Leona was born July 24th 1898 in Muncie, Indiana.
Ralph was born on December 27th 1891 in Brewster,
Kansas. Ralph was the son of William and Clara
(Shultz) Thompson, Leona the daughter of Charles
and Lola (Hunt) Jones.

Ralph, his father and brother Harlan came to Spring
Coulee in 1903 when he was twelve years old. They
came by train in a box car with belongings and two
horses. He said that there had been tremendous rains
that spring and there were ponds and lakes everywhere,
and that the grass was up to the horses bellies. There
were thousands of ducks. It had been dry in Brewster,
Kansas and in Nebraska where they had been farming,
and Alberta looked like paradise to them.

They had to unload the car at Lethbridge because there
was only a narrow gauge railway to Spring Coulee. It
was called the Alberta Railroad and Irrigation railway.

Ralph's mother taught the boys at home at first, and then
Harlan went to High River and Ralph boarded with the
King Family at Raymond, and with Rev. Chas. McKillop.
Then he too went to High River for one term, and then
to the Calgary Institute at Calgary. After graduating from
there he went to Stanford for one year, then to
Wisconsin University for one year, and to Cornell for
two years, but had to come home shortly before he
finished at Cornell to manage the farm at Spring Coulee.

Leona and Ralph were married December 25th 1918 in
Spokane, Washington and traveled to Ralph's home in
Spring Coulee, Alberta where they spent the first year in
the big Thompson house in the coulee a half mile west
of Spring Coulee. At this time, this was the ranch
headquarters. Farming was done with horses, and the
Thompson buildings in the coulee included two barns
and harness shed. Near the house there was a large
spring that supplied clear cold water. This spring gave
the town of Spring Coulee its name.

The Clara C. Thompson Company was composed of
eight farms, and after Harlan went to California,
Ralph managed Harlan's four farms, and the cattle
and sheep. Part of the farm adjoined the Mclntyre
Ranch but was sold.

In 1919 Ralph as farm manager went through the
toughest year in Alberta's early history. Crops were
a total loss and the following winter blizzards
took their toll of thousands of Southern Alberta cattle.

A son, (named after Ralph's father) was born to Ralph
and Leona, February 7th 1920. The years that followed
were busy ones for Ralph and Leona. Both were active in
church and school affairs. They also were active in
community and social activities. Their house became one
of the Sunday evening headquarters for socials. Guest
speakers were often invited from outside points. Leona
became an active member of, the Lethbridge Mathesis
Club and remained a member until her passing in 1991.
This club required that its members take turns reporting
papers each month on a variety of topics (history,
literature, art and music) to mention a few.

Ralph was secretary of the Spring Coulee School Distnct
for many years.. Both Ralph and Leona were active
schoolboard members over the years.

Ralph was president of the Magrath Lion's Club once
and one of the early members of the Magrath Hospital
Board, as well as a member of the Magrath Irrigation
Board.

Leona became interested in the young people of the
community and formed two church clubs. One for the
young girls (called the Sunshine Girls) and the other
for the young boys (called the White Knights). Both
clubs were a big success, and in later years members
often returned to visit Leona.

Ralph was a Sunday School teacher for eighteen years
and a chairman of the United Church and an elder. He
farmed until his death in December 1979 although he
lived in Lethbridge the last twelve years.

Leona died April 18, 1991 in Cardston.

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