In the early 1970s the Canadian federal government decided it was important to recognize the contribution of early ranching in the development of the west. I was given the job of researching and reporting on which of several ranches would be the best choice. It will probably never go down in history that the Bar U Ranch was perhaps not the best choice to become a National Historic Site.  I spent a lot of time, travel and work studying the potential of many of the early, big ranches all with very colorful history, but not many with the historic resources remaining with which to “preserve and  present” that history for the enjoyment of the visiting public. After the survey was done and the criteria for rating ranches had been set up, two main contenders were left, the Bar U Number 1 and the Flying E.  The  study, named, “A Survey of Historic Ranches” was presented to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, and  was well accepted.

Historic Sites staff in Ottawa judged that the Bar U Ranch had two problems. First the evident cost of acquisition and second it was still a working ranch. Would modern operations be an intrusion. There could be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the purchase of the Bar U headquarters site, with all of those buildings in everyday use, would be extremely costly. The second issue would need a closer look. The focus of Historic Sites people, from the Board down, had always been old forts and historic events like battle sites, homes of people and the people themselves who had significantly impacted the history of Canada. But this new site was to commemorate “the ranching industry” and wasn’t that a flourishing business right to this day? Maybe the modern use wouldn’t be a problem and could even be an asset.

The Flying E would take only a slight modification (maybe well justified) to get to be the top choice. The early ranch headquarters with its many old log buildings in its beautiful natural setting was totally without modern intrusion, apparently not too costly and seemed to be “ready for the picking”.

A group from Ottawa Historic Sites office then  came to look over the ranches to get a better impression of their present appearance and help form their own opinions of the merits of a few of the best contenders. Some of those office people, I’m sure,  had never been on a ranch before so 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) and 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 horseback. I stopped the vehicle so that the visiting headquarters people might appreciate live ranching. It seemed some had never witnessed this before. They gave 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, 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. To top it all a magnificent bald eagle sat atop a dead tree, looking like that artificial bird that graced the establishment of every Case Tractor Company at the time. One of the visitors remarked, “Wouldn’t it be great, if every National Historic Site visitor could have this kind of experience”. Looking back at that event from this distance, in the year 2020, I wonder how much that experience affected thinking (including my own) and changed the evolution of the whole Historic Sites system.

Anyway, deliberations at Ottawa, generated back to me, that the whole Historic Sites Board wanted to come to the west to tour the sites under study and see for themself. The Board is made up, mostly, of 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. The Cochrane Ranch headquarters site sitting on the outskirts of the town was clearly not suitable for their purposes with the intrusion of a growing community soon going to take-over.

We stopped at Cowley’s Rafter 6 guest ranch in Kananaskis country, to have a coffee break and get a taste of a modern dude ranch style of operation. This style of ranch was something undesirable for a National historic Site. Then on south through the Alberta foothills, 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, beginning from the fine view backed by the foothills with the mountains behind, when we stopped at the crest of the shallow valley. Favourable impressions mounted as they walked about examining the old log buildings and grounds. There was so much remaining of the early historic resources with which to work, and no modern interference, nor likely any 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 that I should proceed with that as fast as possible. The owner, John Cross, I knew from previous contact had little love of trespassers, 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 hear 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 all with the thought of loss of property (which was, for him, 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 in the end 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 of the Flying E. So a meeting was arranged for that event. That Head was an Englishman who had quite evident class behaviour and was well aware of John’s prominence and money. I don’t remember just why it was, but when we got to the A7, the Cross 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, and 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. The Board came back with the definite recommendation that the Bar U Ranch should be acquired for a National Historic Site. And so, I thought, we move to the next phase in the process, the actual acquisition. Unfortunately and to my great disappointment, with a single statement, it was at that point shot down when my director in Calgary said “We are not gong to do it”.

 Thus – it didn’t happen for another 10 years and by that time I had taken my leave Parks Canada and of such treatment to myself and the National historic resources 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.”