Hopefully everyone is settling into March and getting ready for some spring weather. Another week, another Thursday so let's get right to it with another Thursday Tack and Tale from Stockmen's Memorial Foundation.
This week the story of the Mortimer brothers.
Two brothers by the names of Gerald and Victor Mortimer arrived in Cochrane from Yorkshire, England sometime between 1906 to 1909 - or at least this is when the two received grants for the land they would ultimately homestead on. Their brother, Edwin also came to Cochrane filing his grant for land in 1901. The brothers all purchased land adjacent to one another, one had the NE 1/4, one the SE 1/4, and the other the SW 1/4. Edwin eventually sold his quarter to Gerald in 1913 and moved on to bigger and better things, setting sights on beautiful British Columbia.
Cochrane is where Gerald and Victor would call home for many years to come. The two brothers were similar but different, like any siblings. Gerald preferred to take trips to town and take care of the business side of things while Victor much rather enjoyed staying home and handling the farm work. He was the more quiet one among the pair and far less known than his older counterpart.
The brothers ran a mixed farm operation but where more keen on the chicken front. Gerald often ran eggs to Cochrane and later shipped their eggs to Calgary. The two were said to be very well-read and well-educated men who always had time for a good discussion.
Gerald was known as an exceptional cook. His traits of being patient, precise and thorough translated to the kitchen and were reflected in his cooking. A quote Gerald could always be heard saying was "Good food well served, and good talk well seasoned."
At the time, the lack of educational opportunities for settlers' children was evident. Gerald decided to take this downfall into his own hands and became a strong force in forming the Weedon School District. He served as Secretary Treasurer on the School board for several years. He also went on to serve as a representative for division 5 when the Calgary School Division No. 41 was formed in 1938.
In 1946 the brothers decided to call it quits with farm life and head back to their native land to retire and spend the rest of their years. Before doing so, Gerald and Victor thought, why not see some of Canada. They drove to Banff and after being mesmerized by the mountainous plateaus they decided to continue their journey a little further with a train trip to Vancouver.
After arriving back in England, Gerald wrote a letter to his friend Harry Viney. It read "Six days following disembarking, I called on the lady with whom I have corresponded for forty years and visited once in that time. A fortnight later we were married."
Throughout his younger years spent in Cochrane, Gerald had a little lady with whom he had been writing to. Call her a pen pal, if you will. The couple had already spent most of their lives together through ink and after meeting when Gerald returned home to retire, they were married in just a mere two weeks. The finally met love would travel for several years around the continent, with no worry in the world other than enjoying each others company.
In the late 1950s, Gerald passed away. His brother, Victor wasn't too far behind him, passing a few years later. The brothers will forever be remembered in Cochrane for their contributions toward building education and their endless purchasing of strawberry jam from Andison's store.
To this day, Beaver Dam Creek flows through what is still known as Mortimer Coulee.
