Tidbits of Alberta

[58thecat]

Alberta, so much history, keep it going, such a great read!

[johnnymacrds]

In the early 1880s government leases on huge tracts of land in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan became available to interested investors. The North West Cattle Company, formed by the wealthy Allan family of Montreal, and Fred Stimson, a cattleman from Quebec, were able to obtain two leases covering 147,000 acres of prime grassland in southern Alberta. The 21-year leases cost a penny an acre. Stimson bought 3,000 Durham-Shorthorn stocker cattle, 21 purebred Shorthorn bulls and 75 saddle horses in the northern United States and trailed them up to their newly acquired leases.

Established in 1882, the Bar U Ranch was one of a small group of large corporate ranches in Western Canada. At its peak, the ranch encompassed almost seven townships of deeded and leased land covering 157,960 acres.

With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the North West Cattle Company was able to sell 1,000 steers for $75 each to the railway. The cattle company was also able to sell large quantities of beef to the Canadian government to supply the North-West Mounted Police and local Native people. From 1882 to 1886 almost $300,000 worth of beef was sold annually by the ranch to the government for distribution to the Native people.

In 1885 the largest roundup in Canadian history occurred in the area of the Bar U Ranch. It involved 100 men, 500 saddle horses, and 15 supply wagons. They rounded up some 60,000 cattle spread over 10,000 square miles of open grasslands. That must have been some roundup! The following winter of 1886-87 saw thousands of cattle die during the very severe winter. The cowboys at the Bar U ranch had put up winter feed and didn’t suffer the severe losses that occurred on the neighbouring ranches.

https://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/fea...adian-history/

The lessons that were learned regarding winter feed helped shape Alberta's ranching style. Farmers slowly adopted methods that would help secure cattle through our long winters.. It would take a few years of learning and losses for large farmers to invest in winter feed.

[Jack fish hunter]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

The Rev.John MacDougall (in the 1860's) said that on a hill southeast of where Red Deer is now... FN would send smoke signals from there to the highest point in the Hand Hills. (The Hand Hills are east of Drumheller.)

And from there another signal smoke was made to relay messages to points beyond there. Places like the hills by Red Rock School, Bullhead Butte, the ridge south of Woolchester south of Medicine Hat and the hill at Bowell west of the Hat.
Most likely most of the prominent hills or buttes were sites for relaying smoke signal fires.

MacDougall said:
3 'puffs' of smoke meant danger was in the area.
2 'puffs' of smoke meant we are camped over here.

From the top of that hill in the hand hills you can see the Rockies which is kind of neat.