Material Type

Recording

Date Range

1977

Fonds

Pioneer Researchers Association Oral History Project

Creator

Pioneer Researchers Association

Physical Description

1 cassette tape; digital copy

Physical Condition

Excellent

Acquisition Source

Pioneer Researchers

Scope and Content

Side A - Biographical information: Came to Lethbridge in 1901 from south Wales. Purchased their farm from AR & I Co. for $9.00 per acre in the White School district. First teacher was Miss Sullivan, who boarded in town and rode side saddle to the school each day. - Gwatkin was a cowboy and participated in many of the round-ups in southern Alberta. Describes the round-up cook/grub wagon. - Details the Hyssop Brothers' (Charlie, Abe, & Bill) horse round-ups which took place around 20th of May. They ran around 2000 head of horses and 100 mules, and the round-up took about 3 weeks. Mentions some of the other ranch hands he worked with, as well as some he just heard stories about. One gentleman he mentions was Negro Jim, who was killed in a lightening storm. (James Whitford died May 30, 1908) - Describes the dipping of cattle for mange. - Mentions cattle round-ups on the Blood Reserve. - Mclntyre Ranch had a problem with cattle lice in 1915. They used tobacco leaves to treat it. - Cattle were marketed at age 3 or 4. No processing plant here and the cattle were shipped out. SideB - Worked on Mclntyre Ranch in summer of 1915. - Cowboy paraphernalia - Round-up on Blood Reserve during a blizzard - General information about Brown Ranch and George Kerr, brother-in-law of Walter Ross. - Pothole Coulee Ranchers - Gwatkin's neighbors, particularly Brodie Family (built Brodie Block). - Information about "Nigger Bill", a black ranch hand he had worked with. He married a white girl whose family immigrated to Canada from the old country, and who worked in the beet fields. They moved to Calgary. - Steamboat Bill. - White and McLean School - Jim Thompson ran about 250 head horses. Used the A brand. Following round-up, he would have a social which included having bartenders and girls from the red light district. - Land owners in the Fort Whoop-up area. Remembers the Fort Whoop-up well because one of his cows fell in it. - Describes branding operation on Mclntyre Ranch -Winter of 1906-1907.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

19921008005

Collection

Archive

Less detail