Category: Western Music and Poetry Event

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter May 2025 Edition

Howdy Y’All !!!

Creativity abounds in this month’s newsletter. It can cause a big wave, or it can make a little ripple. In any case, the act of bringing something into existence makes a difference, in a few people, an entire country or even can affect folks worldwide. Gena LaCoste’s early painting and drawings brought joy to her family, whereas folks from much further afield are presently reveling in her images of the West. The internet is world wide, so her blog and insightful commentaries connect folks to our part of the country.

Sometimes it’s the search for the solution to a problem that spurs innovation, as was the case with barbed wire. An invention may stay in your own backyard making life easier with a gate latch Ol’ Nellie can’t open or a fence that’ll keep the milk cows out of the garden. The neighbors were the first to benefit from the initial barbed wire invention, but it wasn’t long before the entire continent was using it. The barbed wire story is a perfect example of how a so-called invention often “piggy-backs” off someone else’s new idea. (The same holds true for many poems and songs.) Barbed wire was continually adapted to fit the needs presented, even in war.

We’re thankful for museums that incorporate novel ways of keeping history alive. Even the barbwire buffalo symbolizes the past. Creative inventions (especially since the internet) have a way of connecting us to each other, our continent and the world through the stories and images (past and present) about our part of the country.

Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event — You Don’t Want to Miss it!

Western Music, Storytelling and Cowboy Poetry
-it’s on Friday, September 26th and again on September 27th
-it’s two days with 15 afternoon performers

-it’s Hugh McClennan (and his Spirit of the West Band) on Saturday Night, highly acclaimed as giving a top notch performance.

Hugh is a working cowboy from the Kamloops area who does it all: he tells stories, sings, writes poetry & has been a radio broadcaster for over 30 years:

Dee Butterfield Video Launch

-was on Friday, April 18th at Ponoka
-was at the Calnash Ag Event Centre, Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Museum
-was hosted by the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame Board

Dee Butterfield at the documentary screening, April 2025 Photo courtesy of Cheryl Dust

At the evening event, folks from near and far were in attendance to honor the hometown celebrity, Dee Butterfield. Chance, the MC, summarized the many accomplishments of his mom: as a fierce competitor, as a passionate horsewoman and as a dedicated teacher. “Some of you have been mentored by her, ridden beside her and/or benefitted from the doors she worked so hard to open for others in the sport of rodeo.” The audience has suggested that MHCP promote this documentary through other media, therefore the Producer and Director will be looking at this.

Attendees enjoying the video launch. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Dust

The museum was open for folks to meander around the peeled-log, glass-enclosed cases displaying bronze/trophy awards and interesting paraphernalia belonging to Hall of Famers. Additionally, the walls are lined with their photos, painted rodeo murals grace aloft wall surfaces, there are rows of trophy saddles on a rail and dotting the area are interesting items like a well-worn barrel once used by a rodeo clown/bull fighter. Since 1981 they’ve honored outstanding rodeo athletes: men, horses, rodeo stock and women (15 women inducted so far).

We said it in last month’s edition of Keeping You In The Loop but we’ll say it again: this project was made possible by the talent and grit of some amazing volunteers (Eda Lishman and Nives Lever of Fetecine Filosophy, Don Kletcke, Cheryl Dust to name just a few), funding from the Alberta Heritage Grant. And of course, special thanks to Dee and her family!

Homegrown Tribute

Gena LaCoste

Gena LaCoste, a world class artist from Medicine Hat, Alberta, specializes in watercolors and oil paintings that depict the contemporary culture of the West. She was born and raised into a ranching family in southern Alberta. The rural lifestyle influenced who she is and how she interprets the world around her. Her large body of work is being exhibited and sells extensively in Canada and the U.S.

Gena has been an artist from the time she was a preschooler, trying to draw and paint everything around her; and that hasn’t changed. She is grateful for all who have contributed to her international success. Her family and friends have always been generous with their encouragement and support, Though she is basically self-taught, fabulous artists have graciously mentored and instructed her over the years. Much of what she knows, she also learned by teaching; she taught watercolor painting for many years. A lot of her best ideas came from interactions with her students during her private and workshop sessions. She is always ready try new techniques, openly sharing experiments on her blog e.g. a twig dipped in ink, certain brushes, limited colors, etc.

Gena has always been fascinated with watercolor, and spent more than 20 years exploring ways to interpret the subjects around her through the tricky and challenging medium. In 2014 she began to seriously try her hand at oil painting. She saw a need to develop strong drawing skills to bring her subjects to life. She depicts an extensive variety of subjects: natural prairie landscapes, wild animals, ranching and rodeo life and so much more. Horses are her favorite.

Gena has dedicated her life to practicing her skills, steadily painting in her home studio. A number of years ago she decided to do a painting every day for a year and post each day’s work on her blog. That became something of an addiction so she continued the practice for another four years (while also producing larger scale works). In the five-year span she produced and posted over 1400 small watercolors on her blog, “A Gena-a-Day Artist’s Blog”. Enjoy the commentary she gives each piece, as well as the title that gives each work of art special meaning: What a gift as she openly shares her insight, her activities and the source of inspiration! She is generous with her art for fund-raisers and non-profit organizations, including Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry in which her art graces the cover of three published books. She continues to post her art, the most recent (April, 2025) being the pink moon, nature’s phenomenon.

Hatching Ducks,

An upcoming story.

The Invention of Barbed Wire

Pioneer farmers on the plains needed to protect their crops. Wooden rail and stone fences were tried but materials were too scarce, too expensive and/or too laborious to construct.

Necessity Breeds Invention. DeKalb, Illinois,1873

Michael Kelly
In 1863 he developed a type of fence with points affixed to twisted strands of wire. Had it been promoted, he would have been hailed the Father of Barbed Wire. It was 10 years later that another inventor filed a patent.

Henry Rose
He was a farmer with a breachy cow, so he made a curious contraption to control her. He entered a sample in the local fair: a wooden rail (to attach to an existing rail) with short wire points to “prick’ an animal when it came in contact. It would not have been noteworthy except that three men who attended the fair that day would piggy-back on his idea, Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood and Jacob Haish. They would attach the prongs onto a wire.

Joseph Glidden
He was a farmer (and a banker, businessman and served as Sheriff). Like many farmers, he needed a barricade to keep out stray animals. He applied barbs to the smooth fence wire that was commonly used at the time. But the twisted wire pieces gradually slid so he used the kitchen coffee grinder to crimp the barbs so they’d stay in place. Then with the use of an old grindstone, he wrapped a second wire around the first. He tested it around his barnyard and his wife, Lucinda’s garden. Neighboring farmers stopped by to see and soon Glidden was producing and selling barbed wire.

Isaac Ellwood
He was a hardware merchant whose customers were farmers that needed improved fencing. He also tinkered with the use of barbs and fencing, but had no success. He heard about Glidden’s fence. The story goes that Ellwood and his wife took a buggy ride to Glidden’s farm one Sunday afternoon. When Ellwood’s wife saw the invention, she commented how Glidden’s invention was far superior to anything her husband had created. Ellwood was apparently enraged, but only one day later he came back, and the two men went into business together forming the Barb Fence Company.

Jacob Haish
As a lumber businessman, he knew firsthand from his customers about the need for suitable fencing material. He developed a barbed wire similar to Glidden’s, but upon seeing Glidden’s fence, he realized the inferiority of his own. Haish improved his own fencing invention and applied for a patent, even though Glidden had already done so in 1873. Thus began a patent battle in the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1870’s and 1880’s.

Barbed Wire Creates Controversy

The plain wire companies down east took notice of this new invention. The Washburn and Moen Company of Massachusetts travelled to DeKalb where both Haish and the Barb Fence Company were doing a brisk business. They failed to negotiate with Haish, but in 1876 Glidden with the Barbed Fence Company was eager to sell (and receive royalties), while Ellwood was eager to incorporate. The Ellwood, Washburn and Moen company bought the rights to many of the existing patents and had a near monopoly of the barbed wire market.

There were competitors who challenged its dominance. The simplicity of the barbed wire had “moonshiners” operating all over the countryside without a license or patent. In 1880 Jacob Haish’s famous ‘S’ Barb was judged to be an infringement on patents, as were all other illegal producers by 1892. The Washburn & Moen and Ellwood Co. possessed a monopoly on the barbed wire industry.

Texans were generally skeptical about fencing for their wild Longhorn cattle. Plus they feared the seemingly cruel nature of the contraption. John Gates developed the idea of demonstrations to sell their product. The story goes that a rancher claimed that Ol’ Jim, a neighbor’s bull, could go through anything. He reckoned that bull would not stop for barbed wire. Gates attempted to prove him wrong. He also built a barb wire enclosure in downtown San Antonio to demonstrate how it could hold in the wildest Longhorns. Whether he was successful must be questioned, but his advertising skills certainly promoted the sales of barbed wire as it spread through the West.

There was also conflict and controversy between the cowmen and the so called “nesters”. The ranchers had nowhere left to “free graze” or to herd their cattle on long cattle drives. At first the cattlemen cut the ‘Devil’s rope’ to make a path across private property for the herd, sparking the infamous era of the “range wars”. But by the early 1900’s, ranching had changed and ranchers were themselves using barbed wire to contain their cattle.

Note: In actuality, before 1873, many similar inventions existed in the U.S. and in other countries. Alternate sources also state that numerous inventors received patents for their variations on the basic barb wire design. Between 1868 and 1874 the U.S. government issued over 500 patents.

Source: McCallum, Henry & Francis, The Wire that Fenced the West, (University of Oklahoma Press ), 1965
The author, an oil geologist, wrote the book because collecting barbed wire was his hobby. When he was inspecting in the field, he noticed a variety of barbs on the fences. From taking samples home, his collection grew to more than a hundred different kinds.

Barb Wire Museum

The Kansas Museum at LaCrosse serves to preserve barbed wire history. It displays the varieties of barbed wire as well as tools and equipment once used in fencing. There are 530 patents for barbed wire and 2500 types of barbed wire including the homemade and bootlegged ones (those unlawfully produced). Other displays include a collection of liniments in bottles and tins to cure cuts and injuries to man or beast from barbed wire. Showmen would have travelled around the countryside selling these. One exhibit is the original piece of Henry Rose’s Wooden Rail. Visitors can watch the making of barbed wire using a coffee mill, a grindstone and farmer ingenuity (Joseph Glidden’s). Activities include a Barbed Wire Splicing Contest -who can do the tightest splice in the shortest time. It doesn’t matter how it looks as long as it will support a 75 lb. weight. There are also dioramas, educational films and there’s a research library.

Originally barbed wire was a means of keeping animals apart, now it brings people together with their once a year show in early May. (Other states also have such shows.) That’s where wire collectors can share information, add to their collection, keep in contact and of course, display their personal collections The specifications for collectors is a barbed wire 18” long, with barbs evenly spaced from each end and no broken or missing barbs. Beginners can pay a few cents to a few dollars for a sample and starter sets are under $25. Less common samples can be much more costly.

Railroads and Barbed Wire
Like in Canada, Governments in the U.S. also granted railroads massive amounts of land. These right-of-ways ran across land previously reserved for grazing livestock. Legal disputes often arose when livestock was injured or killed. As well it caused equipment damage and risked passenger safety. So it was that railroad crews erected hundreds of miles of barbed wire along their tracks.

This didn’t totally solve the problem though. More than a few dishonest farmers or ranchers must have removed this wire for their own use because railroad crews couldn’t keep up with repairs. Legend has it that Isaac Ellwood created a unique wire exclusively for railroad use -one or more square strands woven among one or more traditional ones. Thus wire unlawfully acquired could be detected. That’s how The Barb Fence Company became suppliers for railroad fencing.

Barbed Wire Goes to War
Although barbed wire was initially invented as a deterrent for livestock, it was quickly modified for use against humans during the first World War. Rolls of concertina wire were stretched like a spring over miles of hillsides and ravines. Anyone who tried to cross over, under or through was inflicted with painful wounds. The strength and elasticity of the twisted wire would hopelessly entangle vehicles and equipment.

Source: www.RushCounty.org/BarbedWireMuseum

Upcoming: History of the Gang Ranch

Located in Williams Lake area of British Columbia, Gang Ranch was once the biggest ranch on the continent, even bigger than the King Ranch in Texas. It has a storied history which includes having been owned and managed by an entire family, who each abandoned their thriving businesses in Alberta and Saskatchewan to live and work on this remote ranch.

Fenced pastures on the Gang Ranch are not needed. They make use of natural boundaries such as deep canyons and rivers to keep the cattle on ranch property.

Barbed Wire Buffalo

This statue is located in Wallace, Kansas where “Do not climb” signs are unnecessary. There IS a sign made of wire that says: “Don’t Fence Me In”

Post Turtle

With the air thick with election news and political views, it’s only right to get a cowboy’s take on it all. The gist of the story is from a joke I was given.

A doctor was a-stitching the rough-looking hand
Of a guy with a dirty battered hat,
The gashes were a bull-rider's work-related wounds.
To distract his patient, Doc proceeds to chat.

The role of our leaders was a topic they discussed,
The cowboy said, “From my point of view”
They are just post turtles, they are nothing more,
What that is? Well, I'm a-tellin' you.

When you're in the country driving down a dusty road
And you come across a fence and corner post
With a turtle that is trying hard to balance on the top,
That's describes a politician most.

You know it's not for him to get there all by himself,
He really don't belong a-way up there,
'Cause how can he accomplish all his lofty-minded goals,
Not grounded and his nose is in the air.

Then don't it make you wonder how he got there on that post,
Who the heck the stupid mortals was,
Makes one hope the politician that we voted for
Is down-to-earth and works for our cause.

-composed by Jen Zollner

Cowboy Comparisons

  • a voice as sharp as a barb wire fence
  • a fence that’s as straight as an arrow
  • deaf as a fence post
  • looking at me like a cow at a new fence
  • hotter than the hinges on the gates of Hell
  • mad enough he could eat barbed wire and spit nails

Another Poem by Hugh McLennan

Before you mosey on down the trail, take a moment to enjoy one more sample of the outstanding cowboy poetry from our September event headliner, Hugh McLennan.

Western Wisdom

If there’s a hole in your story or your fence, something you rather did not get out, will.
A horse ain’t being polite when he comes to a fence and lets you go over first

Happy Trails,
Jen

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter April 2025 Edition

Howdy!

Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry is all about making connections. It’s a way for Western entertainers (many live wide distances apart) to visit with each other at our annual event (this year September 26th and 27th). Their poems and songs help the audience be aware of the Western way of life and helps those with a rural background compare it to their experiences. City folk can get a taste of happenings on the ranch. Everybody has a story, and it’s through stories that we get to understand and relate to each other better.

Recently our reach has been to folks further afield. A friend from Regina connected us with Bob Ruschiensky. He has recently become a prolific poet, shared his excitement about publishing and shared many of his poems (every few days sends a new one), including the one to end this newsletter. Brian Tremblay from Ontario saw our website and asked for Full membership status (doesn’t want an Associate Member, yes, he wants to be at our AGM via Zoom). It’s always good to chat with Garnet and Marion Stacey from Cranbrook, BC. They feel Alberta Tourism should be doing much more to promote Cowboy Poetry. Invariably they attend our annual event. I wondered how to get in touch with two entertainers that performed at last year’s Open Mic. A cold call to Empress Town Office got me in touch with a talented young lady, Emma Roudeux. I mentioned Delbert Pratt’s name to Nancy (in our Suds in the Bucket Band), she gave my number and he called that very night. (He’s from Esther, NE of Oyen.) Both will be afternoon performers at our event. The Taber ‘Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Round-Up’ gave us a chance to meet-up. The enthusiasm all of these folks have for our Cowboy Poetry genre is contagious.

The purpose of our newsletter is to ‘Keep You in the Loop’. There are a number of our members/volunteers who struggle with technology. Any of us ‘older ones’ know about that all too well. In fact some don’t have internet, and keeping them ‘in the know’ is important, so we’ve been making paper copies for them. Telephone calls have also been a great way to ‘visit’. Technology is a two-sided coin. In this world of texting and Facebook etc. it is ever more important to be physically present to each other, even if it means using Zoom etc.

Dee Butterfield Documentary Screening

MHCP in partnership with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame is pleased to announce our first of our “Women in Rodeo” series, a documentary of Dee Butterfield. Public screening is April 18, 2025 in Ponoka, AB.

Every film starts with a story and Dee Butterfield gave us an inspiring story while sharing her rodeo journey. This is the first documentary produced by Cheryl Dust under the mentorship of Director, Eda Lishman. Eda has produced The Hounds of Notre Dame, The Wild Pony and directed Primo Baby and The World of Horses series with John Scott to name a few of her projects. Eda and her producing partner and sister, Nives Lever, operate Fetecine Filosophy where they create, develop and produce theatrical and television drama. Nives and her husband Barry Harvey donated the use of their home for Eda and Cheryl to edit this documentary. Peter Kennedy Smith, Eda’s partner and retired Hollywood cameraman, mentored Cheryl and assisted with the capture of the footage for this project. Don Kletke, Encore Recording, composed the music and donated the use of his song. This all started with a research grant from the Alberta Heritage Foundation to research the 15 women inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in which Jen Zollner continues to conduct the research.

Thank you to all at Fetecine Filosophy for donating all of your time and providing a location to edit. Don Kletke, thank you for donating your time and musical talent! And big thanks to MHCP’s own videographer, Cheryl Dust, for countless hours of volunteer time and steadfast dedication to bring this project to life.

Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event

Save the Date!!!

Friday, September 26th and Saturday, September 27th for 2 full days.

Friday, at 12-noon
-a dozen or so entertainers at the Meadowlark Village Club House


Friday, at 7:00pm
-Open Mic at the Moose


Saturday, at 12-noon
-a dozen or so entertainers at the MH College Theatre

Saturday, at 7:00pm
-our headliners: Hugh McLennan and his Spirit of the West Band and Charlie Ewing and his daughter, Lonnie

Click on the link below to hear Hugh McLennan’s song and the incredible backup accompaniment from Jim McLennan and Mike Dygert.

On his March 22 weekly program, Hugh McLennan sang, “Fence Building Blues”, the perfect addend to the barb wire theme in our recent newsletters. Each week he has interviews, ranch news and incredible music choices. Hear this week’s program on the internet:

Love Story

Easter is its own love story, sacrificing His life for us and giving us hope for a life hereafter. The recent death of Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, brings their love story into the news, married for nearly 60 years. Staying out of the public eye was his nature. He was a businessman and owner of an asphalt paving business in Nashville.

Their love story began when Dolly was 18 years old. ‘I met him outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day I moved to Nashville. I was surprised and delighted when he looked at my face (a rare thing for me)’. They got married 2 years later in a small country church. Though they didn’t have children of their own, they raised several of Dolly’s younger siblings as their own providing for them when her parents and other relatives were unable to.

-from cowgirlmagazine.com

Note: Here’s where Country Music and Western Music meet. Many of Dolly Parton’s songs tell a story, and when performing, she gives a preamble to her songs which adds to their meaning.

The Library Corral

The Incredible Gang Ranch
by Dale Alsager, 1990
NF 636.201 ALS
The Gang Ranch, The Real Story
by Judy Alsager, 1994
NF 636.2 ALS

The Gang Ranch was once Canada’s oldest cattle ranch; in fact it was the largest in the world (located in the Williams Lake area of B.C.). The story is told by two members of the Alsager family who owned the ranch from 1978 to 1982, then spent the next 10 years battling courts. Dale has his side of the story in the 1990 book he published; his sister’s rebuke is “The Real Story” in the book shown below. It tells how members of the Alsager family invested everything they ever owned or earned, and lost it through illegal wrangling and unethical dealings, even within the family. Judy Alsager, who worked this ranch, describes the hard work, the humor, the joys and the heartbreak. She also takes you through breath-taking scenic images of the landscape and the real workings of a ranch.

Note: Dee Butterfield grew up in the vicinity of the Gang Ranch as did Monica Wilson, another Hall of Famer MHCP has interviewed, videoed and is working to make into another mini-documentary.

Homegrown Tribute

Lynette Brodoway

Lynette Brodoway is a Barrel Racer from Brooks, AB, a Champion at the 2023 Canadian Finals Rodeo and was named Cowgirl of the Year in 2022. We watch as her success continues. There is more to her story than winning though. She started her professional career in her mid-fifties; almost all barrel racers turn pro when in their teens or early 20’s. Her role as wife, mother and grandmother has always been of utmost importance. She’s a horsewoman first and a barrel racer second. Over the years she has been able to embrace and balance her commitment to all of these.

Deep down, Lynnette has had ‘the itch’ to barrel race for as long as she can remember. Being raised on a ranch (in the Ranier, Alberta area) suited her fine, in fact it allowed her to be riding since she was four years old, and she’s been on the back of a horse ever since. Raised in a family of team ropers, starting with her dad, Ivan, she was a heeler with her mom, Marlene, at the All-Girl ropings. She then decided to become a header to turn steers for her brother, Dwight, and his friends. The Wigemyr family trained their own team roping horses, but Lynette would always be working them on the barrels.

When Lynette married Ken Brodoway, she began training horses on barrels and continued to compete at amateur level after started a family. She intentionally put her dream of going pro on hold to raise their two sons. She watched her brother’s professional success, and his CFR team roping championship in 2002 and 2008. She gave full support to Josie, their son who qualified to compete at the CFR in 2006. Her focus was having horsemanship training clinics, which started when she watched her dad’s special way with horses; watching how he was able to rehabilitate them. She attributes her barrel racing success to ‘Cowboy’, her sorrel gelding that was named ‘Horse With the Most Heart’ in 2023. Horses were also at the root of healing from the tragedy of losing a son, Wacey.

Lynette is proud to be a Canadian rodeo competitor. Her story is one of patience, and of constantly being open to learning from parents, books and horses, as well as learning from others and from her own experiences. She stresses the importance of having the right people around you to get you back on track when necessary. She has worked long and hard to achieve her dream and inspires us to never give up on our passions, that age is not a barrier.

At the age of 64, Lynette has a new indoor horse Poncho, and also on Cowboy is still a stiff competitor at professional rodeos. She works with and cares for horses most every day and welcomes others to come learn from her. Rodeo is her main passion at this time, but she always has a couple of young horses in training. She loves babysitting her 2 grandchildren, JR and Jack (aged 3 and 1) that live a mere 20 minutes away.

Taber Western Round-Up

On Saturday, March 29th Taber rounded up an entertaining group of poets and musicians. Two of the MHCP folks were there, Noel Burles as a performer and Jen as emcee. Val Beyer and David Woodruff from their club are always at our event to support us. There are a few things it would be good if we could replicate at our event on September 26th and 27th. They had 10 student performers, some were soloists, some sang in a group and some even had poems they had written. They had a dozen and a half sponsors, some of which were unbelievably generous. They had ‘a whole bunch’ of young guys doing the set-up and take down. And they had delicious food. I need to mention their baked potato topped with chili, cheese and sour cream. Also their cinnamon buns; the dough for them was rising in the kitchen when we got there. It would have been worth your trip to Taber for that alone. Thanks to Bud Edgar, the joker and trick roper who sent the photos.

Fence Idioms

  • fence mending — trying to end a disagreement or quarrel
  • sitting on the fence — not taking a stand
  • fence straddling — beating around the bush, weaseling, hemming and hawing
  • rush ones fences — to act in too much of a hurry (sometimes refers to a young couple)
  • from pillar to post — from one place to another

“Don’t Fence Me In”

Oh give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in,
Let me ride through the wide open prairie that I love,
Don't fence me in.

The inspiration for it came from a poem called “Open Range” by Robert Fletcher. He also wrote a non-fiction book called “Free Grass to Fences” about Montana’s cattle industry.

It was Cole Porter, in 1934, that wrote the hugely successful song “Don’t Fence Me In” using Robert Fletcher’s poem as a starting point. But he added broader dimensions. One of his
verses is about a highwayman, Wildcat Kelly, who desperately wanted to avoid being fenced in by jail or by marriage or by anything else for that matter. The popular version doesn’t use this verse, but Roy Rogers did:

Wildcat Kelly's lookin' mighty pale,
Was standin' by the sheriff's side,
And when that sheriff said I'm sending you to jail,
Wildcat raised his head and cried: Oh give me land, lots of land…

Another verse continues to touch on freedom:

I want to ride to the ridge where the West commences,
And gaze at the moon until I lose my senses,
I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences,
Don't fence me in.

Ranching Before Fences

It was through the investment of British aristocracy that ranching started in Saskatchewan and Alberta (then called Assiniboia and Alberta). Huge herds of cattle were grazed on the open range, owned by big ranches who didn’t see a need to put up feed in case Chinooks failed to appear. These were the ranches that took big losses in 1886-87. During that summer there were drought conditions and prairie fires. Then came a harsh winter that started in November and didn’t end until March. It was hailed “The Big Die-Up”. The infamous winter in 1906-07 likewise saw tens of thousands of cattle die of starvation. Many of the big corporate ranches on both sides of the U.S. border collapsed.

Ranching After the Fences

Barb wire was called “devil’s rope” by the big ranchers because it hampered the open graze method they used for their cattle herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands. It was the smaller ranches that survived because they were not controlled by absentee owners and adapted to conditions as they experienced them. They saw the need for fences to control the movement of cattle and to form enclosures to stack feed for the cattle in winter. With cross fences they could have a breeding schedule so calves weren’t born in winter. They could also improve their herd knowing which bulls were breeding their cattle.

Herding large numbers of cattle on the open range required cowboys, lots of them, young men that were skilled horsemen and cattlemen. Barb wire was a relatively inexpensive means of controlling the movement of cattle. Even an unskilled person could build a fence using posts, wire and staples. It carved the vast prairie into manageable chunks for ‘ranch farming’ as it was sometimes called. Barb wire not only changed the history of ranching, it changed the world of the cattle-trail cowboy too.

Barbed Wire and Boundaries

by Bob Ruschiensky from Regina, SK

The prairie once ran wide and free,
No posts, no lines, not locks, no key.
A cowboy rode where the sky touched land,
No fences cut, no walls to stand.

But times had changed, the borders grew,
The cattle strayed, the fights came too.
So men strung wire, mile by mile,
Through dust and sweat, through grit and trial.

And posts stood firm, the steel ran tight,
A twisting snake of rusted might.
It kept the herds where they should be,
Yet chained the land once wild and free.

Some say the wire tamed the West,
It marked the land, it drew the rest.
But every time I ride that line,
I feel the past still press in time.

For barbed wire hums a lonesome tune,
It sings of loss beneath the moon.
A cowboy rides, yet still he knows,
Some things are meant to stay unclosed.

Western Wisdom

There are three kinds of men:
– ones that learn by reading
– a few that learn by observation
– and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.
(this must have come from a guy)

I’ll leave you with this bit of wisdom:

A fence mended is a friendship tended.

Hope Calving is Going Well!

Happy Trails,
Jen

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Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter October/November 2024 Edition

Howdy Y’All!

There are times when there is so much gratitude it’s hard to know where to start. And so it is  with our Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event on October 4th and 5th. To be a success (and by all accounts it was a huge success) it takes talented entertainers and an appreciative audience.  

It also needs sponsorship.

But it takes an army of people to make it happen, not just on the day of, but in the weeks and months prior to the event. It’s the hard-working volunteers doing  a wide variety of jobs: ones with specialized skills and talent, it takes planners and we need  those who do the grunt work. It’s all of these working together to make it happen, and certainly not for financial or personal gain. It’s a group of people giving of themselves for something much bigger than themselves, making something happen that can only be achieved together.

And so it is that we can take pride in the success of our event to which each one made a contribution in his or her own way. Every war is about defending what’s important to them. In our case it’s defending the survival of the cowboy poetry genre. Every year it’s where we do our part to preserve and promote it as we showcase Western Music and Cowboy Poetry in the Medicine Hat area.

And we did it big time!

Our Major Sponsors

Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Platinum Plus Sponsor – their generous support pays for a portion of the honorariums paid to those entertainers that are deemed professional.

Drowning Ford Grazing Association, Platinum Plus Sponsor – their generous donation is symbolized by the mural that depicts the gate through which you enter the community pasture. 

Other Donors

Blaine Kunz, National Bank Financial Wealth Management – Gold

Home In Express, Silver Plus and special rates for us  and merchandise to the Silent Auction

U-Ride provided transportation to and from the event for several of of our guests free of charge.

Major Merchandise Donors:

  • Josie Fitterer and Jen Zollner – Patchwork quilt
  • Glen McBride – Framed photo
  • Jim Koch – Wood projects
  • Peavey Mart – Fountain

Entertainers

There were 14 in all. They came from west of us (Lethbridge, Coalhurst and Taber) and what  direction is it to Strathmore and Claresholm? They came from east of us (Swift Current and  Cypress Hills) and from one Spy Hill which is also in Saskatchewan, 7 1/2 hours away. He is  a MHCP member and was planning to be in our audience, and we were tickled to put him on  stage. In fact we had 5 MHCP members as entertainers, 5 people on stage are Medicine  Hatters. Thanks guys and gals for your poetry and music and for the finger-pickin’ guitar work.

We’ll Miss You Shelley

As emcee, the introduction each entertainer received show-cased Shelley Goldbeck’s true  talent; it was in rhyme that she brought each one on stage the cowboy poetry way.

She also  kept the program running on time and even though there were glitches (there always are) the  audience never knew. Her Piapot Pride Poem was well received (in Piapot it was “the talk of  the town”). Thanks very much. Shelley is looking forward to new and exciting endeavors that  don’t make it possible for her to be part of Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry. We’re eager to hear  what’s up-and-coming for you, Shelley.

Video Production and Stage Assistants

Cheryl Dust was the videographer running back and forth keeping two cameras running and  focused. Valerie Beyer, from the Taber Cowboy Poetry, was Cheryl’s assistant on the  computer, where the photos and videos were stored. Without the remote to bring the screen  down Cheryl needed to wave at the sound man up and behind her to do so. Then Jim Koch’s  job was to run up front to the side stage and find the right button to shut off the lights so folks  could see the photos and videos on the screen. We were amiss in not giving her credit on the  photos; Cheryl’s camera lens captured each one. The videos were also initially taken by  Cheryl and she was the one who chose and cut the clips from the whole (which she sent to  the MC). There was no down time for Cheryl, so thankfully her brother, Merv, was there to  bring her nourishment. Merv and Val Chapkowski were also Cheryl’s pack-up and carry out  crew at the end of the show. Thanks so much Cheryl for all you did (and continue to do).

Army of Volunteers

You wouldn’t know that it takes an “army” to get the stage ready, and to have an event run  smoothly. First there are those that came early Saturday morning to decorate the stage:  Louise Maier and the crew that helped her. Thanks to Stacey and her staff for the curtain and  set-ups. Now that the event was running. Mike Martin and Louise Maier were the door  monitors, making sure folks come into the theatre during a break. There was a back stage  manager in the name of Noel Burles, making sure the next entertainer was ready. He also  set-up the mikes and chairs for the entertainers. Donny Musgrove’s job, making sure the  stage isn’t cluttered with unnecessary stands or chairs.

Those on the Front-Line

I think of what ‘front-line’ means in war; so many wars going on in the world. For our event it’s  the goings-on when you enter the main doors of the college. When you’re on the front line for our event, it can be too busy, maybe even exhausting and it can also be long and boring,  waiting for action (which soldiers talk about). Those are people like Carol Eisenbarth who took your money and Penella Zollner who helped her (it was all legal, the money was for your tickets.) Then were the ones that registered the entertainers, who sold memberships, our books and the entertainers’ merchandise (Pat Hauck/Bob and Nancy Paul). Gladys Garyk was in there helping here, there and wherever.

There was the Silent Auction table and all the donations that Penita Schnell and Karli Schnell set up and manned. (Jacquie Noerenberg  prepared much of this ahead of time and would have loved to be there.)

Our 50/50 volunteers  were a busy pair: thanks Harv Speers and Donna Moore and to all who bought tickets. (Harv says Donna is the better salesman.)

And for the vendor tables: Faye Fedrau’s drawings,  Louise Maier’s clay pieces, Karen-Anne’s display and Pat Barbier cards (all sold to give a  donation to the Women’s Shelter).

The gal taking action shots was Pam Zollner, she also  prepared the goodies in both the Green Rooms. Then I think of guys like Jim, Lorenz, Bob  and Donny who were ‘conscripted’ because they are a partner. Could it be that Jen’s family  members feel somewhat coerced too? Sincere thanks to all of them and to each of you  (here’s hoping I haven’t missed anyone). 

Stamps and Tickets

Folks from Medicine Hat and near around got their tickets at Hale Hearing. Jill, the  receptionist, was our ever-pleasant ‘ticket master’. Thanks Jill. Some bought their tickets at  the door and those who phoned for tickets were from further afield. In fact, the folks who  came from Lethbridge, Bow Island and Cranbrook also bought memberships. (They’re $20 in  case you’re interested in supporting our cause.) In true Western style, you got ‘branded’ with a stamp for the afternoon show. (Next year we’ll have an MH monogram brand. Not to worry  though, we won’t heat it.) Thanks to all who came to our afternoon and evening shows.

There are those who wore wrist bands and had supper with us. Darlene Knight, Josie Fitterer  and Louise Maier were on table decor set-up (tobacco tins on a slab of bark). Thanks too for  the crew of trouble-shooters.

We had honored guests joining us for supper this year: two  women that were inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame: Dee Butterfield from Trochu and Maxine Girletz from Oyen. Maxine’s son and daughter-in-law joined her at the  head table. Dee was staying with Gena LaCoste, so it was a perfect time to honor Gena for her generosity to MHCP (her art work on the cover on each of our 3 publications). Presently our project is “Women in Rodeo”, we’ve been interviewing and videoing these ladies as well  as researching the women that have been Canadian Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees. 

We also had a visit from Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Royalty for the singing of the national anthem at the start of the evening performance. Queen Charlie Christie and Princess Charlatan Sandford.

Friday and Open Mic

There was a pair of oxen, some trees, and a whole chuckwagon to haul to the College  plusabout a dozen boxes and bins. Thanks to Jim Koch’s trailer and cars belonging to Carol  Eisenbarth and Louise Maier, the supplies to cover tables and decorate Centennial Hall  arrived. (Saturday morning it was again the Carol and Jim Moving Co.) Everyone that pitched in to set up was hungry by the time the pizza arrived just before the Open Mic.

Folks sat  around the tables and spilled into the hallway to hear the nine who performed. More folks came to listen than we had expected. Was that because it was free? Noel did his the best with the sound. It was mostly locals who entertained but one gal (Emma Rugeux) came all the way from Empress. I think you’ll be hearing more of her in the years to come, especially at  MHCP. Open Mic has been a wonderful way to discover new talent. Thanks to all who contributed.

In Memory of Chryle Bascom

On the tables at the Open Mike there were posters, old posters, ones advertising  Irvine’s 20-Mile Post. They belonged to Daryl Bascom’s wife, Chryle (who said “Take the “e”  out of the middle and put it on the end.) She collected the posters every year from the first  time Irvine had a their celebration (1986 to 2001) as well as posters from 2003, 2004, 2008  and 2021, which was Irvine’s 35th year. Thanks Daryl for donating them to MHCP (thanks  Donna Moore for suggesting he do so). 

Interview: Windy City’s Finest on Location Feature (TWCF)

Michael Bartz and Daniel J. Perryman (Mac & Perry on the show) are doing a project  interviewing artists from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Cowboy Poetry is the focus of our  interview on November 1st. I met Michael when he was in Medicine Hat visiting the C-Cans  when Heritage Days was celebrated in August. His curiosity about Cowboy Poetry prompted  him to attend our event this year. You can view some of the Telus sponsored You-tubes that  have been done in our community (and in Lethbridge).

A Treasured Childhood Tree

There was a slab of bark under the tobacco tins as decor at the chuckwagon supper at  our event. It comes from the tree where Jim Koch spent many happy childhood hours. It was  near Weyburn, SK, about a quarter mile from their yard, the only tree for miles around.

When  he was just a kid, he built a tree house in it using lumber from a neighbor’s yard hauling it with a little red wagon pulled by their one and only horse, King. He would spend hours in that tree  reading. It would seem his interest in house-building started early in life, and he proved the  quality of his workmanship even then; the tree house was still intact 30 and more years later.  The tree was still standing 6 years ago but since then is horizontal logs encased with beautiful bark that is peeling. It wasn’t a young tree even when Jim was young, so it could be said it  died of old age. Perhaps its final end came when it was struck by lightning.

Faye Fedrau is a member of MHCP. When she saw a picture of Jim’s tree, she did an  ink drawing of it as a gift to him.  

Advice From a Steer or Ox

Don't let things stand in the way of your dreams. 
You may have to go through a fence or two. 

Stand your ground no matter who twists your tail 
or prods you. 

Be outstanding in your field but know when to hoof it. 

Count your blessings. You have food, an open sky and shelter, 
What else is there? 

It's good to roll in the dust. Have fun while you do it. 

Don't be afraid to swing your tail and eat plenty of greens.
 
Be prepared to butt heads. Not everyone understands  
you're the boss of yur own life. 

Don't look like a hamburger. Someone might decide to grind you.
 
Always take a moment to lie down and breathe the air 
while chewing your thoughts. 

When nuisances land on your back, no one is going to 
flick your tail for you.

A thought to leave you with:

Just as an army is no better than its soldiers,
So too an organization is no better than its volunteers.
(you’re all volunteers, to each my sincere thanks)

As Army General,

Take care,

Jen