
Tag Archives pages from our past
History: William Melnyk’s Story
Reprinted from the June 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
William Melnyk’s StoryBy Grant MacEwan ‘When the judging was completed at the big Edmonton Spring Show last month, no name among the scores of livestock exhibitors was more conspicuous than that of Melnyk. One Melnyk entry won the grand championship in Shorthorn bulls; a Melnyk calf was champion in the baby beef section and reserve […] Read more

History: Early horse breeding at Douglas Lake
Reprinted from the May 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Early horse breeding at Douglas LakeBy T.G. (Tom) Stewart As is generally understood, the Douglas Lake Ranch was started in the very early 1880s by Charlie Beak, who had a ranch in Oregon, and who when he heard that a railroad was coming through British Columbia, came up to get a foothold in the prospective […] Read more
History: E. C. R. “Reg” Harris
Reprinted from the June 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
E. C. R. “Reg” HarrisBy R. D. Symons, Ft. St. John, B.C. ‘On June, 1952, a well known old-timer of the Maple Creek district passed away in the person of Reg Harris, who was in his 67th year. Reg was born in England in 1883. In 1892 his father came to the West and shortly […] Read more

History: Hidden in the Wagon Trail
Reprinted from the July 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Hidden in the Wagon Trail (A brief biography of Mr. and Mrs. C. Vaile)By Irene E. McCaugherty ‘I met Mr. Charlie Vaile while attending a rodeo in Claresholm, Alberta. One could sense his interest and admiration for the cowboys but his main attention focussed on the horses. I’m sure many thoughts flashed through his mind […] Read more
History: How fast can a horse run?
Reprinted from the May 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
With the Junior Cattlemen: How fast can a horse run?By Grant MacEwan ‘One answer is “pretty fast”, but in this day when people are accustomed to measuring speed in terms of “miles per hour”, more specific information is called for. Quite obviously, horses vary widely in speed. Even the boys who ride horses to school […] Read more
History: Bunkhouse Philosopohy
Reprinted from the April 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Bunkhouse PhilosophyBy W. R. Cochrane, Cowley, Alta. ‘Looks like someone ought to keep us posted when regulations are put in effect that change the course of our social life. We have always cheerfully accepted the job if furnishing steaks and roasts for the nation with no holds barred in regard to price. We have put […] Read more
History: Something Just as Good
Reprinted from the April 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Something Just as GoodBy P. W. Luce ‘Times are better than they used to be. I am not old enough to be a pioneer, and I am young enough to escape being an old-timer, but I remember the frontier when it was still almost in a primitive state. I was a homesteader when some of […] Read more
History: World Trade Problems & Opportunities
Reprinted from the April 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
World Trade Problems & OpportunitiesBy Dr. Claude Isbister An address by Dr. Claude Isbister, Department of Trade and Commerce, Ottawa, before the 57th Annual Meeting of the Western Stock Growers’ Association held at Calgary, February 12, 13, 1953. ‘The Rt. Honorable James G. Gardiner, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture, has just spoken to you of the […] Read more

History: Ralph Coppock, Pioneer Exponent of Cattle Feeding
Reprinted from the May 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Ralph Coppock: Pioneer Exponent of Cattle Feeding By Grant MacEwan Ralph Coppock, one of the pioneer advocates of the practice of commercial cattle feeding in Alberta, and grandfather of Kenneth Coppock, editor of the Canadian Cattlemen, was born on April 3, 1874, in Marion, Kansas. Coming into manhood Ralph and his brother Tom were operating […] Read more
History: Plain Tales – Pt. 1
Reprinted from the April 1953 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Plain TalesBy Freda Smith Mudiman, Swift Current, Sask. ‘People who live on the High Plains are primarily practical yet there is a welt of story and legend west of the Great Lakes, with the store particularly rich along the South Saskatchewan River as it flows from the Rocky Mountains down to the sea. The river […] Read more