THE ALMOST FLYING E NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

It will probably never go down in history that there would not be a Bar U National Historic Site. Back in the early 1970s a lot of work and time had been spent in studying the potential of so many early, big ranches which had a very colorful history, but not many had the historic resources remaining with which to preserve and to present for the enjoyment of the visiting public. After the survey and criteria for rating ranches had been completed, it favoured two main contenders, the Bar U Number 1, the Flying E close behind. The “Survey of Historic Ranches” was presented to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, and it was fairly well accepted as judged in that report. But by the judgement of Historic Sites staff in Ottawa, the Bar U Ranch had too problems, mainly the evident cost of acquisition and the intrusion of present-day operation.

There could be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the purchase of the Bar U headquarters site, with all of those buildings in every day use, would be extremely costly, but the second point was worthy of a closer look. Historic Sites people from the Board down had always been working with old forts and historic events like battle sites, homes of people and people themselves who had significantly had an impact on the history of Canada. But, after all, this was to commemorate “the ranching industry” and wasn’t that a flourishing business right to this day? Maybe that modern use wasn’t a problem and could be an asset. It would take only a slight modification (maybe well justified) to get the Flying E at the top. That early ranch headquarters with its many old log buildings in its beautiful natural setting, totally without modern intrusion, apparently not too costly, seemed to be “ready for the picking”.

A group of staff from Ottawa Historic Sites office came to look over the situation of the ranches to get a better impression of the present appearance and apply their own opinion of the merits of a few of the best contenders, some of those office people, I’m sure, who had never been on a ranch before. It was a very fortunate coincidence when we stopped at the A7 Ranch, (I think, to get John Cross’s consent to see his Flying E) when entering a pretty little valley, we came across a herd of maybe 200 cows and their calves being driven by a number of riders on horses moving that stock. I stopped the vehicle so that the visiting headquarters people might appreciate live ranching, which, obviously, some had never witnessed before, giving one the impression that they believed that such events took place only on movies.

It was so typical of ranching as it had always been, with cowboys working cows out of the bush and retrieving wayward animals that escaped the herd, the bawling of cows worried about being separated from their off-spring or just lamenting the move; the swirling of the rising dust; and to top it all, a magnificent bald headed eagle atop a dead tree, looking like that artificial bird that graced the establishment of every Case Tractor Company at the time. One of those visitors remarked,  “Wouldn’t it be great, if every National Historic Site visitor could have this kind of experience”. Looking at that event from this distance, in the year 2020, I wonder how much that experience affected the thinking (including my own) toward the evolution within the whole Historic Sites system.

Anyway, deliberations at Ottawa, generated back to me, that the whole Board wanted to come to the west to tour the sites under study and see it for itself. The Board is made up of, mostly, the history elite of Canada, one member from each province and (I think) two from Quebec and two from Ontario. A bus was hired and I was guide to conduct the trip west from Calgary through the town of Cochrane with the Cochrane Ranch headquarters site sitting on the outskirts (clearly not suitable for their purposes with the intrusion of a growing community going to take-over).

We stopped at Cowley’s Rafter 6, to have a coffee break and get a taste of a modern dude ranch style of operation, something undesirable for a National historic Site. Then on south through foothills of the mountains, such desirable range-land for big ranches and the buffalo before. Of course, the Board saw the Bar U and from that, members could make their own comparison to others. There was no doubt that they were well impressed with the Flying E, right from the fine view when we stopped at the crest of the shallow valley, backed by the foothills and mountains behind. Favourable impressions mounted as they walked about examining the old log buildings and grounds with so much of the remaining early historic resources with which to work, and without any modern interference, nor likely to be in the foreseeable future.

We went on south where other ranches of interest were located and were pointed out, circled around passed Fort McLeod and straight north back to Calgary. It was not long afterward that I received the news that the Board had advised that there should be an investigation into the possible acquisition of the Flying E Ranch headquarters site for a National Historic Site and I should proceed with that as fast as possible. The owner, being John Cross, I knew from previous contact that he had little love of trespassers, picnickers, people out for a country dive, or picnickers leaving their trash behind. He had even suggested seeing a fence built around that city of Calgary and keeping all residents inside it. Even if said, not seriously, it was an indication of how he felt about more intrusion into his property.

I met with John Cross, more than once, without gaining much in my objective. Oh, John was friendly enough and courteous enough, to listen me out, but not interested in parting with any of his property. One sunny afternoon we sat in the grass among the old log buildings talking about the history of ranching and particularly about the Flying E and preservation of the site. John was quite keen on the thought of preservation but not at with the thought of loss of property (which was a favoured place at time of calving) and was very much opposed to the public encroaching into his property. I tried to convince him that the problem of those trespassers might be much relieved if they had a definite place to go and do their picnicking in the Government controlled site. He wasn’t convinced and went so far as to offer, “Why don’t you come and work with me to restore and preserve these buildings, I have the money and you have experience; we can work together to restore the site and control the visitors, probably better than Government”.

That was a most attractive offer and I was almost ready to see if he really meant it, but said no, my job was to find a ranch for a National Historic Site. That sunny afternoon, sitting there for hours with John Cross, son of A. E. Cross, bookkeeper for Senator Cochrane who had set the groundwork for and received the first lease issued for the big ranches; John, the son of A. E. Cross who had taken out one of those leases and become a wealthy, prominent man in the ranching community, and here that son had devoted hours sitting talking to me; it was a highlight of the more than 30 years I spent with the Parks organization. But – I finally had to admit that I could not convince John Cross to part with the Flying E site. Then the Head of the Historic Sites section in Ottawa thought he might have more success to persuade the owner. So a meeting was arranged for that event. That Head was an English man who had quite evident class behaviour and was well aware of John’s prominence and money situation. I don’t remember just why it was, but when we got to the A7 homesite. John had gone to a farm auction sale. So we went to the auction sale. We parked with the other vehicles and started to walk to where the crowd had gathered and bidding was going on in full volume.

At some distance away, I announced, “Here comes John Cross walking toward us.” Well, the look on the face of that English Head man was something to behold. “You mean that is John Cross?” he exclaimed, obviously expecting somebody very different from the fellow walking toward us. There was John dressed no different than any of the rest of that crowd of ranchers and farmers, in his work clothes, not the picture of the wealthy, big rancher that was expected.

Anyway, the Head’s effort at persuasions proved no better than mine. It was quite clear that John Cross was not going to budge on parting with the Flying E site. I feel, as certain today, as I was back at that time, that the Flying E Ranch would be flying a Federal Government flag as a National Historic Site, if John Cross had been willing to see it happen.

That is when the evolution in the thought process, among Historic Sites people, really began to evolve. All had to drop that in-gained idea of dealing with events and people of the past. This site was intended to commemorate the “ranching industry” not just the beginning and early stage of it. It was an important industry, ongoing right now, a thriving activity, still significant in the production of food for Canada and abroad. Looking back at that incident at the A7 Ranch where herding of cattle was seen, couldn’t we have a Site that would present an experience for visitors similar to that?

The matter went back before the Board with an explanation of what seemed an impossible situation with the Flying E. Then the Board came back with the definite recommendation that the Bar U Ranch should be acquired for a National Historic Site.

 That is another phase in the process; and that, I thought, was brought to a point of actual acquisition; and was so disappointingly shot down by my own Director in Calgary with a single statement; “We are not going to do it”. Thus – it didn’t happen for 10 years and by that time I had taken my leave of such treatment to myself and the National historic resource placed in my care for their “preservation and presentation”.

In his fine work on the history of the Bar U Ranch, Simon Evans wrote: “During the 1970s a survey of seventeen ranches was completed and criteria for evaluating their comparative attributes were developed. This flurry of activity led to an attempt to buy the Bar U in 1977 which failed.” It failed not at all because of the lack of effort, or success, on my part, but from some decision made by some higher level of management in the system. handed down to me by my Director when he said, “We are not going to do it.”