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Oral History Project
Survey & Inventory
The Heritage Resources Committee has completed a multi-year project to survey and inventory historical resources in the Municipal District of Bighorn. The oral history project is a natural extension of this work and is one of the goals of the Heritage Resources Management Plan. Having people share their stories about the past and talk about the buildings and sites in the Heritage Inventory or in the Heritage Survey will add to a fuller understanding and appreciation of these places.
Financial support from the Alberta Lottery Fund and the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation
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Bob Allen
Bob Allen moved with his family to Jamieson Road at the age of 13 and talks about living in the country, memories of his parents, 9 sibling and living and working in Seebe at 19.
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Randy Bates
Randy Bates shares stories about rural ranching life in the 1950's in the M.D. of Bighorn; the Bates Ranch had cattle operations, cutting fence posts, and dairy operations. Over time, the Bates eventually became centrally focused on Equestrian Ranching.
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Donna Butters (Johnson)
Donna Butters was raised on one of Alberta’s oldest working Ranches, the Lazy JL Ranch.
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Erik Butters
With both great-grandfathers settling in the area around 1890, Erik relays many stories of their experiences and later generations lives as cowboys, butchers, homesteaders and ranchers.
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Don & Elsie Courville
Both Elsie and Don share stories about how the Courville family was putting down roots in both Hamlet of Benchlands and on Jamieson Road in the 1960's.
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Stan Cowley
Stan Cowley purchased the Rafter Six Ranch from Alvin Guinn. After which he managed and operated the Ranch for many years.
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Bert Dyck
Bert Dyck was the municipal manager of Improvement District Number 8 during the late 1980’s.
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Peter Fuhrmann
Peter Fuhrmann, long-time resident of the Hamlet of Harvie Heights, tells stories about his experiences.
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Marjory Gibney, Marilyn Hogarth, & Pat Ritchie
Three long term residents and friends, reminiscing and discuss their growing up in the Seebe community.
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Paul Gibson
Paul Gibson shares stories about his families history of various locations and occupations in Alberta before settling on Jamieson Road in the M.D. of Bighorn to operate the family logging operation.
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Rick Guinn
Rick Guinn the guy on a Buffalo, the owner of Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis Country. The Guinns carried on the Rafter Six Ranch after 'Soapy' Smith passed away, and have been providing guiding services throughout the M.D. of Bighorn and Kananaskis Country for many generations.
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Margaret Gmoser
Margaret Gmoser was an early resident of the Hamlet of Harvie Heights and shares her life stories of raising a family in the rural hamlet.
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Wayne Haas
Wayne Haas's family moved to the old town site of Exshaw, Alberta in 1948. He shares stories about growing up in the Hamlet of Exshaw and Bow Valley Area.
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Wayne Haas & Bill Hogarth
Both long-term residents of the Hamlet of Exshaw and friends, Wayne and Bill share childhood stories.
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Ray & Margaret Hill
Ray and Margaret Hill talk about life working near the Ghost River and Bar C Ranch. Ray Hill worked his way up becoming a Forestry Ranger.
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Bill Hogarth
Bill shares stories about being born and raised in the Bow Valley Area. His family are long-term residents of the Hamlet of Exshaw.
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Grace & Allen LeBel
Grace and Allen LeBel share their memories of childhood in the old town site of Exshaw, the town of Seebe, and raising their family in the Hamlet of Exshaw.
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Ian MacGregor & Family
Ian MacGregor and his family spent weekends and summers in the Jamieson Road and Benchlands area. As part of Wild Buffalo Ranching, Ltd, he is also the Project Manager and Developer of the Carraig Ridge Conservation Community.
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Doug Richards
Mr. Richards talks about his parents working for horse outfitters in the Canadian Rockies and life on Richards Road during the 30s.
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Robert & Mary Smith
This interview with Robert Smith (Bob) and Mary Smith provides primary source information about Bob growing up immersed in nature at Lake Minnewanka.
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Robert Steele
Robert (Bob) Alexander Steele was born in 1931 in Galgary, Alberta. Bob and his family became one of the first owners of a property in the Hamlet of Harvie Heights.
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Linda Thomas
Linda Thomas (near Corville Road) moved with her family from Saskatchewan via Calgary to the Hamlet of Benchlands in 1967 and shares her memories of growing up in a quiet rural area where you simply made your own fun.
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Maureen Wills
Maureen Wills was born and raised in England. She traveled to Canada in her late twenties and soon decide to settle in Alberta. She maintained the school bus route through Jamieson Road, Ghost Village, and into Cochrane. She talks about living on Jamieson Road and the many adventures of living in the M.D. of Bighorn.
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Horst Wirsig
After a Manitoba flood wiped out the family sawmill moving them to Sundry, Horst Wirsig and his wife Joan spent 6 months touring Canada to find the perfect place to settle, farm and ranch. They chose the M. D. of Bighorn and in 1966 purchased the Bar C ranch, put down roots and became ranchers.