Hells Half Acre Oilfield Society - History

JOCK YOUNG FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:51:18 -0400

by Jo Young and Carol Tucker

In 1905 John Michie Young, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland and his wife (the former Marie Joel who was born in Switzerland) with their infant daughter Rosalie, came to the Turner Valley area where they took up residence on a homestead. They lived in and around Turner Valley until 1916. At one time they resided on a homestead on the south side of Sheep River near the Forest Reserve. In 1906 Maurice Albert Michie (Jock) Young was born near the Big Rock. He was the second of six children to John and Marie. They came to know residence of the area at that time including the Bob Price, Dan Pierce, Starling and Walt Renard families. In 1916 they moved to the Scotfield and Youngstown district and later back to the Westfield Beach, N.B. Maurice was the only one to return to Alberta. The remaining living members of his family all reside in upper New York State.

MAX AND IRENE ZACK AND FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:52:40 -0400

by Max Zack

Max and Irene bought out Mrs. Finlay (Eva) Ross's business in Black Diamond in the latter part of 1929. Mrs. Ross was also the Post Mistress. The post office did not go with the store, so Max ran the store and boarded the Ross' until they got other accommodation. When they moved out Mrs. Zack and their baby daughter, Miriam, joined Max from Calgary. The store was a two-story house that they rented from Mrs. Hovis. The front of the house was the store, the back was the kitchen and the upstairs was the living quarters. They had to take a window out to haul their furniture in.

ALFRED AND BETSY YEA

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:53:36 -0400

Alf Yea, who was born in Newton, Abbott, England in 1888, met a Scottish lass, Betsy Patulla (born 1886, Iverkeillor, Scotland) in Calgary and married her there in 1909. They moved to Turner Valley from a farm in Airdrie in 1929.

(ANDY) ANDREW WILLIAM YAROMY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:54:33 -0400

Andy was born near Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, in 1918. His family moved to Alberta in 1929 to a homestead north of Athabasca. In 1935, He moved to Turner Valley with his dad. Andy worked for Hector's Machine Shop, doing tool dressing and pipe line work. During 1936-37, he worked with Okalta Oil, with Bill and Harold Herron, rigging up a cable tool rig along the Highwood River. They drilled the first few thousand feet cable tool, then modernizing the rig to rotary. Under the management of Ernie Latham, it was completed.

JOE RIVERS WYATT

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:55:44 -0400

Joe Rivers Wyatt was born in Derbyshire county, England in 1866 on rented land owned by Lord Howard. His father was also game keeper and then when the senior Wyatt passed on Joe took over the farm and also the job of game keeper. They ran a dairy farm and sheep on the Moors. In 1902 Joe Wyatt came to Canada and landed in Winnipeg early in the spring and took a job with William Martin of St. Jean Baptiste just south of Winnipeg, where he was to look after a registered Galloway herd of cattle. He got a number of them ready for show and in the summer of 1904 showed them at the Canadian National Exhibition in Winnipeg, where they took grand champion female and first place Galloway Bull. While at the Exhibition Joe took typhoid fever due to the very poor quality of water at the show. Just shortly after the show Jessie Booth, the girl that was to be his wife landed in Winnipeg and found no Joe to meet her but Mr. Martin was there to get her and took her to the farm. They were married a few days later while Joe was still in bed, too weak to get out to go to his own wedding. Jessie nursed him back to health and then they made the trip to Alberta.

NORMAN WRIGHT AND FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:56:39 -0400

By Mrs. Emma C. Wright

In March 1929 my husband Norman, myself and two boys lived near a small village by the name of Bittern Lake, Alberta. The work was scarce around there. So when we heard that the oil field in Turner Valley was going to open up we decided to give it a try. On March 24th Norman packed and took off for Turner Valley. When he got there he found that work was scarce there also. In order to save what little money he had, he would go to the boiler house at night and sleep under the boiler, with the consent of the fireman. Later on the woman that was keeping a boarding house in the Log Cabin, needed some carpeting done. She asked Norman to come and do it. At the same time some work needed doing on Doctor Kenny's house so he go some work there also.

PERCY WRAY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:57:31 -0400

Percy and his wife Edythe came to Turner Valley in August 1929 from Rowley, Alberta, where Percy had managed a lumber yard for five years. Percy came to Turner Valley to run a yard for McFarland Lumber Yards Limited but only stayed with them for a short time after which he started writing insurance. As this time there were six or seven other local agents, so the pickings were to say the least very meager.

CHARLIE WOO FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:58:26 -0400

I was born in Canton Province in China and my father brought me to Canada in 1918 when I was only fourteen. We were at sea, half way between Hong Kong and Victoria when the first war ended. At that time it cost every Chinese man a $500.00 'Head Tax' to enter Canada. I still think the Canadian Government owes me that $500.00 and sixty years of compound interest too.

THE WOLD FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:59:25 -0400

by Mrs. Wold

John Wold born in the Stananger district on Norway in 1897. He came to Canada first in 1914, along with Edward Haarr, a school chum. They arrived in Lethbridge and went to work that summer for a farmer, Lousi Larson, near Coaldale Alberta. The next years they worked for C.S. Noble (for whom the town of Nobleford is named.) They tried farming near Coaldale for a few years, and after a visit to Norway, John went to work for Lord Angelsay on an oil well near Dewinton, for a year, then the "rig" was shipped back to Spokane. John came to Turner Valley in the spring of 1927 and worked for Bill Foran on roads along with Edd Haarr. Edd had a shack in Turner Valley and John was rooming over the Chinese restaurant and getting his meals with Edd and Etta. John was working "derrick man" for Floyd Welker, on Maylon No.1 and Johnnie Visser was working "Cat Head". John stayed with Royalite for several years. He worked on Mayland No.4. He was now rooming at the Royalite camp and getting meals there. John then worked with the Royalite road crews, building a road south of Hartell, to the old Mercury Plant. He then went back on the rigs and worked Mayland No.5 and several others.

CLARENCE T. WILTSE AND FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:00:23 -0400

Clarence Tracy Wiltse emigrated at the age of seven with his family from Iowa, U.S. to the Forestburg area. They farmed, in the days of sod huts and oxen pulled plows, with many a merry tale told later on later at his round table in Royalties to his own family. When World War 1 broke out Clarence joined the Army and went overseas. On his return he lived in Fraser Valley, B.C. and drove steam engines for lumber companies. While there he met a pretty young belle named Myrtle Irene Grieve, whose folks were from New Brunswick. Myrtle was born in Courtney, B.C. later moving to the Fraser Valley where she was Head Tester for the Government Milk Association.

HOWARD WILSON AND FAMILY

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:03:10 -0400

Before the turn of the century Howard Wilson was born in a logging town called Menominee, Michigan. When he was five years old and the year was 1900, the family headed west and wound up in Langdon, Alta., where they took up farming. Howard stuck it out till 1914 and then enrolled in Mount Royal College in Calgary. He was a very athletic person and won a good number of medals in sports while there. Then the war broke out and he joined the air force. Well he returned safely when the war was ended and when primed a little would tell some pretty good yarns of his flying days, the love for flying the old Jenny's and the Sopwith Camels. He always told of the fun times and never talked of the hideousness of the war. It is hard to trace what filled his years after the war and in between his marriage but to be sure they were quite interesting. It is written in another history book that (quote) 'He was quite a dandy.'

PERCY WILLIS

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:04:01 -0400

Percy Willis was born in Bowden, Alberta in 1907. The family moved to Crossfield where he completed his education. During the oil boom of 1929, he went to Turner Valley with Colin Campbell who operated a men's wear and Soloway Mills Brokerage Firm. Later, Percy operated a Men's Wear Store and Locker Plant in partnership with his brother-in-law, Jim McLeod. In 1955, he moved to Calgary and operated a western store, Willis' Trail Wear, on Macleod Trail.

Mr. J.A. "Bert" Williams

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:05:01 -0400

by Don Thomson

Mr. Williams was a congenial bachelor who lived on several places in the area, including the Pexie place north of Black Diamond, the Fisher place east of Black Diamond and the Middleton place which is where K.B. Thomson ranch is now. When Mr. Williams lived on the Fisher place, he bought the old United Church which was on the McGregor place south of Black Diamond, and moved it down to use as his house.

DAD WILLIAMS

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:05:58 -0400

by Melvina Briggs

One day Dad Williams was on his route peddling water. He turned the corner too sharp on the top of Indian Road which is the road which goes by the Forestry buildings. His wagon capsized pinning old Dad underneath. Old Dad's language was always colourful, but he really outdid himself cursing 'Barney and Ned' as he lay trapped. We neighbour ladies quickly gathered 'round'. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Bennett lived on the corner. Theirs was one of the few places with a telephone. Mrs. Bennett phoned for the doctor.

EDGAR DEWEY WILLFORD

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:06:52 -0400

by Hugh E. Willford

Edgar Dewey Willford, my father, came from Gering, Nebraska, with his mother and father, in October of 1899, at the age of three years. Grandad (John) Willford, homesteaded south of Black Diamond, on the West side of Highway No. 7, at the bottom of Home Hill. Dad attended Glenmede School, where Mrs. Carl Ohlson was his teacher.