Edward Joseph Gregory

Edward was born December 27, 1880 at Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, the third child of Joseph Gregory and Ernestine Grace Harris. This family lived at a farm at Colham Green, Hillingdon. Edward was educated at a private boarding school called Clifton House, at Uxbridge which is 1.5 miles west of Hillingdon.

Edward came to British Columbia, Canada in 1899. He was sent to Canada to take a farm training course in Vernon, B. C. He would have come by steamship to Montreal and from there by rail to Kamloops, B. C. and then by wagon to Vernon. He found that the farm training school was a scam. He left Vernon on the S.S. Aberdeen and arrived at Kelowna with 75 cents in his pockets. He worked on the Postill farm which is located just south of the present day Kelowna airport. The farm was mainly hay with some other crops such as cabbage and cantaloupe. He saved his money and bought a team and wagon and hired himself out in the haulage business.

In 1903 Edward moved to Crossfield, Alberta. He got a homestead from the government for free which was a grant of 160 acres. A quarter section of ranch land was valued at ten dollars in 1903. He built a shack on it and started raising cattle under the "MO" brand. In those days there were no fences so cattle were run on the open range. The ranch was located northwest of Irricana on

what is now the Ev Culp farm.

One year there was a very bad winter when most ranchers lost most of their cattle. Edward's cattle didn't die as he was constantly out on the range helping them. The next summer most of the ranchers were selling their cattle at a very low price as they were afraid there would be another bad winter. He borrowed money to buy more cattle. The next winter was very mild so all his cattle grow fat and he was able to sell them for a high price.

In 1905 his brother Arthur Josiah Gregory joined him to form a ranching partnership. Arthur had a little store in Irricana and later bought the farm with Edward known as the Carlson farm at S1/2 27-27-26 W4, just two miles northeast of Irricana. In 1913 the Gregory brothers sold the Crossfield ranch. (or 1906 according to David.)

The Gregory brothers in 1912 purchased "The Highland Ranch" located west of Nanton, Alberta, and renamed it the Gregory Ranch. This ranch was about 10,000 acres and was first settled in 1888 by Malcolm McDermid and Duncan McCallum. Edward bought at house in Calgary in 1912 at 3415 6A Street, in Elbow Park.

When helping Arthur with his store in Irricana in 1912, Edward met Ellen Rhoda Fowler who was visiting her brothers Grosert Fowler and Bert Fowler in Irricana. At the time she was attending a teacher's training college in Calgary. Edward married Ellen on November 22, 1913 at Teeswater, Ontario. They had five children between 1916 and 1926; four survived childhood.

The brothers sold the ranch in 1917 to Jack Drumheller. The ranch is now owned by John Cross of the A7 Ranch but to this day is still called the Gregory Ranch.

Between 1917 and 1919 Edward had a real estate agency in Calgary.

In 1919 the Gregory Brothers bought the Werrina Ranch located nine miles east of Irricana from Captain Moore, an Australian. This ranch, then known as the Irricana ranch, was about 2,300 acres and although smaller than the Nanton ranch, it was much better land. There was a small creek running through it called Rosebud Creek. The only trees in the area grew along the creek. At this ranch they built up one of the finest herds of Aberdeen-Angus cattle in Alberta. The brothers promoted the Aberdeen-Angus breed and are responsible for this cattle's widespread popularity in Western Canada. In 1921 the 'Gregory Bros.' Aberdeen-Angus herd of registered cattle was established on the Werrina Ranch.

In 1922 the Gregory Brothers sold their other farm northeast of Irricana to Carl Arthur and Anna Carlson.

During the next few years the Gregory Brothers retained the top ten heifers for breeding purposes and no money was spared in acquiring the very best Herd Sires. The Gregory Brothers herd of purebred Aberdeen-Angus cattle won grand Championship honours at the Calgary Stock Show and Sale in the years 1928, 1929 and 1930. The 1928 cattle were sold to Brierchliff Farms, New York. The CPR purchased the 1930 cattle which were later used to win the Toronto Royal Winter Fair.

Edward and Ellen lived on the Irricana ranch from 1919 to 1924 and then moved to a house at 1720 - 9A Street in Calgary. The house was quite large and had four bedrooms and a den. (Joe said they moved to Calgary in 1923.) Edward was also President of Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat which made various ceramic items. He also was President of a large greenhouse in Medicine Hat, and was active in oil and natural gas exploration in Turner Valley near Calgary.

The family moved to Vancouver, B. C. in 1937, moving into a house at 1367 - West 47 Avenue, two blocks from Granville Street.

Edward was very hard on Rhoda, his first child because he wanted sons. He expected a lot from his first son. Edward often took Joe into a room alone for talks and became aware that he was frightening him by the fact that young Joe would turn pale at the sound of his voice.

The Gregory Bros. won the Grand Championship honours at the Moose Jaw Stocker Show three consecutive years, 1939, 1940 and 1941. Their 1942 and 1943 stock was sold to Ray Martin of Balmorhea, Texas. The 1944 cattle were sold to Pierce & Sons of Woodllam Farms of Creston, Illinois. A portion of the 1945 stock was sold to Ray Bell of Swalwell, Alberta. These cattle were later used to form Mr. Bell's foundation herd.

The Gregory Brothers won the Stockyards Trophy at the Saskatchewan Feeder Show and the J. H. Grayson Trophy in Moose Jaw, both in 1939 and 1940. Greg Robinson of Toronto, Ontario has two of these trophies.

The Gregory Brothers also had a herd of registered Percheron horses. These horses were prized by farmers of the area. To the present day the John Cross A-7 ranch still has a large number of Percheron horses.

Arthur Gregory maintained the Irricana ranch until they sold it in 1946 to Les Kent. On June 4, 1946, the Gregory brothers had a 'Dispersion Sale' where their Aberdeen-Angus cattle were auctioned off.

Edward Gregory had a stroke in 1963 and died April 6, 1966 at the age of 85 at Vancouver, B. C. He is interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, Burnaby, B. C.

Edward Joseph Gregory

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