Old family Pic

[Clark Club Calves]

This came out of the Regina Leader Post about 1962 or 1963.  It has my Great Grandpa, Grandpa and Great Uncle at the Regina Winter Fair. It is hard to believe that our family has been in the cattle industry for this long. The caption reads: Another Year – John T Clark, 88 Year Old farmer from Inchkeith, examines his shorthorn bull entry in the Regina Winter Fair. With him are sons Edward (top) and Walter.  Mr Clark has been coming to the winter fair since 1910.  He has won 15 grand championships eight since 1952.

 

[knabe]

nice pic and smiles.  post more.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Somewhere around here is a newspaper clipping of my great, great grandmother advertisimg her shorthorn breeding stock, apparently she was quite respected as a breeder of quality breeding stock. RW

 

[Clark Club Calves]

Somewhere around here is a newspaper clipping of my great, great grandmother advertisimg her shorthorn breeding stock, apparently she was quite respected as a breeder of quality breeding stock. RW

My Great Grandpa bought some shorthorns from the US maybe they were some of her genetics> ;D

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Her name was Annie Watson from Iowa. That would probably be a long shot. <rock> RW

 

[justintime]

I remember your great grandfather, grandfather and great uncle very very well. I remember this picture as well, as I was standing close by when it was taken.

I remember as a small kid, sitting on the tack box listening to your great grandfather's stories. He came from an area of Scotland fairly close to where my grandfather was born, and both our families showed Shorthorns, so there was a real connection between our families. I remember many great times with your grandfather Walter. He always showed his Yorkshires and later did extremely well with his Shorthorns as well. He was a wonderful story teller and he usually had a pack of kids sitting around him listening to his stories. Greenhaulme and Hillhurst Shorthorns always came to the shows ready and were always a stiff competitor. I oftentimes think of a dark roan bull that your grand father Walter showed in the mid 60s that I think would have been pretty popular if he was around today. He was moderate framed, thick and clean made and had a pile of style....and he was smooth polled to boot.  He won most every show in Western Canada that year. I am thinking his name was Greenhaulme Leishman but I may be wrong on that. If I went to my collection of old books in my attic and looked for awhile I am sure I could find it.

I have some pictures of some bulls that my grandfather had at the 1930 Regina Bull Sale that won both Grand and Reserve Grand Champions. I would give my eye teeth to have that Champion bull today. I also have a large plaque that my grandfather won in 1912 that has pictures of several Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford bulls and females on it. The Shorthorns and Angus pictured are simply amazing beasts. The Herefords are also good and really resemble many of today's Hereford cattle we see.

Thanks for the great memories! Those were really good times.( I am thinking that I am really starting to sound like an old fart!)

 

[Clark Club Calves]

JIT I think you are starting to date yourself  ;D I cant believe that you still know the Hillhurst name that was many years ago.  My Dad talks about going to shows and how they would feed those little shorthorns cooked grain to give them a smooth finish.  You would think with all that history behind us in the cattle industry we would have it figured out.  It must be a passion and a good  life style more than a money maker.

 

[justintime]

Back in those days, showing cattle at the summer shows was an important source of income for many families. My family and yours traveled from show to show to show for weeks on end and the prize money we gathered paid a pile of bills on the farm. We oftentimes sold a bull or heifer at a show to someone who had come to the fair to see the livestock and see their friends and neighbours. I remember your grandfather sold the roan bull I mentioned in my last post for $1500 which was an almost unheard of price in that day. I also remember my dad wishing that he had tried to gather the money to buy him. This bull wasn't real small. If memory serves me right, he was over 1100 lbs at 12 months and I think he was weighing around 1350-1400 lb at the July shows, which is quite comparable to many of the cattle today. Like I said earlier, he was flat good!

I was pretty young when the picture you posted was taken. When I think back to those days they certainly were different times. I remember we hauled our show herd around in a three ton truck with a deck on the top of the stock racks. Hay and straw and tack was stacked on top of the deck and on clear nights we all slept on top of the deck under the stars at the shows. If it rained, we put straw bales inside the box and slept on them with a large piece of plastic pulled over us to keep us dry.Most everyone hauled their cattle like this and most slept in their trucks. Only a few had a small tent to sleep in.  I can remember my dad letting me drive the truck loaded as full as it could possibly be, between fairs when I was only 14 years old... two years before I had a driver's license. I don't remember anyone ever thinking this was wrong as most of the kids I grew up with were driving long before we got our driver's licenses. Most of us were driving on the farm from the time we were 10 so it was nothing new to us. I think I was 9 or 10 when I started hauling grain from the combine for my dad. I also remember when I turned 16, I drove myself to the court house to take my driver's test. I think someone might frown on that one today!!

I must have been much stronger in those days as I remember we threw the hay and straw bales up on the deck with a fork from the ground. Our show boxes were carried into the back of the truck and then lifted up on the deck. I still have one of the old wooden boxes we used to use at these shows and I can hardly even lift it off the ground empty now, let alone toss it above my head!

 

[Hilltop]

When I think about how times have changed I really will argue that they are NOT for the better. I remember the first year we were at your local fair in July and how your Grandpa Walter came and visited with my Dad who knew him very well and talked about the good Shorthorns he reaised. Seems like evryone had time for their neighbors and friends then. I will never forget our first few summers showing how I could hardly wait for the last school bell to ring and hit the road for most of July. I think back and wonder how we got our hay put up then?? I am guessing my Dad just took the time to do it and we made hay inbetween shows. Probably made a difference with very few working off the farm. Seems like now it is a struggle to get to regional 4-H. That is really cool that you have that clipping from the paper yet. I may sound old now but I do miss those days...............

 

[uluru]

I recall playing hockey in Kennedy and Kipling in the latter part of the 50s and there were some Clarks on one of those teams.
Could it have been against your grandpa and great uncle?
I am related to the Berglunds from over your way.