My grandfather, Otto F. Malmberg, was born in
Sweden. Otto and his parents sailed for American
in 1863, and travelled by wagon train across the
plains to the Salt Lake Valley, arriving the first part
of September. Otto had his first birthday on the
ocean. A year later the family moved to Santaquin,
Utah where Otto grew up and received his
education.

In 1879 Otto married Ellen Matilda Anderson, and
they became the parents of thirteen children. My
father, George Nelson was the second child,
born in July 1882.

My mother, Agnes Henrietta Olsen, was also born
in Santaquin, Utah in May 1883. Her family had
also emigrated to Utah, coming from Norway.

By the time Dad (George) was twelve years old
he and his brother Owen were herding sheep on
the desert during the winter and in the mountains
during the summer. These two young boys would
often be left alone for weeks at a time. They had
a sheep wagon, a dog, and some flour and beans
etc., and a gun which George's father had taught
him to use. Even in his late seventies, Dad was
an expert marksman.

Dad and Mother were married on July 21, 1903.
Their first child, a daughter, was born in Santaquin
in November 1904.

In 1902 the bottom fell out of the sheep business,
and Otto began looking for a place where he and
his boys could work together. They moved first to
Oregon and then in the fall they moved to Canada
arriving in High River, Alberta. In the spring of 1905,
he and his sons Sam, George, Owen and Charles
filed homesteads east of Blackie.

In 1918 they bought the Eldredge ranch of 18 sections
just south of Spring Coulee. George and his sons ran
this operation. Mother and the family moved into
High River where the children could go to school,
since Dad was spending a lot of his time at the
ranch. During the years that Dad managed the ranch,
the products were quite diversified. For many years
there was a large herd of sheep. There was often a
sheep herder hired to help with this operation. It
seemed that the lambing always occurred during
stormy weather and mostly at night. We had numerous
sheep sheds at the ranch, and some very helpful sheep
dogs. Coyotes were a real problem with the sheep, so
Dad always had many hound dogs. These were to
hunt down coyotes, and the older boys spent many
hours at this pastime. When the lambs were ready
for market they were trailed to Magrath and sold to
L. Jenson for many years.

There were hundreds of horses at the ranch when I
was growing up, some for our own use and many for
the market. The big horse barn had box stalls on each
side the full length of the barn and in the spring the
big barn was filled with young draft horses to be
broke and work, and saddle horses trained to ride. If
you were chosen to be the wrangler you were up before
the sun so you could ride to the pasture and bring the
horses to the barn.

Breakfast was always at 6 a.m. and the horses had to
be fed and in their stalls before then. The mixed
cattle herds of the 1920's were slowly replaced by
Shorthorns and later by Herefords as Dad made
improvements. The cattle brand was Vee Anchor
Bar left rib, and the horse brand was Mx on the left
shoulder.

As time went on some of the livestock operation was
phased out as more acres were cultivated for grain
farming.

Dad always rode a good horse, and as the boys came
along they too had their favorites. Many of the oldtimers
in the area will remember the Appaloosa horses on the
ranch. There were excellent cattle dogs that gave
faithful service in the hot dusty corrals or in the winter
snows. These dogs were almost like part of the family.

Some of the hired hands I can remember were Mark
Bond, Jimmy Plunet, Ole Olsen, Mike Beimler, Billy
Fortner, Ray Albiston, Greg Posy, 'Shorty' and Vivian
Williams, and many others. They were not only hired
hands but friends as well.

We spent our summers at the ranch until the family
had finished their schooling.

In the 1940's Dad and his five sons took over control
of the ranch and it was eventually divided amongst
them.

In 1956 one son imported the first Charolais cattle
into Canada, and in 1966 he brought in the first
Purebred Charolais from France. He pioneered
the import of "Exotic" breeds in this area.

My father and mother were the parents of eight
children, two daughters and 6 sons. My brother Max
was killed April 1967 in a tragic accident at his farm.
Wayne died in July 1978 and his wife Georgia in 1989.
Eloise died in May 1988, her husband Evan J.
(Bud) having predeceased her in 1972. A infant son
Harold, died soon after birth.

My parents, George and Agnes celebrated their
Golden Wedding anniversary in 1953 with many
friends and relatives coming long distances to
offer congratulations. Dad died November I,1960.
Mother lived alone for the next year, passing away
October 6, 1961.

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