Author crafts history of Burke Creek Ranch

Submitted
The story of the historic Burton family ranch west of Claresholm comes to life in a new history book based on the life and times of ranch founder F.A. Burton.
Now under the management of the fourth generation of Burton ranchers, Burke Creek Ranch has had a long and fascinating history.
Wanting to know more about his grandfather’s story, journalist Randall Burton took on the job of researching and writing about his family’s ranching roots, publishing “If The Grass Could Talk,” a history of the southern Alberta cattle industry as seen through the eyes of his grandfather’s family.
F.A.Burton’s story here began in March of 1886, when the 18-year-old farm boy from Elora, Ontario arrived in southern Alberta. Nearly penniless, with no experience with beef cattle or cowhorses, Burton managed to land a job behind a plow on the Winder Ranch, which at the time occupied the land where Claresholm stands today.
Burton parlayed this beginning into a slightly better job as a roundup cowboy on the Winder and a half dozen other early ranches, saving his wages for years against the day when he could start his own place.
This he did in 1892, when he squatted on land in the Trout Creek valley that was still unsurveyed at the time. Before Burton could take out homestead papers, the federal bureaucrat in charge of settlement issues mounted a campaign on behalf of a neighbouring rancher to drive him off the land.
Burton managed to fend off that attack, and went on to build his ranch piece by piece over the next 35 years, buying out other settlers one by one as they pulled up stakes and moved on.
As he did, the early big leases fell away and a new generation of family operators like Burton came to the fore in the Alberta ranching business. Along the way, Burton and his wife Minnie raised five boys, four of whom became fixtures in the cowboy circles of the early 20th century. Eldest son Fred was one of the true characters of the west, a throwback to the old days, fascinated by bulls, broncs, bison, and all things rodeo.
He and his younger brothers Ed, Toots and Pat were regular contestants at the Calgary Stampede for a period of 25 years, with Fred finally hanging up his spurs at the age of 54. As the book points out, even Gordie Howe retired at 52. Toots and Pat were regularly in the winners’ circle in the calf roping events, with Pat establishing a record of championships that has yet to be equalled.
Youngest son Gordon wound up taking over the family ranch in 1951 and ran it for the rest of his life, modernizing a place that had changed little in 50 years. In turn, Gordon’s sons Rick and Jay took the reins upon Gordon’s death in 1990. Rick remained on the home place until his recent death this past January, building on his forebears’ legacy.
Now, 134 years after it began, Kim and Adam Burton are carrying on the family tradition, one of only a handful of area ranches first begun in the 19th century.
Randall Burton will be reading from “If The Grass Could Talk,” and signing books at the Claresholm and District Museum on May 12 at 6:30 p.m.