near Pelly, Saskatchewan). Population 244 He decided to split the column once more and left 150 men of the B, C and F divisions under the command of Colonel Macleod to find Whoop-Up and set up the first post in the SCHOOLING: far West. Colonel French returned east with Divisions D and E to set up the new ECS to Gradel2 headquarters. TENNIS COURTS At Fort Benton, James Macleod quickly organized supply lines for their soon-to-be- A Ptace Of established post and hired a guide, Jerry Potts. While Macleod made arrangements in Benton, he also sent word to the troops back at the Sweetgrass Hills to move west along Diversity the border until they struck the Whoop-Up Trail. One enterprising Fort Benton merchant, *Great drain John Glenn, headed out towards the starving troops with a wagon loaded with sugar, Forming flour, syrup and canned fruit. Needless to say, he was sold out in no time. Specialty Crops Under the guidance of Jerry Potts, the troops made the last march north to Fort Whoop- *Catt£e Farm-inn Up. Although he was a small and taciturn man, his value as a guide was quickly demon­ (403)655-2377 strated as he went ahead and killed buffalo for food, and also led them to the best springs they had seen on their journey west. 42 Are there any interesting landmarks in the area?

In 1893 an early rancher noted a prominent landmark near Grassy Lake which reputedly was a pink and grey rock said to resemble an overstuffed armchair. It would be interest­ ing to know if anyone knows of its whereabouts; or did somebody move the furniture?

When did settlers move in?

In 1908 Grassy Lake, Burdett, and Bow Island were thrown open for homesteaders, and they followed the pattern of setdement shared by so many railroad towns. The town has the distinction, however, of having had the first woman mayor in Alberta. Her name was Shell Petroleum Gladys Palmer, and she was elected Reeve (the title was changed to Mayor in 1927) in Products December of 1926. • Restaurant & What was stagecoach travel like? Coffee Shop Frank Pollinger, better known as Polly, was one of Southern Alberta's fearless stage • coach drivers. One day his passenger happened to be a "gentleman" complete with top Soft Drinks hat and a pompous bearing. Frank wasn't overly fond of the type and was off with a & crack of his whip. Soon they were bumping and jolting over the prairie trails, and the gentleman's hat went flying. The man was infuriated, and when they reached the stop­ Refreshments ping place he demanded, "I won t go any further. Get another man to drive me to Leth­ • bridge." Beer & Wine Licensed The "other" driver looked suspiciously like Polly, but it was hard to tell, for his collar was • up and his hat was down low. But it was soon obvious that Polly was back in the driver's seat. The whip cracked, and he muttered, "I'll give you a ride you'll never forget." Western & During the trip Polly hit every pothole, rut or badger hole there was, and it was a very Chinese Cooking shaken and irate gentleman who disembarked from that stage. Polly was fired over this • incident but was soon hired back again as there really wasn't anyone who could take his PIZZA place. Finger Food Treats • What was the Whoop-up Trail? Specialty Hamburgers One of the earliest overland trading routes of Alberta was the Whoop-up and/or Benton to suit all tastes Trail (depending on which way you were headed or where your allegiances lay.) It connected Fort Whoop-up, near the present city of Lethbridge, to Fort Benton, in EXCELLENT FOOD AT Montana Territory (near the city of Great Falls, the jumping-off spot at the end of river VERY REASONABLE navigation on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.) This route became an important PRICES! immigrant trail for setders coming to Alberta from the United States and was developed by American interests in the late 1860's. The trail followed approximately today's route along the #2 Highway from Calgary to Fort Macleod; then across the Blood Reserve to Lethbridge; south on the #4 Highway from Lethbridge to Coutts, and finally closely the BOX 694 American Highway #91 from Sweetgrass to Shelby and on to Fort Benton.

It could be said that the first commercial trip on this trail was made by the Hudson's Bay Company. It was made travelling north to south in about 1870 before it was even chris­ tened the Whoop-up Trail. A convoy of ten carts, each capable of carrying about one- half ton, made the trip from Edmonton to Fort Benton with loads of furs. Unlike the bulltrains, the carts were pulled by either horse or oxen. They made their way along the ALBERTA remains of an old Indian trail — the Old North Trail. The Hudsons's Bay Company returned to its old fur trade routes after this. But by the 1880's much of the freighting TEL: and transportation into the North West Territories was done by ponderous and slow- (403) 655-2362 moving oxen or "bull teams" along the Whoop-up Trail. The deep ruts of the old trail are still visible in many parts of Southern Alberta.

43 Ever Are there any nearby ghost towns? wonder A few miles east from Seven Persons and a mile north of Highway #3, the town of Whida sprang up about 1884. The town began as a siding, section house and dugout for the track workers of the Turkey Track Railroad.

It was named after a visiting Winnipeg merchant, R.J. Whitla, who visited the settlement when it was in its infancy. Early settiers were from the United States and had been in attracted to the area by over-enthusiastic advertisements. In 1909 the first general store Southern Alberta ? was built by Sam Richardson, followed the next year by Alex Ashton General Store, which was located directly across the tracks from the competition. Soon after, shops, restaurants, garages, a bank and a billiard hall became a part of this once-bustling prairie Watch for town.

However, continuing dry years of the thirties were a blow to the prosperity of the com­ munity, and the people soon packed up and left. Although a dam was constructed in the Who's Who 1950's to provide irrigation, it was too late for Whitla. in Southern Alberta What contributions did experimental farms make on the prairies?

coming soon On June 2,1886, the Dominion Experimental Farms Systems was established, and it is from the thought that without their research the problems of farming this area may never have been solved. They were located at Brandon, Indian Head, Lethbridge, Morden, Lacombe, Scott and Swift Current. At a prairie experimental station rubber tires on tractors were Distoticai ;GUs*arc& tried instead of the usual metal wheels with lugs. Farmers laughed when lights were put tzxitvz on farm machinery, but round-the-clock farming soon became standard practice. But the biggest contribution was the fight against poor farming practices.

Watch for the next book in the ALBERTA What became of Winnifred? HIGHWAY HISTORY Almost midway between Seven Persons and Bow Island and one mile north of Highway #3 are the scant remains of Winnifred. It shares a similar history with many prairie settle­ •SERIES* ments whose existence was founded on easy promises, cheap land, a few wet years, and then the drought.

As the C.P.R. moved west it acquired land grants from the government, and when the company needed cash it offered these lands for sale — cheap. Settlers paid their rail fare U.S.A. - Calgary and poured into the area. Scon almost every quarter section was claimed and settled by a hopeful family, and for a time things seemed good.

The town was named after Winnifred, the daughter of RJ.Whitla, a Winnipeg merchant (after whom Whitla was named). The town's growth was encouraged by the continuing abundant rainfall, and soon the town included homes, a general store, a hotel and restau­ rant, a mercantile store, a hardware store, Quong Chon's laundry and cafe, the Union bank and Fischer's mercantile building.

When the drought came, the succession of good years was over. The farmers were the ALBERTA first tob e affected, and soon they moved to greener pastures or, at least, someplace else. HIGHWAY HISTORY By 1918 the hotel owners moved their buildings toBrooks . The worst was yet to come. What little the drought allowed to grow was eaten by hordes of grasshoppers and rabbits. For more information: The few businesses that managed to survive were finally closed when Highway #3 Historical &zstavt$ &«itr« bypassed the town a mile to the south. In the 1960's the last business, Wing Chong's 1710-31 StN. Turtle Cafe, closed its doors, and today all that marks the location of the old town are the LETHBRIDGE, AB grain elevators that can be seen from the highway. (403) 328-9011 44 Wnodloniinainniirt (Gj@nn@imll Irvine !§>ft©ir® Highway History

IRVINE The store with the Stock Who was the town of Irvine named after?

The town of Irvine was named after Acheson Gosford Irvine, the first Canadian-born Serving Southeastern Commissioner of the Mounted Police. He came from a distinguished Quebec family of Alberta soldiers and politicians. In anticipation of his appointment to the Mounted Police, he since 1917 went to England to learn about management from the Transport Corps at Aldershot and Authorized Agent for from the Royal Irish Constabulary. Irvine came back and recommended that the force he enlarged due to the influx of settlers and that a training depot be set up for recruits. These proposals, which greatly increased expenditures, were implemented when the Treasury Branches Marquis of Lome, as Governor-General, visited the North-West the following year in 1881. ALBERTANS INVESTING IN ALBERTA What were some of the events during Irvine's term as commissioner?

During the Sioux crisis after the Battle of the Litde Big Horn, Irvine was the man in P.O. Box 127 command of the entire force. However, James Morrow Walsh was the N.W.M.P. in IRVINE, charge of Fort Walsh, where the majority of the Sioux were congregated. Nobody ALBERTA wanted the American Sioux in Canada. The Canadian Indians did not appreciate compet­ ing with outsiders for the diminishing buffalo, and later, for government rations. The PHONE: (403) 834-3822 settlers throughout the west were afraid of more Indian rebellions, and of course, the politicians in the east wanted their votes. A quick solution to the Sioux problem would prove the government's efficiency. Irvine Used Truck Centre Who finally solved this problem?

It fell to the Mounted Police. Walsh received a great deal of publicity due to his relation­ ship with Sitting Bull, leader of the refugee Sioux, while he was in Canadian territory. Why buy new Initially, Walsh's bravery and diplomacy with the Sioux brought him admiration from when used both the Americans and Canadians. These high opinions eventually deteriorated, and will do! then he was blamed for the Indians' prolonged stay. He never resorted to starving the Sioux out, which is what finally forced them to head back to the United States. Before it came to this, he was transferred from Fort Walsh to a lesser posting. His career with the N.W.M.P. suffered the final blow when his immediate superior, Acheson Irvine, com­ mented in a confidential report: "I regard him as both utterly incompetent and un­ trustworthy. He does not command respect from officers or men and is in my opinion unfit to hold a commission in the Force." Walsh is today recognized for the compassion that governed his actions, but it was Irvine who got the job done. When the Sioux * Sales realized they had to choose between starvation and surrender, they chose the latter and * Service headed south. * Parts * Specializing in Light What became of the rivals, Walsh and Irvine, in later years? Duty Trucks

Three years later, in 1883, Walsh retired, taking with him his horse, for which he had to pay $150. His work with the Sioux was completely ignored. He was briefly in the coal business and then returned briefly to the N.W.M.P. during the Klondike Gold Rush. In P.O. Box 224 later years, Irvine also met with setbacks in his career with the N.W.M.P., and in 1892 he IRVINE, Alberta was appointed as Warden of Stony Mountain Penitentiary in Manitoba. Tel: (403) 834-3955

It is interesting that the rivals now have friendly neighbouring towns named after them. 45 fflusTin's^ Did the mail always go by train? In 1887 the outgoing mail at Lethbridge missed the train that met the standard gauge at ICHR/TRUCK I Medicine Hat. This was a serious mistake, and the Lethbridge Bicycle Club volunteered to "catch that train" before it headed east from Medicine Hat. IflllllllJ Five members left Lethbridge for the cross-country marathon of 109 miles over prairie trails. Each bicyclist carried leather school bags containing the mail, and the following morning, despite a few mishaps, they arrived in Medicine Hat a few minutes before the n n east-bound train arrived in the city at eight o'clock a.m. KTROOMADA* •Petro-Canada Petroleum Products* Bull teams: early eighteen-wheelers? * Gas * Diesel The bulls (oxen), were powerful and dependable beasts. As many as 16 of them, 8 pairs, * Propane on two, three and even four wagons moved as a unit. They could be seen plodding * Full Service between Fort Benton and Macleod, seldom exceeding 1 1/2 miles per hour. There were Restaurant about 30 wagons to a train — 10 string teams pulling three wagons each — 160 oxen! Home Cooked Meals Where did all the oxen come from? At Fort Benton, the I.G. Baker Co. had large 6 A.M. 12:00 pastures. Big aged range cattle were bought, and matched for size, and pairs were yoked MIDNIGHT together. All big outfits had bullwhackers, men who rode horseback keeping the laggards OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK and lazy oxen up on the yoke, pulling their weight. Bullwhackers of that day were rough, tough, and somewhat profane. They all had the knack of handling long bullwhips, P.O. Box 97 cracking them in the air over the backs of the oxen with the sound of a pistol shot. IRVINE, ALBERTA At night, the wagons drew in and camped in a circle. The oxen were turned loose in pairs Ph. (403) 834-3961 under the watchful eye of the night wrangler. Miles of these ox teams trailed across the prairies in the '70's and '80's from Fort Benton, all bringing food and equipment, playing their part in the relendess saga of settlement.

Gharlton&HillLld Before 1900 the Chinese setdement in Alberta was limited almost entirely to laundrymen in Edmonton, Calgary and Macleod and to the Chinese ranch cooks in scattered rural * Sheet Metal areas. But after the turn of the century, immigrating Chinese families became more common. With this came the rather stuffy racism of the times. * Roofing In the early 1900's anti-Chinese sentiment was high, and in some cities (Lethbridge and * Custom Calgary) they were restricted to one section of the city. In Lethbridge white girls were Metal Fabrication not allowed to work in Chinese stores, and in Fort Macleod the Chinese laundries were taxed. * Commercial Food Service Equipment Sometimes hostilities flared up. On Christmas Day of 1909, a white customer became insolent with the Chinese owner of the Columbia Restaurant. When the owner tried to "AN INDUSTRY LEADER " evict him, the man resisted, so the owner resorted to clobbering the man's head with a hammer. Rumors were soon flying that the man had died. The next evening two Chinese —ESTABLISHED IN 1941— restaurants were demolished and a few Chinese were roughed up.

655 - 30th St. N. The Chinese settled in towns and cities, and their neighbourhoods became known as Chinatown in cities all over North America. Not much is left of Chinatown in the city of LETHBRIDGE, Lethbridge. Some of the Chinese culture has become a part of the cultural ebb and flow ALBERTA of Western life. Almost everyone is familiar with some form of Chinese food, fortune T1H 5G5 cookies, wok cooking and, of course, "Made in Hong Kong."

46 P Lethbridge Highway History

LETHBRIDGE and FORT WHOOP-UP H What was the Whisky Road?

In 1869, following several dismal years wherein slack profits failed to overcome losses occurred by such vast and disjointed operations, the Hudson Bay Company ceded A holdings North of the "Medicine Line" to the Canadian government. As the guardians of the land withdrew, millions of acres above Montana, still lucrative for smaller, mobile, independent traders, caught the eye of entrepreneurs from the south. North of the boundary, they would be free of laws intended to prevent the bartering of whisky to the Blackfeet indians. The only problem was transporting it. R

An old Indian trail, known for centuries as the "Old North Trail" became "the whisky road" or more commonly "The Whoop-Up Trail," and was soon a well traveled road on the way to American-owned whisky forts. M Just how tough were these whisky traders?

There are endless tales told of the notoriety of these whisky traders. A classic of heart- lessness is a letter supposedly written by a codger known as Snookum Jim: A "Dear friend, Bill Geary got to puttin on airs and I shot him and he is dead. My potatoes is looking fine!" Perhaps survival was tougher then, but it is claimed that many stories were exaggerated C or blatandy untrue. William Gladstone, "Old Glad," was the chief carpenter of the second Ft. Whoop-up, and in the early 1900's had this to say about whisky trading society:

Thare is a good deel sayed about tham that is not true, i was down to Pincher Creek Y about tow weeks ago and i was asked how maney indians i killed. Now i never killed aney and did not want to kill tham. All in all the old timers was a good lot of men. We all traded wiskey. ... Well the HBC company traded rum up to the year 1860. i have seen as maney indans drunk at Edmonton and Rockey Mountain House as ever i seen aney whar elce and when thay got to drunk we have put tham to bed and treated tham a good deel better them (than) some of our sivilised bartenders how (who) take all your money and then kick you out. Thare has been more crime since we have been sivilised than thare ever was before.

How did Dave Akers get shot?

It was never clear how Dave Akers acquired Fort Whoop-up from the original owners, Healy and Hamilton. But he was there, raised cattle and horses, and had one of the first 328-5512 market gardens in the area. Dave Akers was originally from the United States, and his 1506-9th AVENUES. former partner, Tom Purcell, eventually joined him. They resumed their partnership, but LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. there was some friction, and Tom Purcell decided to ranch at Pot Hole Coulee. Trouble arose when the two men couldn't agree how to divide the horses and cattle. OPEN EVERY DAY

Finally one day Dave rode over, determined to settle it peaceably or through legal means, TILL 9:00 P.M. as he carried nothing more deadly than a quirt. According to Tom, after a heated argument Dave struck at him with the whip, whereupon Tom grabbed his gun, which he 47 kept loaded, and shot Dave Akers as he sat on his horse. His aim was true, and realizing that escape was impossible, Tom mounted his favorite horse, Applesaucy, and turned ELLISON himself in. For his crime he received three years in jail at Stony Mountain, Manitoba. MILLING What was Chief Crowfoot's reaction to the coming of the Mounted Police? The Indians were glad to see the Mounted Police arrive, and Chief Crowfoot expressed the COMPANY Indians' sentiment:

The great Mother sent Stamix Otokan (Colonel Macleod), and the police to put the end to the traffic in firewater, I can sleep now safely ...If the police had not come to this country With Tested and where would we all be now? Bad men and whiskey were killing us so fast that very few, Proven Products indeed, of us would have been left today. How did Fort Whoop-up get its name? ELLISON'S BEST FLOUR ROYAL PASTRY FLOUR There are several explanations of how Fort Hamilton came to be known as Fort Whoop-Up. UB AKE BREAD MDC When a trader, Joe Wye, returned to Fort Benton for supplies from the Canadian whisky ELLISON'S PANCAKE & WAFFLE MTX fort, he was questioned by John Power concerning the trade there. He replied, "We're just WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR a-whoopin' it up," and the name Whoop-Up came into common usage. RYE FLOUR J.W. "Diamond R." Brown relates that since free traders were frowned upon by the regular Satisfaction Guaranteed companies, they made their preparations in secret and left Fort Benton at night, travelling up to fifty miles without a stop. They referred to this as "whooping it up for the border."

Of course the "whoop" in Whoop-up could refer to the effect the firewater had on the Box 400, natives and reflect the type of product the traders offered — rotgut. Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 0E8 Who was "Polly"? PHONE (403) 328-6622 "Polly" was a typical hard-drinking stage driver who was once described by an oldtimer as a "magnificent driver when sober, but when drunk, sublime." Properly known as Frank The Pollinger, he took great pride in his calling and bragged that he could drive his coach and Advertiser four anywhere "you could trail a whip." This sentiment was echoed by the Lethbridge A New Advertising News, which said that he was one of the best drivers in the west, "Montana included... Dimension There was probably never a more difficult performance in the driving line that of Polly, Cable 10 328-2666 when he drove four horses and a concord coach both down and up the terrible hill across the river, without accident, except that one wheel fell down, which made it all the more Advertise on TV difficult. The hill must be seen, covered with ice and snow, with deep gullies on either And Lower The Cost side, and very sideling (sic) to appreciate what kind of driving is required to make it. But Of Your Advertising 'Polly' won't take it again, and what he won t tackle should not be tried by anyone else."

His route initially went from Fort Macleod to Fort Benton, and the round trip took about * Potential reach of over 90,000 viewers in the Lethbridge three weeks. He carried the mail for ten cents a letter and bought stamps and posted the market area. Canadian mail from the American fort. As the country opened up, Polly drove the Leth­ Your message in full color bridge, Calgary and Edmonton route. On one occasion, he was held up by three men who twenty-four hours a day. Over 16 different exposures daily. demanded the mail bag. He threw it overboard and then drove off in a hurry. He was gone Featuring - full color, many by the time the hold up men discovered that the locked bag was a dummy full of nothing typestyles, graphics, and full but waste paper. color pictures of your choice. In the early days, there were no bridges and few ferries. Most routes thus included fords Daily 8.00 which were as temperamental as the weather. When the fords were in flood, the passengers Weekly 22.00 climbed on the "hurricane deck," and when that wasn't far enough out of the water, all Monthly 99.99 concerned would swim. Polly had his eccentricities. He believed that ratdesnakes would not cross over rope and The Advertiser would surround his camp with his lariat. But to him the supreme insult was being passed 1232 Third Avenue South on the trail. Once Sam Steele of the N.W.M.P. passed Polly on his way to Lethbridge. The Lethbridge, Alberta Mountie was driving a lighter, swifter democrat, but it was still too much for the stage driver to take. He waited until the trail descended a steep hill which led to a ferry and then 4g hollered at his only passengers, two little boys who were riding atop, to hang on for their lives. They were off. The horses went full gallop down the hill, swooped around Steele on two wheels, and slammed to a stop on the ferry. The Mountie may have been sur­ prised, but the boys probably had the ride of their lives. c What was the life of a bullwhacker like? 0 s*" A typical example was Old Mart Kelly, who dated back to the time the I.G. Baker Co. Lethbridge started business in Fort Benton at the southern end of the Whoop-up Trail. He was a bullwhacker and the 'whack' came from the crack of the whip that encouraged the oxen WeCcomes foul to move along. He was a contemporary of "Steamboat" Bill, John "Cayouse," and population - €1,000 "Hippo" Johnson. AttractionsAnd A bullwhacker's work was limited to the summer, and in winter he would head for Fort Points of Interest: * NIKKAYUKO JAPANESE GARDEN Benton for a season of "stud" and "draw." But soon his summer wages would be gone. * FORT WHOOP-UP INTERPRETIVE CENTRE Old Mart Kelly decided to beat this vicious circle. He got an Indian woman from the * BREWERY GARDEN Peigans and decided to winter out near the reserve. * HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE * CENTENNIAL WIND GAUGE * SIR ALEXANDER GALT MUSEUM * LETHBRIDGE ft DISTRICT During the long winter he had a visitor, Judd Scott, and glad of the company, invited him EXHIBITION / WHOOP-UP PARK * SOUTHERN ALBERTA ART GALLERY to stay. Scott took full advantage of the hospitality, and when Mart came back with a * HELEN SCHULER COULEE CENTRE load of wood, he found his woman in a compromising situation. Mart took after the * GRAND SLAM CANADA RECREATION CENTRE stranger with an axe, but Judd had a gun and fatally shot the old fellow. In the melee the * PUTTABOUT MINI-GOLF * AGRICULTURE CENTRE woman escaped, and later Judd headed out towards Casde Mountain. He was overtaken * LETHBRIDGE COMMUNITY by a blizzard. COLLEGE * UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE * GENEVIEVE E. YATES MEMORIAL CENTRE The Mounties found him badly frozen and took him in to Fort Macleod. There was no * CANADA GAMES SPORTSPLEX doctor at the Fort at the time, but the Steward did what had to be done. He borrowed tools from the settlement's unsuspecting butcher. Scott lived, minus his feet, one hand INFORMATION and his ears. Although the N.W.M.P. suspected that Scott was the murderer, they didn't LETHBRIDGE pursue the matter as he had already been punished enough. (403)320-3841 Where did the Fort Whoop-up cannon come from? THE The original Ft. Whoop-up cannon is housed at the replica of the whisky trading fort in ALLIED AfiTS COUNCIL Lethbridge. A plaque mounted on the cannon records its colorful history: OF LETHBRIDGE

-presented to the City of Lethbridge by J.D. Higinbotham in 1929. INVITES YOU TO VISIT -Cast by Horace A. Dimick, St. Louis, Mo., 1846. THE BOWMAN ARTS -Sold to American Fur Company and placed in the following forts: Brule, Cotton, CENTRE GALLERIES Berthol and Benton. 811 - 5th Avenue S. -Brought to Fort Whoop-up by Healy and Hamilton in 1871. Lethbridge -Sold to J.D. Higinbotham in 1892. Gallery Hours during exhbitions: Didn't prohibition mean there wasn't any liquor back in the late 1800's? Monday - Friday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. We will let Mr. Wallwork answer that question. He was there:

"Liquor was supposed to be prohibited or something by law. You were supposed to write Bell's Welding Ltd. to Regina, which was the capital of the territory, for a permit. But some of us were sitting around one day just talking between us (and) we could count 33 places in Leth­ bridge where you could buy liquor."

With ranching so important to this area, why do so few people know about the animal research station? *Car & Truck Spring Repair Just northwest of Lethbridge, between Lethbridge and , tucked away in a 'Machine Work 'Structural Steel riverbottom setting, is the Animal Diseases Research Institute, better known by old- 328-4528 timers as "The Quarantine," or the Veterinary Research Station. 2508 - 2nd Ave. N. Lethbridge

In 1904-05,1800 acres of Hudson Bay Company land were bought, fenced, and corralled Established in 1913 and a little station built. Since then, the station has, of course, improved, and has grown c o 49 considerably. Serious animal diseases are studied here, and for that reason the station has kept a low profile and little is known about it by the general public. Originally, quaran­ tine stations were set up near the U.S. border, headed by Chief Veterinary Inspector and D manager of the Waldron Ranch at Lundbreck, Dr. Duncan McEachran, to isolate incom­ ing diseased stock. Because of these early endeavors Alberta is able to maintain a high standard of stock health.

Where was the largest prisoner of war camp in Canada?

The most visible aspect of the World War 2 in Lethbridge was the Prisoner of War Camp, called Internment Camp No. 133. The largest camp in Canada it was designed to hold 12,500 prisoners of war. Lethbridge was probably chosen because of its location — far from any seacoast or large city. The majority of prisoners brought here were Germans, but there were some Austrians and Czechs as well. The German airmen had been shot down during the Battle of Britain, and most of the soldiers were captured in North Africa while serving in Rommel's Afrika Korps. They were transferred to Canada at the request of Britain when she was being threatened by invasion in the summer of 1940.

The first prisoners arrived on Nov. 28,1942. Many of those captured in North Africa 2814-5th AveN still wore their tropical issue uniforms. The prisoners were fortunate as the Geneva Convention called for prisoners to receive the same rations as Canadian troops stationed Lethbridge R at home. As a result local resentment was high when carloads of rationed foodstuffs, such as sugar, jams, and meat, poured into the camp throughout the war. The average Alberta weight gain was 12 pounds. T1H0P1 O The Lethbridge camp consisted of one square mile of land bounded by 5th and 14th PHONE Avenues, and 28th and 43rd Streets North. The land was purchased from the city by the Canadian Government and administrated by the Canadian Army. Today the area is part 328-0555 N of the city's industrial park. Constructed for two million dollars, there were six divisions, each section having its own barracks, mess hall and administration buildings. Two recreational buildings could seat up to 5000 men each, and the prisioners involved KUNSMAN themselves in sports, plays and concerts. Other facilities included a hospital, dental TRANSPORT LTD. facility, mortuary and detention barracks. Surrounding the whole were three layers of Byron Kunsman barbed wire, each about five feet from the next. Guard towers were located about every LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. T1H 3Z4 200 feet and were staffed by the Veteran's Guard of Canada. Outside the wire were more guard houses and storage buildings. The buildings that remain can still be seen behind the offices of Superior Propane in north Lethbridge.

The prisoners took care of the grounds, painting and rebuilding. They raised rabbits, kept bees for honey, and tended large vegetable and flower gardens. They were allowed to PHONE: IN LETHBRIDGE wear their own German army uniforms in camp and still received their salaries from 328-8473 / 327-8300 1-800-661-8056 Germany until 1945. Then they worked in the sugar beet fields in Southern Alberta, as LOCAL & LONG DISTANCE well as on farms and in lumber camps in other parts of the country. LIVESTOCK HAULING SERVING ALBERTA SINCE 1962 The sugar beet workers were organized in labour hostels, where they stayed for several weeks during harvest. Such hostels were located at Barnwell, Coaldale, Turin, Iron Springs, Park Lake, White School, Welling, Stirling and Magrath. There were also three labor hostels in Manitoba, all staffed with prisoners from the Lethbridge camp. Working at these jobs gave the prisoners a chance to earn canteen credits for beer and cigarettes.

Many prisoners took to arts and crafts for entertainment Jewelry boxes, toy house 236 36th ST. N. furniture, paintings, statues, models and bottle crafts were sold to guards and civilians. Despite the scarcity of materials, the finished products were often quite remarkable. LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA When these Germans first arrived, they were wary, beaten men, prisoners on enemy T1J4B2 territory. However, as time went on they began to adjust. Many learned to speak English with the help of the guards and the free educational material that was made available. Of PHONE (403) 327-1571 course, there were those who remained loyal to their home and their homeland, even after TELEX 038-49124 the war was over. 50 Was Chautauqua the same as Vaudeville? IMPORT AUTO SALES Unlike the image acquired by vaudeville theatre, Chautauqua adhered to strict educa­ tional, religious and cultural principles as it originated from a Methodist background. Lethbridge's Most Exclusive Through the leadership of Bishop John Vincent and Lewis Miller, who shared an interest Import Dealer in progressive education, a camp was opened and later a school with new and exciting ideas. This institution became Chautauqua.

Where in Canada did Chautauqua get its start?

Although initially an American phenomenon, after ten successful years, Chautauqua's magna managers decided to expand their operations to include Canadian towns and cities. In 1520-2 Avenue South 1916 an agent was sent north to analyse the potential. His reports were negative. The Lethbridge, Alberta Canadians were at war, and the future was uncertain, so there seemed to be no point in 328-8117 taking Chautauqua north. However, one of the managers, John Erickson, headed north independently and signed a contract for Chautauqua in Lethbridge. He persuaded promi­ nent members of the community to back the tour by giving a sermon from the pulpit of MANE the Presbyterian Church when the usual minister was away. Although his message was inspirational, it undoubtedly contained references to the cultural and recreational aspects ATTRACTION of Chautauqua and stimulated interest. Soon afterwards, contracts in Taber, Cayley, Nanton, and Macleod were signed. HAIR DESIGN

When Erickson returned to the head office of Chautauqua, its directors backed his Cana­ dian tour. This first circuit included Gleichen, Olds, , Calgary, Banff, and Macleod. A STEP AHEAD IN DESIGN, The Crowsnest Pass was introduced to Chautauqua in 1917, and the tent was set up in QUALITY & SERVICE Blairmore on Aug. 10. Tickets sold for $2.50 and $3.00 for the six-day show, students 317A-7st South. Lethbridge and children being admitted for $1.00. 327-4251 The schedule of Chautauqua was like that of a circus. There were three big shows a day, which drew full capacity crowds. Acts included a children's pageant of all nations, steel guitars from Hawaii, a Ladies' Symphony Orchestra from Chicago, Native Kaffir Boys from South Africa, Scottish Canadian violinists and many more superb entertainers. •KITCHEN CABINETS The huge tents became a highly anticipated sight on the prairies, and the entertainment •VANITIES was an event long-savored by the early settlers. The motto "Chautauquas bring the •COUNTER TOPS World to Your Door" became a familiar sight, and for five years the horizons of area •CUSTOM DESIGN SERVICE residents were broadened. But times were a'changing, and eventually Chautauqua Authorized dealer for stopped coming due to financial problems and a lack of guaranteed contracts. Another Aladdin Kitchen Cabinets, era of unique entertainment died. Kitchen Craft Cabinets & Fandango Ceiling Fans What's the story on the High-Level Bridge? (403) 329-8222 The bridge is the longest and highest bridge of its type in the world. This means that the 239-13 St. N. LETHBRIDGE design, called a viaduct by C.P.R. bridge engineers, reached its culmination in the Lethbridge bridge. There are similar bridges that are higher, or that are longer, but none RITZ are both as long and high as the Lethbridge bridge. Its statistics are indeed impressive: ORNAMENTAL FACTORY The bridge is 5,327.625 feet in length (one mile plus 47 feet or 1.7 km long) It is 314 feet in height above the bed of the river (101 meters high) The west end is 21.31 feet higher than the east end. INDOOR & Quantities used in construction were: OUTDOOR concrete, 17,090 cubic yards CREATIONS steel, 12,436 tons paint, 7,600 gal. (2 coats) In all about 900 carloads of material were used in the construction. Cost was $1,334,525. 2410A-5 AVE. N. LETHBRIDGE 328-9795 The bridge was built in 1907-1909. The steelwork took about a year to complete. 51 The bridge replaced 22 wooden bridges, with about 15.0 million board feet of timber. It shortened the railway to Macleod and greatly lessened the grade. Only half loads could be carried on the first Crowsnest Pass line, which followed Mayor Magrath Drive, but full loads could be carried on the new line.

Five men died during the building of the bridge, two of asphyxiation and three of falls.

P.S. There used to be a narrow swinging bridge across the Oldman River, close to the High Level Bridge, for the coal miners to go back and forth across the river valley. When the winds blew, it took a lot of nerve to get across. ,fWe Care for Our Quests'

• ONE BEDROOM SUITES What caused the movement north into Blackfoot territory? • 24HR. SPORTS & MOVIE CHANNELS Although much of the cargo heading north was legitimate, the movement north in the •COLOR CABLE TV. 1860's was sparked by less-than-ethical reasons: • OUTDOOR POOL • WHIRLPOOL • WATERBEDS Gold. The discovery of gold in Montana resulted in unrest among the Indians. The • QUEEN SIZE BEDS Blackfoot tribes were driven north of the Marias River, and the traders naturally followed •AIR CONDITIONED them. • CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST • CONVENIENTLY LOCATED • HANDICAP ROOMS & War. Numbers of young men came west following the Civil War, restless and cut loose NONSMOKING from civilization.

328-4436 Industry. A New York manufacturer discovered that buffalo hides not only made excellent coats and robes, but also could be tanned into a very tough and durable leather 1142 MAYOR MAGRATH DRIVE S. suitable for industrial machinery belts. The demand for them was soon insatiable. LETHBRIDGE Liquor. The United States Government decided to enforce the law enacted in 1832 forbidding the sales of intoxicants to Indians. A number of free traders decided to evade liquor laws and maintain their lucrative liquor trade by moving across the International Boundary into Canada as the Canadian Indians offered just as profitable targets for oopu ^~ exploitation as the American Indians. expness -for fine reproductions- What was scrip?

• 4 self serve express lanes Scrip was funny money. The Social Credit party, in its early years, included an economic • High speed, high volume system that was supposed to iron out the shortcomings of capitalism, which lacked a copy service stabilizing influence during periods of depression and inflation. It contended that "pov­ • Laminating erty in the midst of plenty" could be ended by printing and distributing "social divi­ • Book Binding dends." This concept was tried in the town of Raymond for a time during the Depression. • Blue print size copies The town issued "scrip," as a substitute for money, when legitimate cash was in short • Public QUIKFAX supply. This policy appealed to the self-sufficient Mormon residents and they became document transmission strong supporters of the Social Credit Party. However, the American branch of the service Mormon Church thought the concept was unsound and discouraged the people of • Specialists in production Raymond from their support of the Social Credit Party. of family histories

copy ^ What was the P.F.R.A.? The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act came into being in 1935 in a desperate bid to reha­ exoress bilitate drought and pestilence-stricken prairie land and prevent the spread of erosion and soil-blowing to unaffected areas. Within the desert area the government selected farmers 811 - 3rd Ave. South which it would subsidize and run, in an effort to allow farmers over a broad area see the LETHBRIDGE results of new methods of cultivation. Farmers were encouraged to build dugouts to hold Alberta water, and in six years 14,000 dugouts were built. In order to stop erosion they also dis­ PHONE: 329-9055 couraged farmers from working their soil so thoroughly. FAX # 328-9055 52 HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS ANSWERED

The Highway History Series is for anyone who is curious.

How many times have you wondered about the landscape while travelling down the road: What a strange name for a town? I wonder what that old structure is? The people here seem different. I wonder where they are from?

The list of questions goes on and on, but in most cases we shove it aside. Until now, there has been no source for a quick answer.

The Highitay History Series is changing chat Now, for the first time you have a book that follows (in alphabetical order) the route you are travelling. When your curiosity gets the better of you, take a few moments to look up the name of the closest community. The chances are someone else has asked the same question and you will find your answer.

And if you have a question that is not answered, send it to us. We will try to find an answer for the next edition.

ALBERTA HIGHWAY HISTORY •SERIES*