Historic Rancher—William Roper Hull
William Roper Hull was born in Somerset, England, in 1856. When he and his brother John were in their late teens, the two boys set sail and found their way up to their Uncle William’s ranch in the Kamloops area of British Columbia. In 1883, William and John drove 1,200 horses over the Crowsnest Pass to Calgary and sold them to the North West Mounted Police and the North West Cattle Company for $50,000. In 1886, the Hull brothers and a partner, Walter Pound Trounce, set up a butchering and livestock trading business known as Hull, Trounce and Company. William Roper Hull became a very wealthy man. In 1893, he built Calgary’s first opera house, a 1,000 seat, two-story sandstone theatre. In 1896, William Roper Hull built the beautiful Bow Valley Ranche House, which has been wonderfully restored and is located at the historic Bow Valley Ranche in Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Historic Indigenous Chief—Chief Red Crow (Mekaisto)
Chief Red Crow was named after an honoured warrior from his tribe who was killed in battle. A fierce, brave warrior himself, he participated in over 33 raids and stole 400 horses, later becoming a highly respected chief of the Kainai (Blood) First Nation. On September 22, 1877, he signed Treaty 7 along with other Blackfoot chiefs, including Chief Crowfoot from the Siksika First Nation and Chief Sitting on Eagle Tail from the Piikani First Nation. The Kainai (Blood) First Nation is the largest reserve in Canada and is located in southern Alberta.
Historic Alberta Woman—Annie Jackson
Annie Jackson was the first female police officer in Canada and was based out of Edmonton. On October 1, 1912, Jackson was chosen over forty-seven other applicants, all competing for the same position on the Edmonton police force. While on the force, Jackson was involved in child protection cases, supervised adoptions, and acted as a parole officer for young women and girls in the Edmonton area. She was known as a kind person and truly made a mark in the world for women. Sadly, Annie Jackson passed away after she was hit by a car.
World Trick Rope Champion—Flores LaDue
Flores LaDue was a world-renowned trick roper. Born in Minnesota in 1881, her real name was Grace Maud Bensel. She ran away to join a circus when she was only sixteen and changed her name to Flores LaDue in order to stay hidden from her family. After showing off her skills, she was put into the spotlight in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Here she was trained by a very famous trick roper, Vincenta Oropeza. After performing with Buffalo Bill’s show for a while, Flores moved onto Colonel Cummins’ Wild West Indian Congress and Rough Riders of the World Show. Here, she met a young man named Guy Weadick, who went on to start the world-famous Calgary Stampede. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her, and two weeks later, Flores and Guy were married! Flores won three World Championships for Trick Roping, including one at the first Calgary Stampede.n
