Pioneer Profiles : I



Ikin, William I.

William Ikin was an Englishman who started a ranch below the Bar U, on the middle fork of the Highwood River in 1884. In 1887 he purchased the Andy Bell and John Quirk places at the crossing. He raised Clydesdale horses. William died at High River in 1921.

 

Illugason, Ellen Mrs.

Mrs. Ellen Illugason, born in Iceland, initially came to Manitoba in 1877 with her husband and during that same year moved to Calgary. Ten years later they moved to Markerville where they lived until 1929. Her husband died in September, 1938 and Mrs. Illugason died October 29th, 1939.

2004 Addendum. Ref: Obituary in The Calgary Herald.

Inderwick, Ella Lees

Ella Lees (Inderwick) was born in Ontario in 1859. In 1883 she came to the Northwest Territories to live with her brother, William R. Lees who managed the McLaren Lumber Mill near Pincher Creek. She married F. Charles Inderwick. They had three sons, Basil, Jack and Cyril.

 

Inderwick, F. Charles

Charles Inderwick came to the Northwest Territories in 1882 and started the North Fork Ranch North of Cowley in the Pincher Creek area. In 1884 he married Ella Lees. They had three sons, Basil, Jack and Cyril. The ranch run in partnership with Jonas Jones, was not a success, so they returned to Ontario in 1888. They moved to Ceylon to run a tea plantation in 1891 but Mrs. Inderwick returned to Perth, Ontario in 1894 to raise her sons.

Merged with 2004 Addendum. Ref: History of the Early Days of Pincher Creek p. 10 - 12.

Ingham, Fred Eugene

Fred Ingham farmed at Madden in 1888. He was born in 1870 in Illinois, U.S.A. and died at Calgary in 1944. He married Lottie Morton at Calgary in 1900. She was born at Southhampton, Ontario in 1871 and died at Madden in 1950. They had three daughters and one son in their family.

 

Ingram, Hugh Brown

Hugh Ingram arrived on the first train to Calgary in 1883. He was employed by the W. H. Cushing Lumber. He later homesteaded at DeWinton but sold out and several years later returned to Ontario. He was born in 1855 at Spencerville, Ontario and died in 1938 at Oxford, Ontario. At Calgary in 1884 he married Mary Ann, who was born in 1857 at Portage du Fort, Quebec and died at Calgary in 1917. They had five boys and two daughters. He married Sarah E. Sanderson of Ontario in 1921.

 

Ingram, John (Jack) Sydney

Jack Ingram moved from his hometown of St. Thomas, Ontario to Winnipeg at age 21 to become Chief of Police. He returned to Ontario in 1875 and then moved to Calgary in 1884 where he was appointed Chief of Police in 1886. He married Mary Edith Oake of Hyde, England on October 1, 1887. They had two daughters and three sons. Jack resigned as Police Chief in February 28, 1888 and moved to High River to manage the Royal Hotel. He then spent some time in Montana and later became Police Chief in Rossland, B.C. a position he held for 4 years. After, he took a job as dynamite man in 1904 at the Centre Star Mine which tragically resulted in his death in an explosion on December 16th, 1905.

Merged with 2004 Addendum. Ref: The Albertan, July 10, 1950. Additional research by JFR.

Ingram, Oliver Sr.

Mr. and Mrs. Ingram came to Calgary in 1882. They had a family of six daughters and six sons. Their daughter, Mary Ann and son William established the Grand Central Hotel. The partnership dissolved when Mary Ann married.

 

Ings, Frederick Williams

Frederick Ings was born in 1862 at Charlottetown, P.E.I. and died at Nanton in 1936. At Charlottetown in 1896 he married May Walker Dodd, who was born there in 1876 and died at Calgary in 1898. His second wife was Edith Scarchard whom he married at London, Ontario in 1910. She was born in 1883 at Strathroy, Ontario. Frederick had a family of two daughters and one son. He was the son of a banker and shipowner and spent his youth years abroad. After a year at Guelph College he came west travelling by rail and cart to Calgary in 1882. He purchased a ranch in partnership with his brother. They worked together until 1900 when he sold out and in 1902 purchased the Midway Ranch.

 

Ings, James Walter

A brother of Frederick Ings, James came west in 1884 to ranch with his brother, Frederick. He bought out his brother in 1900 and in 1918 sold the Rio Alto and cattle to New York interests. The Ings retired to the west coast. James was born at Charlottetown, P.E.I. in 1856 and died in California, U.S.A. in 1928. In 1886 at Winnipeg, he married Frances Jane Hicks, who was born at Perth, Ontario in 1861 and died at California in 1929. They had two daughters and one son in their family.

 

Inkster, Rev. R.

Was a Missionary at the Sarcee Reserve in 1886.

 

Innes, Isobel

Isobel Innes (McNabb) came west to nurse at the Galt Hospital, Lethbridge in 1887. She was born at Quebec City in 1864 and died at Calgary in 1940. In 1890 at Lethbridge she was married to David Preston McNabb, who was born in Ontario in 1868 and died in 1938 at Calgary. McNabb was a C.P.R. employee.

 

Innis, John

John Innis, born in 1864 in London Ontario, was well educated and had a passion for art. He came west with a survey party, making maps & sketches of his surroundings. He later turned to horse wrangling and rode with some High River outfits. During the Riel Rebellion of 1885, he sold horses to the Government. He drew election cartoons for the Calgary Herald, returned to Toronto where he worked for the "Mail" and "Empire". Back west in 1889 he rode for the Bar U, painted and sketched during a trip to Vancouver on horseback and enlisted in the military and was decorated in the Boer War. In 1904 he was elected to the Ontario Society of Artists and retired in Vancouver in 1913 where he lived until his death in 1941.

2004 Addendum. Ref: Leaves from the Medicine Tree p. 132.

Ireland, Thomas Wilson

Thomas Ireland was an accountant for the C.P.R. at Medicine Hat in 1883. Later he started the first brewery there. He was born in 1844 at London, England and died in 1892 at Medicine Hat. At London in 1869 he married Amelia Fair, who was born in 1846 at London and died in 1933 at Medicine Hat. They had a family of four boys and five girls.

 

Irvine, Col.

He was a capable officer in the Mounted Police and contributed his services in the Riel Rebellion. He travelled from Regina to Prince Albert, a distance of 270 miles in minus 20 degree weather, in just 7 days. His name Irvine, was given to twenty mile post where he had been in charge.

2004 Addendum. Ref: Early History of Medicine Hat Country.

Irvine, William (Billie)

Billie Irvine came up the trail from Montana in 1882 with one of the first trail herds to enter Alberta. In addition to working for the Bar-U and the Oxley, he joined the field force when the rebellion broke out and was put in charge of some cavalry horses. In 1886 he returned to Montana where he was born. Following his return to the Flathead Country he was staked by Charles Allard to start a ranch west of Polson. In 1896 he married Emily Brown. They had no family. By 1898 Billie had a herd of 3000 cattle and 100 horses on his range. He died in 1939, two years after the death of his wife.

Merged with 2004 Addendum.

Irving, John Alexander

John Irving came west alone in 1887 to file a homestead and begin farming. After a visit east, he returned to prepare for his family's arrival. In 1904 he took up a new homestead SW 2-19-25-W5th. His wife Sarah stayed on homestead #1 until moving to Vulcan in 1912 with son, Percy. In 1930 John moved to the west coast. He was born at Cardinal, Ontario in 1841 and died in 1930 at Nanton. At Cardinal in 1874 he married Sarah Howell Thomas, who was born at Prescott, Ontario in 1851 and died at Calgary in 1931. They had a family of four daughters and six sons.

 

Irwin, John

John Irwin came to Calgary in 1889. He was born in 1868 at Picton, Ontario and died in 1948 at Victoria, B.C. At Calgary in 1893 he married Ruth Annetta Brown. They had a family of three sons and two daughters.

 

Iverach, Barbara

Barbara Iverach was one of the first Salvation Army workers at Calgary in 1887. She was born in 1859 in Scotland and died in 1944 at Calgary. She was married in 1891 to William White (Calgary - 1883). William was born in Wales in 1861 and died at Calgary in 1940. They had a family of four, two daughters and two sons.

 

Ives, George Canning

George Ives was a member of the NWMP coming west in 1879, he was joined by his wife and children in 1881. They homesteaded a few miles west of Pincher Creek, later residing in Fort Macleod. He was appointed Collector of Customs at Fort Macleod in 1895. George Ives was born in 1848 at Compton, Quebec and died at Fort Macleod in 1922. He was married at Compton in 1851 to Sarah Abbie Thomas, who was born in 1851 and died in 1929 at Fort Macleod. They had two children.