Horace "Hort" Long was the second of seven
children born to Andrew (A Civil War Veteran)
and Nancy Long. He was born in Piper City,
Illinois, April 12, 1870. His parents moved to Illinois
in 1869 from Pennsylvania. In 1884 his father took
the family to North Dakota where he had home-
steaded, about 60 miles northwest of the town of
Fargo. His father saw that he learned how to work
and his mother saw they received a good education.
All of the children went through Normal School at
Mayville. Some of them taught school but not Hort.
He opened a livery stable and asserted that he had
the best driving team in the County.

He married Esther May Patterson, February 17,
1897 at Finley, North Dakota. He purchased a farm
on the north edge of Finley where he and his young
bride settled. They had four sons, the youngest
died at six months.

Hort played baseball and was the catcher on Finley's
team. Being of an adventurous nature he sold out
and moved to Spokane, Washington in the fall of
1906. There he became a partner in a construction
company. When in 1912, his partner decided to go
to Midnapore, Alberta to farm, Hort took out a Ford
Dealership and moved to Greenacres 12 miles east of
Spokane. Still searching for better pastures he took
his family to Cardston, Alberta March I,1918. Here he
had purchased the Johnny Woolf ranch three miles
east of Cardston, at the time being operated by John
Kearl. His search for Utopia ended here for he found
the people friendly and cooperative and the country
to his liking. However, due to several factors - drought
in 1918, 1919, and the consequent loss of livestock
and inexperience in proper methods of farming, and
helpful advice from kindly neighbors such as Orson
and Tom Anderson, he decided to abandon further
attempts to pay for the farm. Through the kindly efforts
of Shermans and Thompsons of Spring Coulee, he
obtained a lease of the "Senator" Nelson farm two
miles west of Spring Coulee and abutting the St.
Mary Dam.

It was with some regret the move was made as his
sons enjoyed playing baseball and basketball on
the Cardston teams, especially under the able
dedicated coaching of Charlie Cheesman.

The new venture proved to be very successful and
profitable and in the course of four years the family
split up and went on their own. Hort bought a farm
near Kimball and moved there with one son and his
wife Esther. One son Merle (died in infancy).

Hort Passed away April 11, 1954 at the age of 84 years.
Esther passed away May 24, 1966 at the age of 86 years.

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