by The Amazing Alberta Time Travel Adventures of Wild Roping Roxy
The coach was so impressed with her shots that he invited the first-year rookie player Hattie Hopkins to compete against her. The rules were simple: the player who sank the greatest number of baskets in a row would win the contest. Roxy said she would be up to the challenge, but first she wanted to change into her basketball shoes. She reached down into her knapsack and pulled out the sharp-looking Nikes that she had worn when her high school team won the Alberta Provincial Championship. While she was putting them on, the entire team gathered around and wondered where she had bought the strange shoes.
The coach had the girls flip a coin to see who would throw first and then asked them what they wanted to compete for. Hattie wanted Roxy’s “one of a kind shoes.” Roxy was a little unsure because those shoes were her favourite possession, next to her dog Jasper of course. Nevertheless, she agreed to give them up if she lost, providing Hattie would give up her official Grad’s sweater if she lost. The rookie nodded her consent. Hattie won the coin toss and decided to shoot first. She proceeded to the 20-foot line.
Hattie and Roxy took turns shooting and they both sank five successful baskets in a row. Whenever the Grad player scored, her entire team would cheer her on. Roxy’s supporters consisted only of her brother and dog.
After the first five baskets, the girls were instructed to move back another 10 feet and shoot from the 30-foot line. Again, both players sank their five baskets. Roxy hit the rim three times before the ball went in and she was starting to get nervous about having to kiss her Nikes goodbye. At this distance, though, the team began to cheer her great shots, along with Hattie’s.
The coach went up to the two competitors and told them to follow him. He led them to the back of the railcar, which was close to 50 feet away from the hoop, and told them to give it a try. It was Roxy’s turn to go first and, to her chagrin, she missed the shot by two feet. If Hattie were to sink the basket, Roxy would have to give up her favourite shoes. Just in the nick of time, she had a brilliant idea. As Hattie was about to make the shot, Roxy pulled down on her right earlobe. This was the signal for Jasper to start barking, a trick she had taught him when he was just a pup. Sure enough, the dog barked on cue and distracted Hattie enough for her to miss her shot.
The team captain came up to the competitors and declared a tie. She also suggested that, following the World Championship game, it would be a nice gesture if Hattie could give Roxy her team sweater and Roxy could give Hattie her Nike shoes. With some hesitation, both girls agreed and shook hands. After all, Roxy thought, a team sweater from a player on the Edmonton Grads team that won 502 out of 522 games (and won in all four Olympics they attended) would make a great souvenir of her trip to 1915!
Roxy thanked the coach for the opportunity to demonstrate her basketball skills and told him how much she was looking forward to watching the team in action at the upcoming World Championship game. The last words the coach said to Roxy before she and Ray continued their tour of the train, were the words he repeated hundreds of time during his 25 years as coach of the Grads: “You must play basketball, think basketball, and dream basketball.”
As they walked away, Roxy told Ray that after 25 years of coaching, Percy Page became an elected politician and was the lieutenant-governor of Alberta between 1959 and 1966.
Chapter 9
Here Comes the Bride
The railcar next to the Grads’ was the dining car, a welcome sight to the twins, as it was getting close to lunchtime and they were famished. Roxy was especially hungry after her workout.
The twins each had a steak sandwich and salad, which tasted delicious. The experience was made even more special because they were served on beautiful Medalta plates. While they were eating, Roxy told her brother that natural gas was discovered in Medicine Hat in 1892. The cheap energy source led to the development of the pottery industry. By 1920 about 75 percent of pottery sold in Canada came from the Medicine Hat’s Medalta Pottery Company.
Ray gave his sister an admiring look. “I’ve got to hand it to you,” he said, “your knowledge of Alberta history is really coming in handy on this trip.” He then apologized for teasing her in the past about her mission to learn as much as possible about the province’s history.
After devouring a large bowl of chocolate ice cream and some tea, the twins continued their tour of the train through the two second-class cabins. They spent time visiting with George Godlonton, a homesteader in the Springbank area near Calgary. George explained to the twins that he was one of the hundreds of Europeans that had come to Alberta to take advantage of the offer of a free 160-acre quarter section of land, which was made possible under the First Dominion Lands Act of 1872. They also talked to a young Ukrainian girl named Shirley Smoliak, from Vegreville, who was enrolled in a four-month program at the McDougall Centre in Calgary to become a teacher.
Enjoying a cup of tea in the dining railcar.
While Shirley was sharing how excited she was to attend the school with students from the rest of Canada, the United States, and Britain, the twins smelled something funny. They glanced around and quickly spotted a couple across from them changing their baby’s dirty diaper. Unfortunately, during the diaper change, the baby was pricked with the diaper pin and started to scream and cry. When he was still crying ten minutes later, Roxy decided to ask the parents if she could hold him. She was thankful that the tricks she had learned in a YMCA babysitting course came in handy, and the baby settled right down.
The parents introduced themselves as Elna and Nels Strom and thanked Roxy for holding their baby. His name was Harry. Roxy said it was a pleasure, and while she and Ray were leaving the railcar, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She told her startled brother that she had just held the first Alberta-born premier. Harry Strom was born on July 7, 1914, and would be premier from 1968 to 1971.
When they arrived at the first-class railcar, there was a large blue and white sign on the door that read: first class guests only. Ray suggested that they go back to their seats and play crazy eights, but Roxy had a better idea. She pounded on the door of the first-class railcar to get some attention. A woman in a police uniform, Annie Jackson, the first woman police officer in Canada, opened the door. Annie advised the twins that not only was the first-class railcar out of bounds to them, but a very special wedding was about to take place and she had no time to talk. As she was closing the door, Roxy shouted out that she had sung the national anthem at the 10th anniversary and would be delighted to perform for the wedding ceremony as well.
Fortunately, Annie recognized Roxy from the celebrations the day before. She told the twins to sit tight while she talked to the bride to see if she was interested. Less than a minute later, the door swung open and Genevieve, the beautiful bride to be, greeted them with a warm smile and embrace. She said she would be delighted to have Roxy sing.
The twins entered the rail car and could not believe how beautiful it was. There was red carpeting and beautiful cherrywood furniture, as well as polished brass railings and fixtures throughout.
Genevieve made a point of introducing the twins to the special guests, many of whom were at the event the day before. They included Colonel Woods, Senator Lougheed, William Van Horne, Armand Trochu, and the Big Four. The new faces in the railcar included Noel Brooks, relative of the groom and very good friend of Mr. Van Horne’s, so much so that the railroad man named the town of Brooks after him; Byron Harmon, the wedding photographer famous for his early pictures of the Canadian Rockies; John George “Kootenai” Brown, who discovered Waterton, the site of Western Canada’s first producing oil well in 1902; the beautiful French bridesmaids, Kylie and Andrea Vinrouge; and the two groomsmen, Officer Marc Clement and Sir Richard Ellis, the poet. Finally, the twins were introduced to George Lloyd, the curly-haired Anglican Minister who would perform the wedding ceremony. He was one of a group of 2,000 people who had come over from Britain together and settled in a town that was named after him: Lloydminste
r, Alberta.
While the train was slowing down to pick up passengers at the Ponoka Station, the bride went through the music that she wanted Roxy to sing during the ceremony.
As the train was leaving Ponoka, Annie heard a loud knock on the door. When she opened it, a strange-looking man handed her a wedding invitation and proceeded past her into the railcar. As soon as he entered the car, he caught everybody’s attention, not only because he was wearing a rattlesnake-skin hat, belt, and boots, but also because he held a large cage in his right hand that contained four long, poisonous rattlesnakes. The snakes began rattling so loudly that you could hardly hear the train’s whistle blow!
Checking out the wedding ceremony program.
The groom to be, Warrant Officer Ron Nixon, said, “It’s okay, everybody. I want to introduce you to my favourite uncle, Big John, the Great Rattlesnake Hunter from Lethbridge.” Big John pulled out his rattlesnake-skin whip and silenced his pet snakes with one loud snap.
“Good afternoon, everybody,” Big John said. “I just finished performing at a country fair in Ponoka and was delighted that I could attend my nephew’s wedding on this here southbound train en route to my next show in Calgary. Let the ceremony begin!”
Everybody took their seat and Roxy started singing “Amazing Grace.” While she sang, the beautiful bride and her bridesmaids came down the aisle. Minister Lloyd of Lloydminster, who was not at all sinister, conducted the beautiful service, as the twins, the rattlesnakes, and Jasper sat very still. What followed the vows was Roxy’s favourite part of the service: the minister said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Warrant Officer Nixon, you may now kiss your beautiful bride.” But just as the bride closed her eyes and puckered up for a big kiss, three 2000-pound buffalo wandered onto the train tracks.
The train conductor had to slam on the brakes, which sent everybody in the bridal party flying. Unfortunately, the bride still had her eyes closed and lips puckered when she landed on the floor next to Jasper. The friendly dog couldn’t resist and gave her a big lick on the mouth. The bride’s eyes opened and she screamed out in horror, “Yuck! You’re not my husband!” The entire first-class railcar burst out laughing and even Genevieve couldn’t help but chuckle when she realized what had happened.
In all of the commotion, no one noticed that the cage that held the four rattlesnakes also went flying. It crashed into the back wall and broke wide open. The snakes were loose! When Big John saw the empty cage, he yelled for everybody to remain calm. This was easier said than done, as most wedding guests had already jumped onto their chairs and tables and were cursing Big John for bringing the snakes onto the train in the first place.
But Big John knew exactly what to do. He reached down into his big, black bag, pulled out his trumpet, and started playing the snakes’ favourite song, “When the Snakes Go Slithering In.” Within a few seconds, the crowd heard the rattlesnakes keeping beat while Big John played his horn. The snakes reappeared from underneath the curtains and slithered in rhythm back into the cage, to a collective sigh of relief. Big John fixed the broken door, and life in the first-class railcar returned to normal. The bride and groom were finally able to have their first kiss.
Chapter 10
The Holdup
After all the excitement, the guests enjoyed a relaxing visit with each other over coffee and wedding cake, while the bride and groom opened their wedding gifts. The gifts included a trip to the beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton from Kootenai Brown, Waterton Dominion Park’s first warden in 1911. They were also given a painting by the French painter Jean Millet, from the Van Horne family. Roxy explained that William Van Horne liked the painter so much that he named the town of Millet, Alberta, after him.
Roxy looked at her watch and told Ray it was one o’clock and they were due in Calgary in less than an hour. They both leaned back in the large, comfortable seats and decided to take a relaxing nap.
Twenty minutes later, the twins were jolted awake with the sound of a single gunshot. They jumped up from their seats, looked over, and saw that Annie had been shot in the derrière. All of the soldiers, including the groom and Colonel Woods, were face down on the floor. It was a robbery!
The ruthless gangsters responsible for the holdup were none other than Jack Dubois, the Cattle Rustler King of Alberta, and the unshaven, scruffy-looking Holt brothers. Jack told the wedding guests that they normally stole cattle but couldn’t resist holding up the wealthy first-class passengers attending the wedding, which they had read about in Bob Edwards’ Calgary Eye Opener, first published in 1904.
Buster “The Hustler” Holt, the shortest gang member of them all, instructed Roxy and the bride to collect all the guests’ wallets and jewellery and to put them in the saddlebag beside him.
As they were going through the railcar, Roxy noticed that Big John was nowhere to be seen. She thought that he must have been in the washroom when the outlaws arrived. They needed help! She asked Jack if she could go to the toilet.
When she got to the restroom area, she came face to face with the Rattlesnake Hunter. Big John whispered to her to remain calm and instructed her to somehow open the rattlesnake cage beside his seat. Once the door was open, she should slowly count to 60 and then scream as if her life depended on it. She reluctantly and nervously agreed.
Roxy left the washroom, collected the rest of the wallets and jewellery, and placed them in the saddlebag. As she was walked back to her seat, she knelt down to tie up her shoes in front of the snake cage. She carefully and quietly opened the door. Roxy then stood up and returned to her seat while counting to 60 in her head. She had been in her seat for only 10 seconds when she let out the loudest scream she could muster. As she screamed, Big John blew three loud, high notes on his trumpet from inside the washroom.
Within seconds, all four of the Dubois gang started yelling, “I’ve been bit by a snake!” They sounded like they were in terrible pain.
The shock and surprise of being bitten made the outlaws drop their guns. Fortunately, the quick-thinking groom and his groomsmen grabbed the weapons and pointed them back at the gang.
Big John then came out of the washroom to the cheers and applause of the guests, who realized that Big John was in fact a big hero! After a quick snap of the whip to get his pets back into their cage, he asked the Dubois gang two simple questions: Where were they bitten and when was the last time they’d bathed. As it turned out, all four were bitten in the armpit and not one of them had taken a bath in over five months!
Big John then told them that he had good news and bad news. The good news was that they wouldn’t die from a rattlesnake bite if they got help. The bad news was that they had to suck the poison out of each other’s smelly armpits and spit it out, or they might die after all.
Big John tried not to laugh as he said the four deserved a little privacy. The warrant officer, his groomsmen, and Ray escorted them back to the privacy of their own railcar where they were locked up all alone. All alone, that is, except for a railcar full of smelly cattle!
Luckily for police officer Annie, Dr. Andrew Henderson, Calgary’s first doctor, who had arrived on horseback in 1883, was on the train. He successfully removed the bullet from her backside. When the train arrived in Calgary, he escorted her to the Calgary General Hospital, which first opened in May 1895.
Train arriving in Calgary; railcar with 50th Regiment soldiers.
© Glenbow Archives: na-4355-38.
The twins got off the train and checked into the Palliser Hotel, which was named after John Palliser, the explorer. Fortunately, they had made a reservation from the Old Strathcona Hotel in Edmonton; otherwise, they would not have been able to get a room, because the hotel was completely full. Ray asked the doorman what time the parade would start. The doorman, dressed in his finest attire, looked at his pocket watch and told them it would start in less than half an hour.
The twins rushed up to t
heir room to unload some of their stuff. They didn’t want to miss a thing. By the time they returned to the lobby, they could hear the Calgary Exhibition parade coming their way.
Chapter 11
“Here Comes the Parade!”
The twins stepped outside onto the sidewalk facing Ninth Avenue. There were so many people watching the parade in front of the hotel that they decided to dash across the street and watch it from the steps of the Grain Exchange building, Calgary’s first skyscraper.
In front of the Pendleton Roundup Cowboys’ Band was James “Cappy” Smart, perched proudly on top of his fire truck. Roxy told her brother that, in 1898, Cappy became Calgary’s first fire chief, and that in the 35 years that he would hold the position of chief, he would also lead the parade. She also told Ray that his tombstone reads: “His last alarm has sounded.”
Following the fire truck and band, the Memorial Park Library float appeared. On the float and waving to the crowd was the chief librarian, Alexander Calhoun, surrounded by Sam Livingston’s 14 kids. Sam was Calgary’s first resident. According to Roxy, the sandstone Memorial Library was the first library building in Alberta and was funded mainly by the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. This was followed by the NWMP “F” Troop Float.
The next three floats had sports themes. First, there was the Grey Cup Championship float, which featured the entire Hamilton Tigers team, waving and celebrating their 1914 victory in the Canadian Football League.