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A.E. Cross: Veterinarian, A7 Rancher, Brewer and Stampede Founder

Cross trained as a vet, built the A7 Ranche and a brewery, and helped put up the money for the first Calgary Stampede.

Who Was A.E. Cross?

Alfred Ernest Cross was born in Montreal on June 26, 1861, and died there on March 10, 1932, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. The Wikipedia biography says he was the oldest of seven children and trained as a veterinary surgeon. His schooling included Haileybury College in England, the Ontario Agricultural College and, in 1884, graduation from the Montreal Veterinary College, per the laureate profile at jasab.ca.

In 1884 he came west to Calgary. He is best known as the founder of the A7 Ranche, the founder of Calgary's first brewery and one of the four men who financed the first Calgary Stampede.

From Veterinarian to Rancher

The sources describe his first western job a little differently. The Canadian Encyclopedia says he came as a veterinarian and assistant manager of the British-American Horse Ranch Co. Wikipedia says he worked on a ranch near present-day Cochrane owned by Matthew Henry Cochrane. In 1885, per the Canadian Encyclopedia and jasab.ca, he started his own ranch, the A7, west of Nanton. Wikipedia says he owned it by 1886. None of those pages gives acreage or herd size.

The A7 Ranche Today

The Canadian Encyclopedia says the A7 is still owned by the Cross family and remains one of the largest ranches in the West. A family-run ranch that has lasted well over a century is rare in Alberta ranching, and it is the clearest measure of what Cross built.

For more stories from Western ranch country, see the ranching section at farm.FM.

Brewing, Oil and Business

Cross trained as a brewer's apprentice, according to Wikipedia, and founded the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company, the first brewery in what was then the North-West Territories. Two sources date that to 1892, while Wikipedia has him returning to Calgary in 1891 after hospital treatment in Montreal for appendicitis, so sources differ by a year. The jasab.ca profile says he served as its president until his death.

In 1912 he started Calgary Petroleum Products and he was a director of Canadian Western Natural Gas. He was also a founding member of the Western Stock Growers' Association, the Calgary Board of Trade and the Ranchmen's Club.

The Big Four and the First Stampede

In 1912 Cross was one of the Big Four, with Patrick Burns, George Lane and Archie McLean. Together they put up $100,000 to finance the first Calgary Stampede, held in September 1912, according to Wikipedia. The Big Four Building at the Stampede Grounds is named for the group, and he is named among the founders in the Canadian Encyclopedia.

The Key to Cross's Success

Cross spread his bets across several businesses that each fed the others. A veterinarian understood livestock, a ranch produced cattle, a brewery sold to a growing city, and civic roles kept him in the rooms where decisions were made. The record does not give profit figures for any of these ventures, and the sources I read say little about his workers or neighbors.

  • He trained as a veterinarian, which gave him a practical grounding in animal health before he owned herds.
  • He started his own ranch within a year of arriving in the Calgary area, in 1885 or 1886.
  • He founded the first brewery in the North-West Territories, adding a second source of income to ranching.
  • He joined the Ranchmen's Club, the Western Stock Growers' Association and the Calgary Board of Trade, which he served as president in 1909.
  • He held public offices, as an MLA and as president of the Alberta Exhibition Association and the Calgary General Hospital.
  • He and the other Big Four members pooled $100,000 to launch the first Stampede.

Politics, Family and Honors

Cross was elected as a Conservative for East Calgary to the North-West Territories legislature. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1899, Wikipedia 1898, and both agree on service into 1902. In 1899 he married Helen Rothney Macleod, daughter of NWMP Commissioner James Macleod, and they had seven children.

A.E. Cross School in Calgary, named in 1961, honors him. For a related read, see a farm.FM story about the Stampede era.

Timeline

  1. 1861Born in Montreal
  2. 1884Graduates from Montreal Veterinary College and moves to Calgary
  3. 1885Starts the A7 Ranche (Wikipedia says by 1886)
  4. 1891Founding member of the Ranchmen's Club
  5. 1892Founds the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company (Wikipedia suggests 1891)
  6. 1899Marries Helen Rothney Macleod
  7. 1909President of the Calgary Board of Trade
  8. 1912Big Four finance the first Calgary Stampede
  9. 1932Dies on March 10

Frequently asked questions

Who was A.E. Cross?

Alfred Ernest Cross (1861 to 1932) was a Montreal-born veterinarian who founded the A7 Ranche in Alberta, started Calgary's first brewery and was one of the Big Four who financed the first Stampede.

What is the A7 Ranch?

The A7 Ranche was started by A.E. Cross in 1885 near Nanton, Alberta. The Canadian Encyclopedia says it is still owned by the Cross family and remains among the largest ranches in the West.

Who were the Big Four of the Calgary Stampede?

They were George Lane, A.E. Cross, Patrick Burns and Archie McLean, who together put up $100,000 to finance the first Stampede in September 1912.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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