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James Walker: From Mounted Policeman to First Cochrane Ranche Manager

A North-West Mounted Police veteran ran Senator Cochrane's new leasehold ranch in 1881 and went on to help build Calgary.

Who was Colonel James Walker?

James Walker was a Scottish-born police officer, rancher and businessman who became one of the founding figures of Calgary. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, he was born on April 14, 1848, in Carluke and died in Calgary on March 31, 1936. Another account, from a Cochrane Eagle history article, says he died at age 90, which points to 1846. Sources differ, so the birth year is shown as a range here.

His place in cattle history rests on one year: 1881, when he took charge of the first large leasehold ranch in Western Canada. The rest of his career is better known for civic work, which is why this profile is marked thin on ranching detail.

What did Walker do before ranching?

Walker joined the North-West Mounted Police in 1874. In 1879 he took command of the Battleford detachment in what is now Saskatchewan, where he also worked as an Indian agent and served as the first civilian justice in the North-West Territories. He resigned in 1880.

His police years gave him experience on the northern prairie and standing with officials. The pages consulted do not describe any earlier work with cattle.

How did Walker run the Cochrane Ranche?

In 1881 Senator Matthew Cochrane had just bought the first large leasehold ranch in Western Canada, covering 109,000 acres. Cochrane ran his operation from Montreal and hired Walker as manager.

The two men often disagreed about how to run the ranch, and Cochrane always had the final say. Walker resigned in 1882, reportedly because of poor orders from the east, and the two parted on good terms.

The Key to Walker's Success

Walker's story is about turning a short stint with a distant owner into a lasting local business. He moved on when orders from a distant owner reportedly made the job hard to run.

Readers who want more on early ranching in the Canadian West can browse farm.FM's ranching coverage and a farm.FM story about the Cochrane Ranche.

  • He took a management post at a brand-new ranch of 109,000 acres in 1881.
  • He worked with an owner who ruled from Montreal and accepted his final say, then left on good terms.
  • He homesteaded in the Inglewood district of Calgary after resigning.
  • He used a sawmill supplied by Cochrane to start a lumber business with a blacksmith shop, carpenter's shop and boarding house for 14 employees.
  • He took on public roles, including chairing the committee that secured Calgary's incorporation in 1884.

How did Walker build Calgary?

Walker started a lumber business in Calgary in 1883, as the Canadian Encyclopedia reports. He donated lumber for Calgary's first Knox Presbyterian Church, became the city's first immigration officer and owned its first telephone system in 1884, which had 30 customers.

He chaired the civic council when Calgary was incorporated as a town in 1884, and he was the first president of the Exhibition Board. He helped secure the Victoria Park site for the first fair in 1886, a link between the ranching economy and the town.

Military service and honors

Walker received the permanent rank of Colonel in the Fifteenth Light Horse when the first militia unit formed in 1900. He organized provincial Boy Scout and cadet corps and, during the First World War, organized the 238th Forestry Battalion.

At Calgary's centennial in 1975 he was named Citizen of the Century. For a fuller biography, see the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry, which this profile did not use for specific claims.

Why James Walker belongs in a cattle hall of fame

Walker managed the opening season of the first large leasehold ranch in Western Canada, and he stayed to help build the town nearby. Cattle people of the 1880s needed lumber, telephones, fairgrounds and local government as much as they needed grass.

The evidence for his cattle work is limited to one year, so this entry stays close to what the cited pages state.

Timeline

  1. 1846 or 1848Born, reported at Carluke (sources differ)
  2. 1874Joins the North-West Mounted Police
  3. 1879Takes command of the Battleford detachment
  4. 1881Becomes manager of the Cochrane Ranche
  5. 1882Resigns as manager
  6. 1883Starts a lumber business at Calgary
  7. 1884Chairs the committee for Calgary's incorporation; owns the city's first telephone system
  8. 1900Receives permanent rank of Colonel in the Fifteenth Light Horse
  9. 1936Dies in Calgary on March 31

Frequently asked questions

Who was James Walker of the Cochrane Ranche?

James Walker was a former North-West Mounted Police officer hired in 1881 by Senator Matthew Cochrane as manager of the Cochrane Ranche. He resigned in 1882 and later built a Calgary lumber business.

How big was the Cochrane Ranche?

When Senator Cochrane bought it in 1881 it was the first large leasehold ranch in Western Canada, covering 109,000 acres, according to a Cochrane Eagle history article.

What did James Walker do after leaving the ranch?

He homesteaded in Calgary's Inglewood district, built a sawmill and lumber business, and served in civic roles including chairing the council when Calgary became a town in 1884.

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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