Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BILLY MCINTYRE BUFFALO COAT

Date

1945

Materials

BUFFALO, BEAVER, HORSE HAIR

No. Pieces

1

Length

100

Width

59

Description

BRWN 3/4 LENGTH BUFFALO COAT. COAT HAS WIDE BEAVER COLLAR THAT FEATURES HORSE HAIR ON UNDERSIDE. ONE SIDE OF OPENING HAS FIVE CYLINDRICAL WOODEN BUTTONS AND FOUR LOOPS FOR CLOSURE. OPPOSITE SIDE IS THE SAME. TWO POCKETS FOUND ON EITHER SIDE OF COAT WITH TAN LEATHER LINING. CUFFS OF SLEEVES ARE BEAVER SKIN. BRWN QUILTED LINING DISPLAYS LEFT BREAST POCKET. MANUFACTURERS LABEL STITCHED TO INTERIOR OF COAT WHICH INDICATES IT WAS MADE IN SPOKANE, WA. BOTTOM BACK OF COAT IS VENTED WITH A SPLIT COAT TAIL.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

History

BUFFALO COAT BELONGED TO DONOR’S FATHER HYMAN COHEN. MR. COHEN WAS BORN IN POLTAVA RUSSIA IN 1892, AND IMMIGRATED TO NORTH AMERICA IN 1907. AFTER WORKING A NUMBER OF JOBS IN CALGARY, COHEN BECAME INVOLVED IN THE CATTLE TRADING BUSINESS. HE WORKED AS A CATTLE BUYER FOR A.H. MAYLAND OF UNION PACKING, BEFORE EVENTUALLY BRANCHING OUT ON HIS OWN AS AN INDEPENDENT ORDER BUYER. DONOR RECALLED HEARING THAT COHEN HAD A GOOD EYE FOR CATTLE, AND THUS, WHEN THE ACME PACKING COMPANY ASKED HIM TO PURCHASE A NUMBER OF CATTLE FOR THEM, HE WAS NATURALLY DRAWN TO THE MCINTYRE RANCHING COMPANY. (SEE PERMANENT COPY FOR COMPLETE HISTORY ON THE MCINTYRE RANCHING COMPANY). IN 1944 OR 1945, COHEN PURCHASED A CARLOAD OF FATTENED HEIFERS FROM THE MCINTYRE RANCH. HE EXPORTED THESE HEIFERS BACK TO THE ACME PACKING PLANT IN PORTLAND, WHEREUPON THEY WERE ENTERED INTO THE PORTLAND WINTER FAIR BY THE PLANT OWNER, MORRIS GORDON. THE HEIFERS WERE OF SUCH QUALITY THAT THEY WON FIRST PRIZE IN THE FAIR, AND COHEN WAS CONGRATULATED FOR HIS EFFORTS IN FINDING THE CATTLE. THE MCINTYRE RANCHING COMPANY WAS LIKEWISE ELATED THAT THE CATTLE HAD WON FIRST PRIZE, AND THANKED COHEN FOR GAINING THE RANCH SUCH RECOGNITION, BY GIVING HIM BILLY MCINTYRE’S BUFFALO FUR COAT AS A SPECIAL REWARD. COHEN CONTINUED TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE MCINTYRE RANCHING COMPANY FOR MANY YEARS AND BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS WITH BILLY MCINTYRE. BILLY MCINTYRE’S BUFFALO FUR COAT WAS A TREASURED HEIRLOOM OF THE COHEN FAMILY. THE DONOR WORE THE COAT WITH PRIDE, AND EVEN SHOWED IT OFF AT THE CALGARY WINTER OLYMPICS IN 1988, WHERE HE WORKED AS A VOLUNTEER. THE COAT PREVIOUSLY WAS FULL LENGTH AND BOASTED THE RATHER UNIQUE FEATURE OF DETACHABLE LOWER LEGGINGS AND CHAPS. THE DONOR WITH HIS FATHER’S PERMISSION TOOK THE COAT TO A FURRIER WHO REMOVED THE LEGGING PORTION AND MADE THE COAT INTO A THREE QUARTER LENGTH BUFFALO COAT. THE DONOR DECIDED TO DONATE THE COAT TO THE GALT MUSEUM IN 2006 TO PRESERVE THE LEGACY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA’S MOST FAMOUS RANCHER, BILLY MCINTYRE. DONOR WROTE “[M]Y FAMILY THINKS THAT THE HISTORICAL COAT IS BETTER DISPLAYED IN A MUSEUM THAN IN MY STORAGE CONTAINER.”

Catalogue Number

P20060005001

Acquisition Date

2006-04

Collection

Museum

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