Consolidated Addendum to April 25, 2004 - Pioneer Profiles: G

Gaetz, Rev. Leonard (additional information)

Rev. Gaetz arrived in Calgary in 1883 on a scouting trip. After visiting the farms of John Glenn and Sam Livingston, which impressed him very much he proceeded to Edmonton. During the trip he was impressed by the Red Deer River area. He brought his family there where he acted as Postmaster until 1895.

Galletly, David Drummond

David Galletly, born in Scotland on march 4, 1838, came to Banff in 1886 where he resided until his death on November of 1916. Prior to the turn of the century he was "Caretaker" of the Cave and Basin under the Liberal Government and Guide to the Cave once the Conservatives assumed the reins of power in Ottawa. At the Caves he told his quaint but interesting tale of the discovery of the cave to thousands of people from all over the world.

Ref: The Crag & Canyon, Vol. 17, Banff, Alta,

Galt, Sir Alexander

Sir Alexander Galt was a major shareholder in the Galt Coal Co. and came to Medicine Hat in 1883 to inspect the coal mines being developed in Lethbridge. He instigated the building of a narrow gauge railroad to Dunsmore from Lethbridge where coal was transported east to be trans-shipped on the CPR.

Ref: Early History of Medicine Hat Country p. 26.

Garnett, Jack, Walter & Arthur (additional information)

Jack & Walter in 1879 established the first ranch in the Crowsnest River area, and settled near the Pincher Creek area along with brother Louis. Arthur arrived in 1881, and all the brothers established the Garnett Bros. Ranch. The brothers built a fine ranch house and stables that was lathed, plastered and sported verandahs. It was completed in 1886 under the able builder W. E. Gladstone. They leased 40,000 acres of land at one cent per acre per year. Later half of this lease was shared by F. W. Godsal.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass p. 320 & A History of the Early days of Pincher Creek p. 18.

Gibb, James Sidney (additional information)

James Gibb was one of the first traders to follow the main line of the CPR during it's construction. He established J. S. Gibb & Co. located opposite the Dominion Land Office on Stephen Avenue West. Here he established fine premises and later opened a branch at High River.

Ref: Calgary, Her Industries & Resources March, 1885.

Gibeau, Henry

Henry Gibeau, born October 13, 1865, came to Calgary in 1889 where he worked as a blacksmith. He married Annie Bonnar June 4th, 1902, in Pincher Creek. They had two children.

Gibson, William A.

William Gibson was born 1833 near Ottawa and married Rose Graham who he met in Ottawa. They moved west and purchased the SE 1/4 of Sec.20-23-3-W5M in the Springbank area in 1888. He was a blacksmith, cabinet maker and stone mason. He worked on the carved arches of the Ottawa parliament buildings in 1909 - 1910. He returned west in 1910 to sell his farm and retired in Carstairs where he died in 1914. They had two children, a girl who died young and a son John, born in 1874.

Ref: Chaps and Chinooks, Vol. 1.

Gillan, Jesse

Jesse Gillan was an old yankee stage coach driver who handled his teams and passengers in a gruff manner. He drove out of Fort Benton and he lost his mail in Sheep Creek when his coach capsized in the high waters of 1885.

Ref: Leaves from the Medicine Tree.

Gillingham, A. W.

In the 1880's Mr. Gillingham built a lumber mill at Pincher Creek. Logs were brought down the river to the mill and the finished lumber was then hauled to market on a wagon trail.

Ref: A History of the Early days of Pincher Creek p. 6,7.

Gilmore, Samuel.

In the late 1880's, Samuel, his wife Charlotte and their family of 12 children, all born in Ontario, came to the Cochrane district to ranch. These were very dry years and in their search for land with a year round water supply they moved to homestead in the Dog Pound district west of Olds about 1891.

Ref: A Trail Grows Dim, Westerdale Willing Workers.

Gilruth, Jim

Jim Gilruth worked on rail construction of the CPR as it neared Calgary. Later he herded sheep in Montana and then about 1883 he walked from Montana north past Chief Mountain and found a grassy land area near the Waterton River that he liked to homestead so sent for his parents and family. Their first crops were hauled and sold to the NWMP at Fort Macleod and he once took a load of onions to sell in Lethbridge. Jim's parents were well liked in the area and they were devoted to the Catholic Church. They are both buried in Pincher Creek.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass p. 854.

Gladstone,William

William Gladstone, born in Montreal in 1832, joined the HBC in 1848 as a carpenter and boat builder. He worked at Rocky House and Edmonton where in 1885 he married a native girl, Harriet Le Blanc. He tried farming in the Red river area, but Harriet became lonesome he returned to the HBC to work for 3 years west of Edmonton. He was hired to build a mission house in 1862, built winter cabins for prospectors and in 1870 he helped build a fort that later became Fort Whoop-Up. He died at Mountain Hill in 1911.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass.

Glenn, Patrick

Glenn Parrick donated the land on which the St. Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1885 near Fish Creek in Midnapore.

Ref: The Calgary Herald, Nov. 18, 1933.

Godlonton, George (additional information)

George Godlonton working for the CPR came to Alberta in 1884 and married Mary Jane Tyler in St. Stephens Anglican Church in Calgary in 1907. In 1887 he filed on land in the Springbank District where he and his brothers ranched until 190 when they moved to Harmatten only to lose their cattle during a winter blizzard in 1903.

Ref: Letter in Black Books.

Godsal, Fred W.

Fred Godsal, a friend of the Marquis of Lorne, arrived in Pincher Creek in 1882. By 1883 he was living in his new ranch house built by Wm. Gladstone, establishing the Butte Ranch. He acquired half of the Garrett brothers 40,000 acre lease. When the leases were canceled he advised the government to reserve certain watering places to be kept open for watering stock. Such was the beginning of the water right system instituted throughout the west.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass p. 47.

Gopp, Billy

Billy Gopp homesteaded in the Pine Creek district on Sec.30-21-29-W4M in the 1880's.

Ref: Sodbusters to Subdivisions.

Gouette (Gayette), Israel

Israel Gouette was recorded as a member of the Calgary Odd Fellows Lodge in 1886.

Gough, Frank

Frank Gough, born in India, came to Canada at a young age. In 1883 he came west with the crew that surveyed the right-of-way for the CPR in the Kicking Horse Pass. He homesteaded west of Okotoks in 1884, or 85. He married Evelyn Shaw and they had a family of four girls & three boys. In 1898 he joined the rush to the Yukon, but returned shortly after to his homestead. He died in Victoria, B.C. in 1939.

Ref: Leaves from the Medicine Tree p. 286.

Gow, Scotty

Scotty Gow was an early rancher in the Walsh area in 1884.

Ref: Early History of Medicine Hat Country.

Grace, Ed

Ed Grace is mentioned as being one of the men who took part in the Cypress Hills Massacre in 1865.

Ref: Leaning on the Wind, p. 59.

Graham, Donald

Donald Graham is reported as being one of the men who took part in the Cypress Hills Massacre in 1865.

Ref: Leaning on the Wind, p. 59.

Graham, Frederick

Frederik Graham, born in Cobourg, Ontario, came with his father William in 1886 to Morleyville where he worked on the family ranch. He later owned the ranch and purchased the Luxton Trading Co. He and his brother Harry had a store on the Red Deer River, ten miles east of Coal Camp. He married Jean McDougall in 1904 and gave up ranching to become assistant sheriff in Calgary. He contributed much to the social and economic life in the city and was on of the first members of Central United Church.

Ref: Big Hill Country, p. 115.

Graham, Samuel

Samuel Graham, a butcher, arrived in Calgary from Birtle, Manitoba in April, 1884.

Ref: SAPD membership application files & SAPD Black Book.

Graham, William

William Graham came to the Morleyville area with his wife and four sons. He settled on lot 9 and probably homesteaded in the area. His sons, William Jr. homesteaded in Botterel, another son John homesteaded in Ghost River country. His first wife was Clara Hardisty, second wife was Lily McDougall. After Wm. Sr. died his son Harry ran the ranch awhile before taking over the place on the Red Deer River. His son Frederick eventually became owner of the ranch at Morleyville.

Ref: Big Hill Country, p. 115.

Grant, Donald

Donald Grant known as "The man from Glengarry", was in charge of a track laying crew in 1883 that laid a record eight miles of track in one day.

Ref: Early History of Medicine Hat Country p. 24.

Graves, Ida Allan

Ida Graves arrived in Calgary on July 13, 1888.

Ref: SAPD membership application files, Re: Allan Dextor Graves.

Gray, Dan & Phyllip

Dan came west to Fort Macleod prior to his brother Phyllip who arrived in 1887 where they started a painting and paper hanging business. They moved to Pincher Creek in 1890 and continued in this line of work. Phyllip married Annie May Marcellus in 1893 and they lived on the Ives Ranch. They then filed for and moved to their own homestead west of town. They had two children and eventually retired in Pincher Creek in 1910.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass p. 48.

Gray, Donald

Donald Gray originally came west as a member of a Federal Government group sent west to assist in issuing rations to members of the Blackfoot Reserve. In 1884, in partnership with Mr. Boyd, they raised sheep on the Sheep Creek. In 1886 he took over sole ownership of the ranch and started raising cattle which he prospered in for fifty years. He married Annie McRae in 1888 at Calgary, she had come to Okotoks in 1887. The Grays operated the Panina Post Office for several years, as well as doing custom black smithing.

Grenier, Euchariste

Mr. E. Grenier is recorded as having filed for homsteader land in 1888.

Ref: The Gleichen Call.

Grey, Thomas

Thomas Grey, born at Sheffield, England on July 14, 1873 came to Calgary in 1890.

Ref: SAPD membership application files.

Green, Thomas & Ann

Thomas and his wife Ann Green arrived in Medicine Hat from Ontario with their daughter, son-in-law and grandson (Cavanahs named Sarah Evaline, John Henry, and N. Henry Joseph receptively) in 1882. In 1886 Mrs. Green conducted church services as well as playing the melodeon for the congregation prior to the building of the St. Barnabas Church.

Ref: Cavanah Family History SAPD Black Books.

Green, Walter

Walter Green, a black who came north to work as a wagon cook in 1883 with one of Tom Lunch's trail herds. He worked for the Oxley, the Bar-U and was long associated with the CC Ranch. While working on the CC Ranch he started a small herd of his own using the Ox Yoke brand. Around 1890 he built a cabin on the North fork of the Highwood River where he cut rails, put up hay and wintered a few cattle. Sadly he froze his feet and had to have most of his toes amputated after which he sold out and returned to Kansas.

Ref: Leaves from the Medicine Tree p. 444.

Grier, William

William Grier was an old prospector living at Morleyville in 1884 when he accompanied a geologist, Professor A. P. Coleman, on an exploration survey of the Rocky Mountains extending from Lake Louise to Morley. He married Pricilla Chantler, a Quaker from England. They had two daughters. He died in 1895.

Ref: Big Hill Country, p. 103.

Grierson, James Hedley

James Grierson, born March 7, 1854 was a lineman for the CPR when he was recorded as a member of the Calgary Odd Fellows Lodge in 1885. He married Miss Caroline Amanda Bredin on August 29,1888. In 1908 he moved to Edmonton to become Constuction Superintendant of the Provincial Telephones Co. He died April 1, 1924 and was buried in the Union Cemetery. His wife Caroline, born April 13, 1864, died in April 13, 1952.

Grierson, James

James Grierson, born in Scotlabnd in 1820, married Elizabeth MacMillan in 1843 and had twelve chikdren. They came west to Alberta in 1883 and in 1884 some members of the family were living in the Pine Creek and DeWinton areas. James died in 1903 at DeWinton.

Ref: Sodbusters to Subdivisions.

Gridley

Mr. Gridley in 1885, as part of Haines & Gridley, purported he was one of the leading photographers in Calgary. The firms "Mona Gallery" was located on Atlantic avenue, opposite the CPR station.

Ref: Calgary, Her Industries & Resources, 1885.

Grogan, G. E. (Ted)

Ted Grogan reported to be a Calgary newspaper editor in 1885.

Ref: The Calgary Herald, Sept. 06, 1958.

Guitard, Alexander

Alexander Guitard, born in Montreal in 1849, came west in 1884 with a carload of horses for the Waldron ranch. He joined the CPR construction crew for a time and then left to raise cattle and horses. He and his family moved to Cowley in 1900. He rented a Grasmere Ranch in 1905 for six years then moved back to Bull Camp on the Four Fork where they farmed and wintered 250 head of cattle. They bought a place in The Gap in 1915, however Alexander died the next year. Mrs. Guitard moved to Carstairs in 1918 and died in Lundbreck in 1935.

Ref: Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass p. 322.

Guoin,

In the 1880's it was reported that: Mr. Guoin bagged two sand hill cranes, a beaver, an owl, a jack rabbit and forty five chickens the other day.

Ref: The Calgary Herald, July 08, 1950.

Gunn, G

Mr. Gunn is recorded to have been an early rancher in 1884, in the Walsh area.

Ref: Early History of Medicine Hat Country.