(Communications 1935-38 from the head cowboy at the Horse Camp, Lone Star Ranch at Buffalo, Alberta to the owner of the ranch, Murray Stapleton, who was at the homestead on the Red Deer River.)

(These are transcribed from penciled letters written by Jim Spratt to my Grandfather, Murray Stapleton, at the homestead on the Lone Star Ranch Jenner Alberta. They detail conditions on the ranches of southeast Alberta during the "Dirty Thirties".)

Horse Camp. Dec 10/35

Dear Murray received Beef & thanks. Been over in Coulie field S.W. of here. herd tell of bunch of cows in their but could not locate them found where they had been but have drifted out or may be some of you have got them. & may be some bodyelse stuff. Have 1 cow & calf over East again big heavy cow & is foot sore tender. & made arrangements for him to winter them give him $4.00 to let them run at straw stacks. So dm icy would have about killed em both to drive them up their. so used my own Heads. dm poor Head but its all I got. Say wish you would have them fellows that is riding around up their look out for that Gillham Steer long yearling Black. White Spot in face. Brand CH on ribs as he wants him & let me know when you get him. shut him up with stuff your feeding & will try & get up and get him right away or let him come up there. Thanks. He will loose him now. try & do this & keep me out jail a little longer.

Yours Jim

Dear Murray Jenner Canada

Please find Expence Bills in another Package look em over & send c.k. for em & thanks. Jim

Been poking around quite a bit got 8 more corral & put em on river at Jordons Ranch. Guess will be all ok for a while. was in good shape but getting foot sore. Found 2 more on Big river & 3 of Malloys but got tired trying to drive them. so much ice. they are on good feed & shelter. think they are all o.k. their until Spring. could not find no place to put them in Settlement. Weather not Bad but so much ice & snow hard getting around. got in wash out & crippled pony on river the other day but is coming around all o.k. now. All the damage to me was I had to change drawers when I got home. Well look over these Bills & send bal. of wages for /35 & thanks. Wishing you all the best of health & good luck.

Jim

Dear Murray. Jenner, Alta.

Say some of these yearlings of Kilpatric is getting pretty thin & weak. Am surposed to feed them or let em die. Got yearling steer over at Sweeds. 2 at gordons. they seam to keep coming down river. no body riding guess. if you don’t finish it some one else will. Now try & get a pencil & rite. let me know bout those yearlings. damed near as stif a winter as last around here. Water all froze up. got to melt snow guess if don’t warm up pretty soon. sent you my Expense Bills while ago. See if you can’t send me a little money & thanks. got to eat some way or other. think will try & get into Politics or the movies. that about the only thing that there is any money in nowadays.

Wele Hoping you all well.

Yours truly, Jim (Over)

18th this not mailed yet. trying to blow L out of things now. Bad going. ice bout 1 foot all over. Am feeding colts when they come up every day or so. Will try town in day or 2 in once this Winter. 2 days trip. sure Bad going. think will hafto try town city life next winter. got your Social Dividends yet. Old Aberhart seems to be changing men a lot. think will hit him for a job. I can do as well as the most of them is doing. get my pockets full of $ quit. The old World is in one L of a mess don’t you think.

Well be good & hello every body. Jim. Think moon is going in tomarrow so will try & get this of. Well guess will quit out of paper & only 1 stong.

Dear Murray Just alive or 2 received you’re a few days ago & c.k.s. & thanks regards to little stud have made 6 or 8 rides looking for him but they are so wild cant get any wheres neer em. Seam to be scared to death. Been Dog men in here all last fall & early winter. they act as though they think I got dogs to for I make so dm much fuss on this ice talking praying & saying things but will try & run onto him some of this days. Kilpatrick colts all o.k. fed 6 of them for a while. lots of feed but watter is short an the Bum. Dogs sun some throw fence & a man got a dog. May get some more god help us & the lord save us. May be Old Aberhart’s Pray for us here hes going to O.C. help Detricak. now king get Social Credit money more settlers I reckon. Well be good.

Hoping your all well & best of Luck. Jim.

Dear Murray. Jenner. received your c.k. a few days ago & thanks. don’t think this Job is going to amount to much. Have not herd from any of my Bosses yet. Don’t expect to get anything out of it. Just a place to stop & a place to spend what money I can get a hold of. to many after it. must be 20 or more with little bunches of stock & a bunch of kids etc. Well don’t care much. to damed complicated to suit me any way. am goind try & see Old Aberhart. may be get something their preaching or he might quit & get his Job. Never can tell. always the first for everything. Don’t think will be much stock left down here this winter if this spell don’t break pretty soon. from 2 in to 3 feet of pure ice all over this country. Not cold just but bad enough. Say there is 4 head of cattle in Buffalo Lease 1..(Lone Star brand) steer there getting pretty weak. think other is eather Mclearys or Seuels (over)

Tried to get some of those river fellows to let em on river but to dmed miserable & selfish. am going try & get im to day more feed. No feed or cole eather half of time.

Well be good Jim

& Hello to rest of folks & wishing you all a merry xmas & nyear & best of Helath.

Jim, Buffalo.

Mr. Murray Stapleton. Jenner Canada.

Hello Boy. Received yours Sat - & regards. to steer 3 diferant guys told me he was your. As the reason I wrote you was in town 1 day & see them of a long ways drove over to them & see what they wore for my self figured would take him to river if he was yours. But he was VZ godon steer & B4 Brown & AA cow and calve. Andy Nesses so told them guys so Gordon got his. but think ……… thir tried to get some of them fellows to take them to river or feed them until he could get them but no to them … yes plenty ice & snow here hard on every thing has been tween 2 & 3 feet on level. But is a little bare ground now the hill tops and rocks have hauled 68 or 70 Dolars worth of feed this winter & these old poneys look worse than I ever seen them. Don’t think a man has any business with more than about 1 horse in this country any more until she gets back to normal again. needs bout (over)

5 or 6 years rest. Think stuff will need feed for 6 weeks or 2 months yet. when this ice dose go wont be no grass no how untile it grows. had ponys out in big field for a few days trying to rustle a little. went after them over to east fence a fast tired & sore to day. Snow lots of it 3 to 20 feet. Well the seat of my Britches drug my tracks out all the way so you can tell it was pretty bad going.

Well Hello to rest of the folks. Wishing you all the Best of Health & good luck.

(from "My Cowboy Years – Memories I Could Live Without.")

Jim was born in England in 1868. His family moved to the U.S.A. when he was a child. While migrating to the west by wagon train they were ambushed by the Indians and both of his parents were killed but he and his sister survived and went on to Texas.

Jim arrived in Medicine Hat with a cattle drive of Mexican longhorns between 1900 and 1905 at about 40 years of age.

He was a little over 6 feet tall, raw boned and weighted 220 lbs. When I knew him in 1926. He was a crack shot with a rifle and a pistol. Also an expert with a 14 foot bull whip and could break the sound barrier with it, sounding like a rifle shot. He acquired a reputation of being a tough Texas cowboy.