Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
cowboy who was influential in the early years of the burgeoning
ranching
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
industry in
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.J. W. Grant MacEwan claimed he was born on a plantation near
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...
. However, on his marriage certificate, Ware himself was stated to be born in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. After the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, he left for
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, where he learned the skills of a rancher and became a cowboy. Ware then worked his way north to Canada driving cattle from Texas to
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
. In 1882, he was hired to help bring 3,000 head of cattle from the United States to
Sir Hugh Allan
Sir Hugh Allan (September 29, 1810 – December 9, 1882) was a Scottish-Canadian shipping magnate, financier and capitalist. By the time of his death, the Allan Shipping Line had become the largest privately owned shipping empire in the wor ...
’s North-West Cattle Co in Alberta. After delivering his charge near Calgary, he found work at the Bar U and Quorn ranches before starting his own ranch near the
Red Deer River
The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan-Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay.
Red Deer River ...
. By 1900, he and his wife, Mildred Lewis (1871–1905), had five children. He moved from the
Calgary Region
The Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), also commonly referred to as the Calgary Region, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Calgary, the largest city in Alberta.
With the Government of Alberta's establishment of the Calgary Metropol ...
to a spot northeast of the village of Duchess, Alberta. In 1902 his first home was destroyed by the spring flood. He rebuilt his home on higher ground overlooking a stream, now called Ware Creek. In the spring of 1905, Mildred died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
, and despite being a master horseman, John was killed only months later when his horse tripped in a badger hole. The horse crushed its rider in the fall, breaking Ware's neck. His funeral was reported to be one of the largest held in the early days of Calgary.
Like any other
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; an ...
, there is a wide range of tales about his ability to eat, ride, and shoot, all of which contribute to the cowboy lore of the time. It is said that he was never tossed from a wild horse and that he popularized
steer wrestling
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance so that it falls ...
, which would then become a highlight of the
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...
. His story is that of a remarkable figure in history who helped to lay the foundations of the ranching industry in
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada ...
and at the same time defied stereotypes. Ware became one of the most well-respected figures on the Albertan frontier and is still an important part of Alberta history.
Legacy
Ware is the subject of a biography, ''John Ware's Cow Country'' by J. W.
Grant MacEwan
John Walter Grant MacEwan (August 12, 1902 – June 15, 2000) was a Canadian farmer, professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislativ ...
(Edmonton: Institute of Applied Art, 1960. Second edition, Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie Books, 1973. Third edition, Vancouver: Greystone Books, 1995.)
The book, "High Rider" by Bill Gallaher features a fictionalized account Ware's life and exploits. (Touchwood Editions. ).
A children’s book, “Howdy, I’m John Ware” by Ayesha Clough, with illustrations by Hugh Rookwood, was published in 2020. Red Barn Books. .
Several geographical features near the Wares' ranch are named in their honour:
* John Ware Ridge (formerly Nigger John Ridge)
* Mount Ware
* Ware Creek
Other namesakes include "John Ware Junior High School" in southwest Calgary, the John Ware building at Calgary's
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgary's second oldest post-se ...
(SAIT), a polytechnic undergraduate college, and the John Ware 4-H Beef Club in Duchess, Alberta. In 1958 the modest log cabin that was the family home from 1900 to 1905 was relocated from its prairie setting near
Millicent, Alberta
Millicent is an unincorporated community in southern Alberta within the County of Newell, located northeast of Highway 1, northeast of Brooks
Brooks may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
*Cape Brooks
;Canada
*Brooks, Alberta
;United States
* B ...
, to the Red Deer River valley in
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...
, about 20 kilometres to the east. The cabin was restored and rededicated in 2002.
Diamond Joe White
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
, a musician from Alberta, has released a song titled "High Rider: The John Ware Story".
None of John and Mildred's five children who lived to adulthood had descendants. Their last surviving daughter, Nettie, died on her 96th birthday in March 1989 in
Vulcan, Alberta
Vulcan is a town in southern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Vulcan County. It is on Highway 23, midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge. The population of the town was 1,917 in 2016. Now known as the "Official Star Trek Capit ...
. Their last son, Arthur, died in
Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard Inl ...
, in May 1989; however, relatives of Mildred Ware still reside in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and British Columbia.
In 2006, a small fragment of wood from the cabin at
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...
was contributed to the
Six String Nation
Six String Nation is public art and history project conceived by Jowi Taylor and centred around a steel-string acoustic guitar built from a variety of artifacts collected by Taylor representing diverse cultures, communities, characters and eve ...
project. The fragment now serves as the topmost element on the pick-guard assembly of ''Voyageur'', the guitar at the heart of the project.
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
issued a commemorative stamp featuring John Ware, to celebrate Black History Month 2012.
He is the subject of
Cheryl Foggo
Cheryl Dawn Foggo is a Canadian author, documentary film director, screenwriter and playwright.
Biography
Born in Calgary, Alberta in 1956, she is descended from Black Oklahomans who settled in Maidstone, Saskatchewan in 1910. She also had ance ...
's 2020 documentary film '' John Ware Reclaimed''.
In 2022, John Ware was designated as a person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.