Traditional Cowboy Arts Ultimate Saddles
Fay Beierbach Cypress Hills Legacy
IAL o er FIC de id OF Ro Ins ro a P ad n Ca
Branding Time What Works For Us
Experience i t!
Vacation Guide » Must-See Sites of the West » Camargue Bulls & Horses
NEW SERIES
Cowboy Way
Training Cattle Training Cowboys PM# 40070720
APRIL/MAY 2019 • $5.95
Everett Baker
Marking Trails Plowed Under
28 COWBOY WAY
STOCKMANSHIP
Cattle moving slow and easy is the mark of good stock-handling skills. Dylan Biggs introduces Part 1 of his six-part series on training cattle and training cowboys. Photo courtesy TK Ranches
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Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2019
APRIL/MAY 2019 | VOLUME 22, NO. 6
On the Cover Trail riding through a meadow high in the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park highlights our Vacation Guide. Photo courtesy Travel Alberta
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THE WESTERNERS
Fay Beierbach Good cattle, good kids and fast horses in the Cypress Hills
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TRADITIONAL COWBOY ARTS
Making a Master An interview with master saddle makers Cary Schwarz and John Willemsma
26 TRAILBLAZERS
Everett Baker Everett Baker galvanized hundreds to mark the most telling trail in the Canadian West
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RANCHERS’ SPECIAL
What Works For Us Branding on B.C.’s Douglas Lake Ranch and Alberta’s Pierson Ranch
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cowboycountrymagazine.com
Vacation Guide Guest ranches, events and mustsee sights of Western Canada and beyond
The Lifeblood of Camargue The distinctive French bulls and horses are the jewels of the Camargue region
DEPARTMENTS 7 My Point of View 9 In the Corral 13 Western Art Review 14 Spirit of the West 16 Wheel to Wheel 18 Some Days Are Diamond 20 Reflections 47 Pro Rodeo Canada Insider 59 Clownin’ Around 62 Cowboy Poetry 5
CONTRIBUTORS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Phyllis Rathwell The Westeners: Fay Beierbach, page 22 Retired teacher, rancher and stillactive cowboy poet, Phyllis Rathwell, and her awesome hubby, Larry Miller, make their home at Elkwater, Alta.
Tom Reardon Trailblazers: Everett Baker, page 26 Tom Reardon is a retired pasture manager, having been with Sask. Ag for 25 years. He lives at Maple Creek and now day rides for several ranches.
Dylan Biggs Training Cattle: Part 1 of 6 Stockmanship, page 28 For over 20 years, Dylan has travelled extensively across North America sharing his knowledge of low stress cattle handling with producers through livestock handling demonstrations. Dylan, his wife Colleen and children run TK Ranches near Hanna, Alta.
Roger Job Vacation Guide: The Lifeblood of Camargue, page 40 The work of multi-award-winning photographer Roger Job has been published by Paris Match, Newsweek and National Geographic. He lives in Brussels, Belgium. museephoto.be.
Gaelle Henkens Vacation Guide: The Lifeblood of Camargue, page 40 The social documentary work of multi-award-winning photographer, Gaelle Henkens has appeared in Publication National Géographic and for the Special Olympics Belgium, 2014. She lives near Liege, Belgium. @gaelle_henkens.
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George McLean, far right
The Wild McLean’s You know how I’m always saying that everything in the West is connected? I received a call from 79-year-old retiree Shirley Ballum of Prince George, B.C., who called to correct the caption I had included on a photo I sourced out to use alongside Ken Favrholdt’s interesting Trailblazer article about John Clapperton (he arrested the McLean Gang). Turns out, Shirley is the great-great-granddaughter of Alex McLean, a half-brother to the outlaws. She also tells me she is “either a second or third cousin to the great cowboy, [1962 World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider] Kenny McLean.” In my incorrect caption, I had identified George McLean as the father of the outlaw boys. I made a mistake. As Ken had correctly pointed out in the article, HBC factor (and founder of Hat Creek Ranch) Donald McLean was the father of the outlaw boys. Why I missed that fact was beyond me. George McLean in the photo was a relative — but certainly not their father. George was the son of Allen McLean—the oldest outlaw. I apologize for the error (and it was definitely my error, not Ken’s), but I sure enjoyed my visit with Shirley, who also explained what prompted her to buy our magazine: “I saw Ian Tyson on the cover. He and Sylvia wrote “Four Rode By” about the McLean Gang [1964 Ian & Sylvia album, Northern Journey]. It’s quite the song. On the cover I also saw, “The Last Wild West Outlaw Gang in Canada,” and I knew right away that it was about the McLean’s.” Again, I apologize for the incorrect caption, but what an interesting visit we had—plus, I went and re-listened to “Four Rode By” — and was once again gobsmacked by how everything is connected in the West. —Terri Mason for Shirley Ballum, Prince George, B.C.
Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2019
IN THE CORRAL NEWS, VIEWS & HAPPENINGS FROM ACROSS THE CANADIAN WEST
PHOTO COURTESY KRIS KRUG
Grammy Nomination First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers of Hazelton, B.C., was nominated for a Grammy Award. Vickers, along with Doran Tyson and Lisa Glines was nominated for the presentation box he developed for the Grateful Dead presentation boxed set. Tyson and Glines work for Rhino Records, and they worked with Roy on the set. The trio were all nominated for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. Other nominations included Guns N’ Roses and “Weird Al” Yankovic boxed sets. At the ceremony in Los Angeles, Yankovic won the award. It was Vickers’ decision to house the collection in a replica bentwood box, a traditional item that was used as a treasure chest by First Nations people and played a key role in potlatch ceremonies. “In our culture, the potlatch is pre-eminent,” said Vickers, in a previous interview. “And in the beginning of the potlatch, it’s
all about honouring the dead. Those who have gone before, the ancestors, they are the grateful dead…” “When I did the work for the Grateful Dead, it was a threeyear project, and when the presentation box came out, I thought that it was one of the highlights of my entire life as an artist,” Vickers said. Vickers, a member of the Order of Canada, has enjoyed a long and successful career (44 years and counting), which has garnered the artist international acclaim. Collectors are gobsmacked to discover that in the cowboy world, he graciously creates the Kispiox Rodeo poster each year from his Roy Henry Vickers Gallery in Tofino, B.C. From left: Chief Ted Walkus, hereditary chief of Wuikinuxv Nation in Rivers Inlet, B.C., Doran Tyson, Lisa Glines and Roy Henry Vickers on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards.
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PHOTO COURTESY STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ STEVE OEHLENSCHLAGER
REFLECTIONS | BRYN THIESSEN
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Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2019
You Can Tell a Lot About a Man by Looking at His Cattle You Just Can’t Tell a Man a Lot About His Cattle As I’m writing these words, the purebred guys are in their second cycle of calves, the farmers are starting to calve, and by the time these words are being read, the ranchers will be prowling pastures in search of newborn calves. The one thing they all have in common is a belief that what they’re raising and how they’re doing it is what works the best for them. As the days roll on, the branding season will begin, and as neighbours gather, the calves will be processed both physically on that day but also mentally, as they’re compared to other herds and other years. Everyone will tell you that your calves look good, and you might even agree. Being wise, what they won’t tell you are their personal preferences. I’ve known folks who went to raising Salers because they were quieter than the Tarentaise they started out with. I rode for an outfit that had a Charolais bull so large he couldn’t naturally breed a cow, so they used artificial insemination, which was good because the cows got used to the chute and walked right in when it was time for their caesarean (I was wise enough to not be there for calving). My personal favourite was an article I heard of in a local paper. The producer (a Simmental breeder) had designed a hot box that he could haul in his trailer to bring a newborn calf home from the vet clinic after having a side delivery (C-section). The best part? He was hoping to sell bulls but noticed none of his neighbours seemed too interested. Other folks like me are trying for a lower maintenance and, therefore, maybe a lower value cow herd, and make up the difference by enjoying what we do. In all these scenarios, your mind can draw the pictures of how the cattle look, but if you saw the producers at their
branding, you’d show respect and say, “Your calves look good.” If we set out to tighten the fence around my opening statement, the wires may sing like this. One of our greatest freedoms is the right to choose. Add to this respect, and the wires are a little tighter. Because we value both of these for ourselves, we also extend them to others. Some folks will ask what we think of their cows (advice or opinion) and will receive it. If they’re in need of help, others will step in and lighten the load, but there’s still the expectancy that you’ll saddle your own horse and fix your own fence. If we trot back to our first pasture, we find where these freedoms come from. Back in the first three chapters of Genesis, we see where they took root. After God created Adam and Eve, He showed them respect by giving them the ability to choose. All they had to do was be with Him and look after everything. His only “fence” was around two trees — the knowledge of right and wrong, and the ability to live forever. Because we could choose, and maybe because we didn’t know better, we chose wrongly. As a result, we got moved off the range God intended for us, but He never left us. Throughout our history, He allowed us our right to choose. Knowing what it cost us, it cost Him even more. We know how much it cost Him as we ponder on the meaning of Easter. I best understand it from Romans 5:8: “Even though you couldn’t saddle your own horse or fix your own fence, Christ gave his life for you, respecting your right to choose.” (My words). So maybe you still won’t let others say much about your cows, but I hope you’ll let God say something in your life. c
Bryn Thiessen is a rancher, poet, cowboy and preacher at Cowboy Trail Church in Cochrane. Bryn and his wife Bonny market grass-fattened beef from their Helmer Creek Ranch southwest of Sundre, Alta.
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Welcome   to the West
There are living cultures to experience in the Canadian West. The Indigenous cultures of the West Coast of B.C. have a thriving culture of potlatches, totem poles and unique art. The culture of the Plains First Nations shares its unique customs through award-winning centres and sought-after arts. The ranching culture, while not as old, has traditions of hospitality. What all of these cultures share is a deep pride in who they are — deep in the Canadian West. 32
Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2019
PHOTO COURTESY GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA
Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, Alta.
CULTURAL CENTRES
First Nations Culture T
‘Ksan Historical Village and Museum Hazelton, B.C. Stunning structures, artifacts and ancient culture at ‘Ksan Historical Village. ksan.org
Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump Fort Macleod, Alta. This multi-award-winning World Heritage Site explores the buffalo hunting culture. headsmashedin.ca
Haida Heritage Centre at Kay - Llnagaay Haida Gwaii, B.C. Multi-award-winning centre features the ancient Haida culture of Haida Gwaii. haidaheritagecentre.com
Métis Crossing Smoky Lake, Alta. Métis Crossing is the first major Métis cultural interpretive centre in Alberta. metiscrossing.org
he ancient Aboriginal cultures of the plains and mountains in Canada celebrate their traditions with a wealth of festivals and multi-awardwinning cultural centres.
Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre 1000 Rancher Creek Road Osoyoos, B.C. The fascinating stories of Canada’s only desert and the rich culture of the Okanagan First Nations people. nkmipdesert.com
Wanuskewin Heritage Park Saskatoon, Sask. Multi-award-winning cultural centre featuring the historical and contemporary Indigenous culture. wanuskewin.com
FESTIVALS
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre 4584 Blackcomb Way Whistler, B.C. Multi-award-winning cultural centre celebrating the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations. slcc.ca
14th Annual Manito Ahbee Festival May 15–19 Various locations. Winnipeg, Man. Celebrating Indigenous arts, culture and music in Winnipeg. manitoahbee.com Calgary Stampede July 5–14 Elbow River Camp, Calgary, Alta. The full camp set in peaceful surroundings offers a fascinating immersive culture and a powwow competition. calgarystampede.com
Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre Hwy #11 between Prince Albert and Saskatoon, Sask. Features the Willow Cree First Nation, Métis and Pioneer cultures, stories and artifacts. ducklakemuseum.com
Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park South of Cluny, Alta. (well-marked signage). World-renowned cultural centre features the Siksika Nation Peoples’ culture and traditions. blackfootcrossing.ca
PHOTO COURTESY ABORIGINALBC.COM
31st Squamish Nation Youth Powwow July 12–14 2019, 100 Mathias Road West Vancouver. B.C. A powwow celebrating the First Nations youth. indigenousbc.com Annual Kamloopa Powwow August long weekend Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Powwow Grounds, Kamloops, B.C. Popular and exciting powwow and dancing competition. tourismkamloops.com Thundering Hills Powwow Aug 27–29 Maple Creek, Sask. Powwow dance competition and celebration. maplecreek.ca cowboycountrymagazine.com
Haida cultural tours, Haida Gwaii
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