As a follow up to my story in March covering the geological and archeological history of Cochrane, I became curious as to when the first man arrived here.
It is a general belief that man first arrived in North America from Asia and Siberia over a land bridge in the Bering Strait during periods of glaciation. Prehistoric man is believed to have made his way down to Alberta through an ice-free corridor via Alaska and the Yukon.
In the Cochrane area we have evidence of prehistoric man. Stone tools such as grooved mauls, stone axes and points have been found. Teepee rings, which are signs of human habitation, occur all along the Bow River as far west as Morley. Sites range from two or three teepee rings to more than 100. There were also teepee rings on the Gilbert Flats, which is now known as Cochrane Heights.
Archeologists have found a number of prehistoric sites along the Jumping Pound Creek and the Ghost-Morley area, such as buffalo jumps, teepee rings and camps. A 10,000-year-old point was found east of the Ghost River.
Prof. Brian O. K. Reeves, Ph.D., Department of Archeology, University of Alberta, states “The oldest site in Western Canada is the Taber Child site, which is more than 48,000 years old, The second oldest is Old Crow in the Yukon at about 28,000 years,” however some archeologists tend to disagree with him.
The first Whiteman to come to our area appears to be David Thompson (1770-1857), the great explorer and fur trader. On Nov. 17, 1800 he started out on an exploratory trip with five members in his party. He started out from Rocky Mountain House (established in 1799) and travelled south to the Bow River, at the present site of Calgary, then on to Highwood to visit two Pikenow camps; then travelled northwest where he crossed the Jumping Pound Creek on Nov. 28, 1800. On their return to Rocky Mountain House, they crossed the Ghost River, Beaupre Creek and Dog Pound Creek, reaching Rocky Mountain House again on Dec. 3, 1800. (Reference: Alberta Historical Society Review, Spring 1965)
The natives, whom David Thompson referred to as the Pikenow, were the Piegans, who were part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Old Bow Fort (or Piegan Post) was established by the Hudson’s Bay Company to encourage the fur trade of the southern regions. It was situated at the junction of the Bow River and Bow Fort Creek (Township 25-7-5).
Archeological excavations conducted by Prof. Paul Nesbitt, of the University of Calgary in 1970, revealed that Piegan Post was possibly first built in 1826, then abandoned and rebuilt again in 1833. It consisted of six buildings surrounded by a five-sided palisade with a lookout tower. It was occupied until early 1834. John E. Harriot was in charge.
The Stoney First Nation Peoples did not arrive in this area until about 1845. It is thought that the Mountain Crees preceded them by a few years, probably driving out the Piegans and some of the Kootenay tribe before them.
Our Stoney First Nation Peoples are a branch of the great Dakota or Siouan Confederacy. They are Assiniboines, of which Stoney is an English translation. Their name means “The people who cook with stones.” When the name was translated into English, it was shortened to Stone People and finally to Stoney.
In 1858 Dr. James Hector of the Palliser Expedition passed through the western perimeter of our area. He camped at the foot of Dream Hill. This is believed to be one of the more southerly Wildcat Hills, where he discovered seams of coal in the shale and sandstone banks of the Bow River. (This would have been around the mouth of Coal Creek).
In 1873 Rev. George and Rev. John McDougall arrived to build a mission at what was soon to become Morleyville. Andrew Sibbald came in 1875 to teach our First Nation Peoples and was the first schoolteacher in the west. Andrew Sibbald left the school in 1879 to establish a small sawmill for the McDougalls, thereby supplying the first lumber for buildings in Calgary.
The settlement at Morleyville provided the first small nucleus for the larger settlements that followed. In the early 1880s many people came to settle in this region. The Cochrane Ranche also began its operation during this time. Large-scale settlement became possible when the Canadian Pacific Railway came to Calgary and on through the Bow Valley and Kicking Horse Pass (instead of 200 miles north through the Yellowhead Pass, as some expected).
The towns of Cochrane and Midford came into being after the coming of the railroad. Morley ceased to be the focal point of so many activities as these new towns expanded their influence.
Our thanks go out to Sunni Turner for researching this segment of history and passing the information on to all of us in the Cochrane area. Once a teacher, always a great teacher!
