MARY'S GENEALOGY TREASURES
An Order in Council, May 8, 1882, stated that for
the convenience of settlers and for postal purposes, a
portion of the North West Territories should be divid
ed into provincial districts. The names of the districts
were Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and
Athabasca.
The name Stirling is after J. A. Stirling, the
managing director of The Trusts, Executors, and
Securities Corporation of London, England, which
owned shares in the Alberta Coal and Railway Co.
When the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Rail-
way reached Medicine hat in the early 1880's it
opened up other business opportunities in the Alberta
territory. Alexander T. Galt, Canada's High Commi-
sioner to Great Britain, conceived the idea of min
ing coal for a profit at Lethbridge. The railways
needed coal for fuel which lead to the building of a
spur railway from Medicine Hat to Lethbridge, and
in 1890, another from Lethbridge, 200 miles south,
to a market at Great Falls.
The railway company was given 6400 acres of
land for every finished mile of track, making the
Alberta Rail and Coal Company the biggest private
land holder in Alberta, with over one million acres.
To turn this large tract of land into money, it
would have to be sold. The advertising had been
negative; the British government surveyors had la-
beled it the 'Arid Region' and the 'Sterile Plains,'
suitable only for ranching.
The Directors of the Alberta Railway and Coal
Company were businessmen with vision and good
judgment. They were watching the small settlement
of Mormons on Lee's Creek. It had proved that agri-
culture and irrigation were both possible and worth-
while. The Company had been offering their land at
$2.50 per acre, without much success. They then
lowered it to $1 per acre with the attached condition
of irrigation development by the purchaser.
Apostle John Taylor of the L.D.S. Church had
come to Cardston from Salt Lake City, Utah, as a
special spiritual advisor to the L.D.S. settlers. Be-
sides being a church leader, he was a businessman
and a promoter. He was excited and enthused with the
potential of this new land. He envisioned ranches,
irrigation projects and oil wells. He and Charles O.
Card became active in irrigation development.
However, there was one major stumbling block, the
land grant owned by the Rail and Irrigation Company
consisted of alternate townships. This checkerboard
system of land distribution proved an impossibility.
Elliot Galt and Charles Magrath had been making
representations to Ottawa to have these holdings so-
lidified with negative results. Then, in 1896, this
difficulty was finally removed when the Honorable
Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior, and a great
advocate of Western expansion, finally arranged to
have all Alberta Irrigation Company holdings con-
solidated into one block.
. . . we approached-with the whole-hearted
support of their branch-the heads of the
Mormon Church in Utah in the late summer of
that year (1897) hoping to work out the basis of
a contract with them for the construction of the
first section of our proposed canal by settlers
brought into the country under their control.
One may wonder today why the Alberta Irriga-
tion Comapny chose to contact the Mormon Church
in relation to constructing its proposed irrigation
scheme and to settling some of its lands. To any
reader of the settling of western United States, the
answer becomes obvious. In Mormonism, the Com-
pany recognized one of the finest heritages of pi-
oneering in all America. Only a few generations
earlier, the Mormons had trecked to the Salt Lake
Valley and had made that desolate reach of the Utah
desert live through their ingenuity and irrigation. In
Charles Card, the founder of Cardston, Elliot Galt
and Charles Magrath saw a son of these early pi-
oneers. In him, they saw a man of "splendid charac-
ter". They saw his brethren at Cardston as "all
eminently fitted for looking after new settlers . " They
respected Card for his ability as a leader, and for his
knowledge of irrigation. They were convinced that
Card had the experience and the knowledge to make
the project work. They assumed that other Mormons
would be like those at Cardston.
The glowing terms used by Galt and Magrath in
describing Card and fellow settlers should not be
misconstrued as a basis for implying that the Mor-
mons may have been contacted primarily from an
emotive point of view by the Company. If anything,
these terms were applied only after a hard business
approach to the problem of who was best suited for
the job. Wilcox's quote from a statement by J.J Head,
the British shareholder's representative in the pro-
ject, reveals the practical reasons which led the Com-
pany to choose the Mormons:
Perhaps a final reason in way of explaining why
the Mormons were contacted is inherent in the private
evaluation of Mormon character by John Higin-
botham, one of Lethbridge's first citizens and busi-
nessmen, as he dealt with them in those pioneer days:
I had many conversations with these rugged old
patriarchs at that time, and later numerous business
transactions. On their work as tree planters, farmers,
stockmen and irrigationalists, I need not dwell: their
prosperous farms and ranches speak for themselves
. . . even in pioneer days, and under difficult condi-
tions, these settlers were never a charge on the com-
munity, province or country.
On the morning of September 29, 1897, the First
Presidency of the Mormon Church met with a dele-
gation from the Alberta Irrigation Company which
was led by C.A. Magrath and introduced by Charles
Card. Their reaction to Magrath's proposal of con-
tract for Mormon colonization on Irrigation
Company land east of Cardston was generally favora-
ble, but not without reservation. They stated that
"they did not wish to take upon themselves any great
financial responsibility," and then instructed Card
"to join Mr. Magrath in formulating a plan by which
the colony desired might be planted upon those
lands." On September 30, Card's report concerning
colonization was considered by "the Brethern," and
early in October, a canal construction and land settle-
ment agreement was signed. On October 7, 1897, the
Church announced that C.O. Card had been autho-
rized by the First Presidency to invite settlers to
locate on lands in Canada. On April 14, 1898, the
final contract terms concerning land distribution and
labor were finalized, and the First Presidency signed
with Elliot Galt and C.A. Magrath of the Alberta
Irrigation Company to bind the agreement.
The reasons which had led the Church to send
Card back to Alberta in 1889, were beginning to
come into focus. In Utah, there were economic prob-
lems for many Mormons living in marginal agricul-
tural areas; in Alberta, there was great agricultural
opportunities available at minimal cost. Contracting
with the Alberta Irrigation Company was no specula-
tion by the Mormon Church. "It was," as said by
Apostle A.O Woodruff, "not a speculation, but a
move to assist those who need assistance and are
willing to labor for it; it is another case where the
Lord is putting Means in our hands; . . . we need to
provide labor for the poor who need assistance." In
Joseph F. Smith's evaluation, it was a chance to build
a solid Mormon reputation which would "add to our
influence, and further confidence between us, and
those we are coming in contact with." But of more
importance, he stressed that the settling was contrib-
uting to the "building up of Zion," and that "God
had brought the Latter-day Saints here . . . to serve
him. "
The land was plentiful, highly productive, and
inexpensive. The church was already established at
Cardston, and there, along the north undulating
slopes of the Milk River Ridge, was enough acreage
that the emigrants could establish Mormon towns
with a minimum of gentile interference.
The contract between the Alberta Irrigation Com-
pany and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints called for the construction of an irrigation
canal and for the settlement of two towns on Compa-
ny land. It called for the construction of approx-
imately a fifty mile long canal extending from
Kimball on the St Mary's River near Cardston to the
railroad station of Stirling, some eighteen miles
southeast of Lethbridge. It called for the settlement
of a minimum of 250 people on each of two townsites
which would be surveyed on lands the Church would
earn. For the laborers, it provided immediate funds
until their lands could become productive, by stip-
ulating that they should receive their wages "half in
cash and the balance in land at three dollars per
acre." Other directives were that work should begin
on the canal no later than September I, 1898, and that
by December 31, 1899, the contractors should have
earned at least $100,000 in cash and land. The land
which they would receive would be located in two
equal blocks, as nearly square as possible. One was
to be in Township 5, Range 22 West of the 4th
meridian west, and the other was to be to the east near
Stirling railway station. The proposed townsites were
to be laid out in these blocks and populated according
to contract by December 31, 1899. They would be-
come the towns of Magrath and Stirling, Alberta.
Work started on the canal in September, 1898
with Charles Card as Church supervisor. To the la
borers, the Church contracted the work on the same
terms as it had received from the Irrigation Company
But immigrants did not flood to Canada from Utah
and at first, most of the workers came from Cardston
To create interest in this new land, the Church began
an extensive advertising campaign which lauded the
opportunities available in Alberta. The Deseret News
was commissioned to publish pamphlets which
would instruct the people in preparing for coloniza-
tion. Articles were written for the press with luring
titles like, "Plenty of Room for Homesteaders-
Where Industry Thrives" and, "200 Teams Wanted
to Work on Canal" . Nearly everything about Alberta
was written in positive and glowing terms. Charles
Card wrote for the Deseret News in April, 1898, that:
. . . Iands may be acquired . . . for about $3.00
per acre, on the installment principle of ten
payments with interest at six percent or may be
homesteaded to the extent of 160 acres each by
paying a fee of $10 down . . . Only the one fee
is required, the government always favoring the
honest homesteader .... All even numbered
sections except 8 and 26 may be homesteaded
by any person who is the sole head of a family,
or any male over 18 years of age. The latter is a
bonanza for our boys.
Encouragement to settle was constant. The De-
seret News kept up its articles with headings like
"Homes for Thousands. " The articles called to Lat-
ter-day Saints who desired "Good Places to make
Comfortable Homes," and "Good Opportunity to
accumulate Means to pay for them without Incurring
the Bondage of Debt." They called for industrious,
able-bodied men to come with teams, to leave fam-
ilies temporarily, to take up the land and oppor-
tunities offered. They appealed to all areas of
Mormon society:
. . . an industrious able-bodied man with a
good team can earn a good farm, town lot and
cottage in one year . . . We invite shoemakers,
watchmakers, blacksmiths, carpenters, bakers,
tailors, cooks, and laundrymen, all trades are
necessary to make our towns and hamlets a
success. Come along with your capital and
build your flouring mills, sugar factories, elec-
tric lights, and to aid to establish other indus-
tries in a healthy country. Don't forget to secure
a good farm adjacent to one of the grandest
irrigation systems of modern times.
But when the propagandizing about Alberta
proved highly unsuccessful in stimulating voluntary
workers and immigrants, and when the Church be-
gan to fear the possibility of not being able to fulfil its
commitment of contract, it began to call men to
missions in Alberta.
Men were called who would be key workers on
the canal project and in settling. Men were called to
be laborers. Some missions were just for the duration
of the project, but others were to immigrate. The call
was a serious one. Like other missions, there was a
signed release when each man's period of labor was
completed. The missionaries then had the option of
returning home with their earnings or staying in
Canada on the land they had each acquired.
Theodore Brandley of Richfield, Utah, was one
of the first called to Canada. His reaction on receiv-
ing such a different mission call was typical of those
who accepted the calls. "I have never refused a Call
the church has made of me and will not do so now."
He was to take with him all the livestock, household
effects, and machinery which he thought necessary
to start a new home in a new land. (End of quote.)
By April 27, 1899, all was ready for the trip
north. Brandley had resigned from all his positions,
sold his furniture store, and collected what he consid-
ered imperative to start a new life. For companions to
share his pioneering, he had with him most of the
people whose names still predominate in the village
of Stirling. They included his prospective wife, Eliza
Zaugg, his children Henry, Joseph, Albert, Theodore
Jr. and a daughter, Anna, of his deceased wife Marie;
Mrs. Katherine Hirsche and sons Alfred and Samuel;
Paul Zaugg; Joe Hirsche, a cousin to Alfred and
Samuel; Mr. and Mrs. James C. Christensen and sons
Alfred, Emron and Gene, and a daughter Dora; Hans
Marquardson and son Elmer; Chris Peterson; Gus
Ostlund and his brother, Einer; William Christensen;
and Joe Peters; Mr. and Mrs. Chris Larson; Herman
Gunther and Peter F. Christensen.
The settlers arrived at the Stirling railroad station
on May 5, 1899. Their new land spread in vivid
contrast to their Utah homes. "There was nothing but
endless miles of dry grass gently waving in the breeze
with no homes or buildings except the station. They
were met by Charles Card, who travelled from Card-
ston to greet them. That first night they took shelter in
the railroad section house.
The following morning, they unloaded their be-
longings right on the open prairie. Later that day, the
Northwest Mounted Police with custom officers in-
spected their goods and livestock and gave them
custom clearance.
President Card helped them inspect their new
town site. The town was made up of one square mile,
640 acres. It was then divided into lots of 10 acres.
Each 10 acres had a surveyed road around the entire
area with a lane running north and south dividing it
into two parcels. These were again divided, east and
west, making four lots, 21/2 acres each. This would
give the residents room to build their homes, barns
and shelters for their animals and leave room for a
large garden.
The little band chose their lots, moved their
goods, equipment and livestock onto it, and then
pitched their tents that had been furnished them by
the Alberta Government. Theodore brought supplies
in from Lethbridge and used one corner of his tent for
the first store and post office in Stirling.
It was very important for them and the ones that
followed to get set up as soon as possible.
Their contract with the irrigation company called
for the canal to be completed this same year. It was to
be a year of hard work. The canal had to be dug, they
needed houses for the winter, fuel supplies, water and
feed for their livestock. At first, water was hauled on
the train from Lethbridge and to the tents in barrels
and buckets. Later, wells were dug. Some were good
and some were not. From the good, water was hauled
to the homes.
There was much to be done and Theodore
Brandley had the responsibility of organizing this
growing town. He was chosen as the Bishop to pre-
side over the spiritual needs of the community.
He would meet the train every day. If the incom-
ing passengers had been called on a work mission,
they were given a place to sleep, breakfast and were
taken to the work site. If they were settlers, they
would choose their lot, set up their tent, get their
belongings situated and then go to the work site
By December of this first year, the population had
grown from this first little band to 349 people.
An article in the Lethbridge news dated October
11, 1899:
"In a recent issue we referred to Magrath as
a new town. This week we are pleased to an-
nounce another which gives every promise of
becoming one of the most picturesque little
towns in Alberta. Most pleasantly situated on a
ridge surrounded by a small stream, with a
splendid view of the hills on two sides and 20
miles from Lethbridge. It has just been chris-
tened Stirling.
Only a few months ago there was nothing on
that site but the railroad section house. Now
some 17 new residences have been erected, and
at least 15 more are to be completed by Decem-
ber 1.
On Saturday we had an interview with Mr.
Theodore Brandley who has opened a new gen-
eral store and is also the peoples' respected
Bishop. If all settlers are as enthusiastic over the
outlook as Mr. Brandley we cannot wonder at
the rapid strides this country is taking. He
thought it only a matter of time until this part of
Alberta would be the most prosperous farming
district in the northwest. Mr. Brandley stated it
was the intention of all the settlers to go into
mixed farming during the coming year. Just at
present every available man is working on the
canal, there being as many as 100 teams at work
on our division, it is expected the contract will
be completed by December 1, 1899.
There is nothing slow about Stirling. It al-
ready has telephone communications. The
present population is 250.
Among the new buildings just completed
we noted private residences for William B.
Hardy, L. G. and G. W. Hardy, Adam Russell,
Andrew Larson, Henry Selk, Peter F. Chris-
tensen, Hans Marquardson, S. Fawsett, F. D.
Grant, W. T. Ogden and J. Davis. Fifteen more
residences are booked to be built. Ten families
are still living in tents awaiting the erection of
more comfortable quarters.
A pleasant social was held in the new
Brandley store recently for the purpose of enab-
ling all new-comers to get better acquainted.
Singing and dancing was the order of the eve-
ning. "
The people displayed wonderful energy. The
men worked all day on the canal and then worked on
the construction of their new homes as long as they
could see. The women took care of the yards, looked
after the animals and prepared food for the winter, all
under very adverse conditions. They all pulled to-
gether and worked very hard to build up the town.
The canal project was completed on schedule
during the fall of 1899. Water flowed via Magrath to
Stirling on November 14th of that year, and the same
day, Clifford Sifton, Dominion Minister of the Inte-
rior, officially opened the canal at Magrath. In 1902,
Charles Card indicated to the First Presidency of the
Church that the colonies were stable and able to stand
alone.
On September 14, 1900, a group of government
dignitaries were going to Magrath to officially open
the canal headgates and let the water flow through the
complete canal. They travelled from Lethbridge by
train to Stirling, where they met the townspeople at
the Church. A chicken dinner and a special program
was prepared for them. They were then taken to
Magrath by horse and buggy.
The Government representative was the Earl of
Minto. While in Stirling, he spoke to the group
assembled in the hall. Reference to the day in the
Public Archives of Canada simply stated:
"Stirling is but a small Mormon settlement, of
about 400 souls, who emigrated here some 13 months
ago, from the Salt Lake Valley. We arrived in time for
a meeting at the village chapel, where a number of
residents are gathered to welcome Their Excellen-
cies.
The personal appearance of these Mormons
is very striking, most of the men being of good
education and of strong, independent character,
and it is a small wonder that, as colonists, they
are admittedly so satisfactory and successful."
The first winter, like all winters, was long and
cold . Some of the settlers and their families spent that
first winter in tents. When spring arrived land had to
be prepared, crops planted and more land broken for
next year. It was all hard work and with the canal
contract being completed there was no money being
earned and this was creating a real hardship.
The railroad between Stirling and Cardston was
being built. A portion of Theodore Brandley's diary
reads:
"I took a contract to build 12 miles of rail-
way on behalf of our people in order to raise
some cash. I had to give a bond to the railroad
company for the sum of $50,000. We did the
work on the co-operative plan. Each one being
payed equal for the number of days he worked.
I, as the responsible party received no more than
the rest, being payed only for what my teams carried.
Thus it gave us means for our sustenance for the
coming winter.
The first church was built and also served for a
time as the schoolhouse. School was taught by J. U.
Allred.
Irrigation ditches were being surveyed and dug to
bring water to the farms and town lots. Some of the
residents dug cisterns and filled them with water
from irrigation ditches, thus having better water for
household use.
Settlers continued to come into the district. There
is a report of about 50 arriving in Stirling on April 23,
1903, from the Mt. Pleasant, Utah area. Their arrival
was to more hospitable surroundings. The business
section of the town was made up of a store and post
office owned and operated by Theodore Brandley,
two well-stocked lumber yards, one operated by C.
W. Tillack, the other by F. D. Grant, and a store
owned and operated by Anderson and Sons, later
sold to Jess Hardy. The Hotel was owned and oper-
ated by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Seely.
Albert Brandley operated the first dray business,
hauling goods and passengers to and from the rail-
road station. It was later taken over and operated by
Henry Selk.
Many of the new settlers who sold their holdings
in Utah used the money to purchase property around
Stirling. Others took advantage of the Government
offer to homestead.
Homesteads were available in the Wrentham,
Tyrell's Lake, Barnwell, Taber and the Claresholm
and Stavely districts. Many of the new settlers stayed
in Stirling just long enough to make arrangements for
their homestead and to build a house on it, then they
moved on.
It started to rain on May 15, 1905, the year of the
big blizzard. It soon turned to snow, and a blizzard
raged for three days. The cattle were on the range,
there were no fences and livestock drifted for miles.
Thousands died from exposure and hunger. Ali Ben-
nett had a roan team which he found in Shelby,
Montana.
The people that had settled in the north had the
idea that Southern Alberta was an arid region in
which a lot of foolish people who had settled there
would be starved out by the first dry season that came
along. Another impression held by Northerners was
that Southern Alberta was an insignificant corner of
the country without much to it anyway. This idea was
shared by some members of the Government.
So it was in the fall of 1906 that the Government
of Alberta decided to tour the south. The tour con-
sisted of Lieutenant Governor Bulyea, Premier
Rutherford, Honorable W. H. Cushing, Senator Tal-
bot and the rest of the Alberta Parliament. They spent
time at Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. The following
is their account of the stop at Stirling:
This morning a stop was made at Stirling.
Fifteen teams met the party and drove them to
the schoolhouse where an address was pre-
sented to His Honor and party. The Lieutenant
Governor replied. A party of prettily dressed
children sang the Maple Leaf. All members of
the party were presented with a large bouquet of
flowers picked from the many beautiful gardens
in full bloom about town.
The whole party was driven six miles to Ray-
mond, through fields of ripening grain, both wheat
and oats. Our friends, the Northerners, have been
and seen with their own eyes. They went through a
country overflowing with grain, cattle and all the
products of the farm. A country as thickly settled and
as prosperous as the north and in many districts more
so. A great tribute to an industrious people.
The town continued to grow. Stirling was the
stopping place for many. Some used it only as a
temporary stopover-others liked what they saw
and bought land or started a business.
James Christian (Shoemaker) Nielson built a
home and operated a boot shop from it. He repaired
shoes, made shoes and boots, specializing in riding
boots. The Davis Cafe was started by Rawl Davis, a
barber shop by Ralph and Fred Davis, a butcher shop
by Mr. Withers, and Earnest Schaffer Sr. and Jr.
Owned and operated a harness shop. Dr. Kiellor prac-
ticed medicine and had an office in town. In 1909, the
first bank opened its doors. J. T. Brandley and A. E.
Fawns both had machinery agencies in town. They
were good years.
In 1910, Jess Hardy sold his store and moved back
to Utah. A group of citizens organized a co-op and
re-opened the store under the name of The Stirling
Trading Company. It was operated by A. E. Fawns.
An article in the Lethbridge Herald 1912, under
the heading "Stirling A Town With A Future, " stated
that Stirling was the fourth largest district south of the
Crowsnest Pass with 120,000 acres, part under irriga-
tion and 48,640 acres under cultivation, 40,000
being used exclusively for growing wheat. It also
stated that a million bushels should be harvested that
year. One field of barley yielded 75 bushels per acre.
The area had from 25 to 30 steam and gasoline
engines in use.
Stirling was Alberta's home for alfalfa. In 1911,
2000 tons were produced. Sugar beets were being
raised on a commercial scale. All types of livestock
were raised. There was no better horse country in the
world.
Stirling had four general stores, a confectionery,
an up-to-date harness shop, a drug store, a butcher
shop and one of the finest brick hotels in this part of
the country. It had a 40,000 bushel elevator, the
Taylor Milling and Elevator, with J. H. Grey as agent,
five machine companies, and The Union Bank of
Canada with A. F. Schimnouski as manager.
She was justly proud of a 14 piece brass band led
by George Oler, and one of the best basketball teams
in Alberta which, at that time, held the championship
of Southern Alberta.
Stirling had a beautiful public school built at a
cost of over $10,000 and made out of bricks that were
produced in Stirling by her own citizens. They had a
teaching staff of five. There was also a high school
department .
Around 1913, Dell Kiddle built and operated a
store, a garage and had a machine agency. It was
located on the corner where the A. G. T. building is
now located.
Listed in the 1914 Henderson Directory was John
S. Wray-Drugs and Physician, Stirling.
In 1914, the world became embroiled in war, a
war that had its effect on the whole world. Stirling
did not escape. Nineteen of her boys went into the
services .
In 1918, Stirling residents were stricken with
influenza. The school and church closed down. Any-
one having to go out wore a thick gauze mask
sprinkled with eucalyptus drops. In some cases,
whole families were ill. The Relief Society ladies and
school teachers were organized to go into these
homes and assist as much as possible.
(Information from Nora Gillete).
It seemed as though some of the businesses
changed hands often. One was the butcher shop. We
have a list of owners and are only speculating on the
order of ownership. They include Peter F. Chris-
tensen, Mr. Withers, Turner and Spidel, and Theo
Brandley Jr. Theo cut and delivered meat in the
morning, then operated his blacksmith shop in the
afternoon.
Owners of the barber shop included Ralph and
Fred Davis, Jess Hardy, Jim Peterson, Oscar Pierson
and Ed Kiddle.
The Cafe has a long list and again order of owner-
ship is speculation-Rawl Davis, Bob Oler (1 Year),
Harold and Myrtle Christensen (6 Years) and John
Manser. He and Bulah ran the cafe, a trucking busi-
ness and at one time operated a bus service. Cafe
owners were Laura Hirsche; Harold Nilsson (owner,
and operated by Boyd and Grace Nelson); Julius and
Lulu Larson; Howard Hardy family; Kamitomo Fam-
ily; Quon Family; John R. Poole and there may be
others.
T. A. (Fred) Spackman operated a butcher shop
and farmed a /4 section of land. He bought the
Brandley store in 1927, and had his butcher shop in
conjunction with it. He then built a garage and a
lumber yard. The store was known as the Red and
White Store. He had the John Deer Agency, sold
Plymouth and Chrysler cars and sold Red Head gas
and oil products.
In 1927, Elgin Peterson bought the Dell Kiddle
Store and garage and moved them to the present sight
of Canadian Groceries. Elgin operated the store, a
butcher shop, the garage, Maple Leaf gas and oil
products and the Massey-Harris agency. He was later
an agent for the Calgary Power Company.
A post office was built next to this store and it was
operated by Harold and Elodia Christensen.
The Stirling Knitting Company was owned and
operated by Alfred Romeril. Overalls were made. It
was bought by G. W. G. and the equipment moved
out.
Nineteen twenty-eight was a banner year for Stir-
ling. On March 25, the Calgary Power turned the
switches and Stirling had its first electric lights.
Most of the farmers now used tractors and many
of them drove cars. Times were good and had been
since the war.
In 1930, the Great Depression hit. Many families
were effected in the same manner as the account
given by Ray Hardy.
"We could only get 30 cents a bushel for our
grain. There was no money to pay our $1.50
minimum power bill so the power was taken out
of our home. Out of 20 telephones in Stirling,
all were taken out but two. Cars were put on
blocks because we couldn't afford license or
gas. We lived on what we raised and traded our
surplus butter and eggs for groceries."
About the time things started to get better, the
Second World War started. Before this, you couldn't
afford to buy anything, and after the war started, you
couldn't find anything to buy. Food and gas were
rationed, and you had to get special permits to buy
car tires. Many of the young people went into the
services.
The farmers in the area couldn't buy new machin-
ery, they had to make do with what they had. Many
became very adept at making worn-out implements
continue to run.
The Peterson store was rented to Dave Bingham
and he and his good wife ran it for years. Old age
forced them to quit. In 1948, Mr. Peterson sold the
store and half interest in the machine business to
Leland Holman. The following year, 1949, he sold
the rest of his interest in the machine business to
Hubert Marquardson. Later, there was a fire in the
store and Mr. Holman never reopened it. He sold his
interest in the machine business to Hubert Marquard-
son and he and his wife moved away. Mr. Marquard-
son also bought the lumber yard buildings and
property formerly owned by Citizen Lumber Co. of
Winnipeg.
In 1948, T. A. Spackman sold his store to his son-
in-law, Quinn Jensen. He operated it until 1952,
closed it down and moved back to Utah. The build-
ings have been dismantled and it is now a vacant lot.
The years following the war saw many of the
young people move away from Stirling to find em-
ployment. There was a significant decrease in the
population, but the town never looked back as life
went on as usual. The church was here, the school
was here and the families of the pioneers were here
and they knew the people would return.
In 1949, Stirling celebrated her Golden Jubilee:
50 years since Theodore Brandley and that little band
of settlers unloaded their worldly possessions at Stir-
ling and called it home. William Hogenson was the
Mayor and celebration was held on Monday, July 25,
Pioneer day to all Mormons. Many of the former
residents came home to join in the celebrations.
On March 16, 1951, a big blizzard blew in. High
snow drifts blocked roads and made life very uncom-
fortable. The weather then got very warm, and on
March 25, the whole area was flooded. People
couldn't get in or out of town and only time could
take care of it.
In 1954, the Lions' swimming pool was finished.
It had been on the planning board and some funds
had been raised 25 years before. The Lion's Club
took the project over and got it off the ground. One of
the local boys, Clinton Pierson, was awarded the
contract and did a fine job. On June 25, it was
officially opened.
Another historical year was 1955. Our town got
natural gas. The days of chopping wood, carrying in
coal and carrying out ashes were over. One more of
life's conveniences had been added.
Another great announcement was to come two
years later. The contract was let on June 27,1957, for
the construction of a new eight-roomed school with a
large auditorium at a cost of $200,000. The original
school would have to be dismantled and moved away.
The old original chapel and cultural hall, that was
built in 1899 and later sold to the school, would meet
the same fate. The newer two-roomed school was to
remain and be used for a home economics and shop
class.
Also in 1957, the grocery store was going to open
again. The Quon Family had been operating the cafe
and pool hall since 1952. Now they purchased the
store, cleared away the burned out areas and re-
opened it. They are still serving the public today
from that store. The cafe has been closed for some
time and the pool hall just recently.
The town was certainly moving ahead, progress
was steady, and the improvements were of a lasting
nature. In February, 1965, the approval of a winter
works project was announced. Stirling would be
spending $191,000 for installation of a water and
sewer system. I'm sure the town officials knew that
now they had gas and water, it would only be a matter
of time before the people would start moving back.
In Canada's Centennial year, 1967, Stirling's
Community Centennial Park was officially opened.
The honor of cutting the ribbon was given to Henry
Brandley, the oldest pioneer resident of the town, and
one of the original pioneers to arrive with the first
group.
As improvements came into the town, the rural
people were not left out. In 1951-52, they received
both telephone service and Calgary Power. Later, in
19;75, with natural gas service, the farmsteads had all
the conveniences offered in the cities.
Businesses have opened and closed in town.
Dave Siewert operated a service station and a bulk
fuel station for a time. Joe Spackman operated a
service station and a machinery business from the
same sight. Charles F. Perrett bought the machine
business that had been owned and operated by
Hubert Marquardson and changed the name to
Chuck's Farm Service.
The Mertz Garage is the oldest one-owner busi-
ness still in operation. It was started by Carl Mertz on
the Coutts Highway, 1935 as a garage, service station
and welding shop. Today it is operated by his son,
Alvin. They have made many friends during their
years of operation.
For years, Sam Oka operated a green house in
town. Bobby Zaugg built and operated a new garage
known as Stirling Motors. He now operates the fam-
ily farm. The garage has been rented to Keith Dixon
who operates it under the name of Auto Power.
Joseph Kajari built and operates a honey plant in
town.
Jerry and Bonnie Soltys built and operated a store
called Stirling Market Place. They sold it to Frail's
and it is now operated as Frail's Luncheon and Con-
fectionery.
W. Visser operates a chicken farm on the north-
east end of town. Stirling boasts an excellent taxi-
dermy shop owned and operated by Neil Courtice.
I am sure there are many who have had busi-
nesses in Stirling and district that have been missed
and have not been brought to our attention or we have
inadvertently overlooked them, for which we apolo-
gize.
Our town is growing. Many young couples have
moved in and are raising families. The town is
providing facilities to meet the demands of a growing
community. A new swimming pool has been built;
the school has a new addition and another is being
planned. Facilities are being prepared in hopes new
businesses will be starting up. Present Population
685.
On April 23, 1903, a group of emigrants arrived
from Mt. Pleasant, Utah. Included in the group was
the J. O. Meiling family. They bought the Samuel
Fawcett residence (the old teacherage and later the
library). They lived here for three years then moved
away. Their son, Owen now lives in California. He
has been back to Stirling several times.
Now with the writing of this history book, he has
written several letters full of information and memo-
ries, but hardly anything about his family.
He closes one of his letters with a thought that
should be shared by all.
"Memory oft-times escorts me back to Stirling,
back to the little town on the prairie, where I
relive mentally some the pleasures of the long,
long ago. Stirling still possesses her old time
charm and alluring features, heartily extending
her "Come on Home" welcome to me. These
characteristics have lured me back there repeat-
edly, an enduring influence that reminds me of
the following from ''Sir Thomas Moore's
Farewell . "
"Long, long, be my heart with such memories
filled,
Like a vase in which roses have once been
distilled,
You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you
will.
But the scent of the roses will hang round it
still. "
And so it is with Stirling. It is seventy-four
years since my residential connection there was
shattered, but there is still a "sweet fragrance"
clinging to the recollection of my three year
sojourn there.
We wish to thank Jack Hicken for making
his Thesis material available to us. Much of the
material in this section was taken from his
book, "Events Leading to the Settlement of the
Communities of Cardston, Magrath, Stirling,
and Raymond, Alberta."
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