The Big Bad Black White Man

This was the Blackfoot Indian name for John Ware, the first Black-man seen in Alberta by the natives. Well to the South of the "Medicine Line", in the USA, there were a large number of Black Cowboys and the US Cavalry had Black Regiments. The natives called the Black Soldiers "Buffalo Soldiers" because of their tight curly hair, which reminded them of that of the Buffalo. Have you ever heard the western folk song "Buffalo Girl Can You Come Out Tonight"(and dance by the light of the moon...)? This song refers to the Black ladies courted by the Buffalo soldiers. The song "TheYellow Rose of Texas" is in reference to a beautiful Black Girl who was greatly admired in Texas. The Wild West period only lasted a few years after the civil war ended and slavery was abolished. This was the time of the great cattle drives up to the railway towns. And the Hollywood Cowboy era.

John Ware was a very intelligent man, an agile boxer and a slave until the end of the Civil War. It was then that freedom allowed him to leave the Carolinas. He headed west and, in Texas, became an expert Cowboy. Cowboying was a tough, dirty, dangerous job. John hired on with the Northwest Cattle Company (NWCC) to drive a large herd to the "Bar-U Ranch". Now a Canadian National Historic Site, the ranch is situated south of Calgary on Hwy. 22X ,close to Longview. The large, long ridge separating 22X from #2 Hwy. is John Ware Ridge. The whole area was Indian buffalo hunting area. Today there are Elk, Buffalo Ranches and even Ostrich farms along the ridge. When the NWCC and John arrived in this valley, the land sold for pennies an acre. For those of you familiar with the excellent Video movie "Lonesome Dove" you will recall the story of the big herds coming from Texas to Canada. The Black character Deets could well be a close comparison to John Ware.


The Ware Family, John, Mildred Robert and Nettie

John had trouble locating a Black lady for a bride, but soon luck brought him in touch with a charmer by the name of Mildred Lewis. Many good friends from north of Calgary and clear down to Montana celebrated their union. John was considered one of the best stockmen in the West and could ride any horse you wanted broke. He was a particular favorite with the young cowboys for his quite advice and great sense of humor. Mildred had a genteel grace and strength that welded the family together. Her beautiful singing voice would mesmerize those within earshot as she worked, rode along or attended church.

They homesteaded and ran about 3000 wild and woolly critters south of Calgary along Sheep Creek. In those days, everyone had to pitch in at Round Up time and spring calving. There was no color barrier as life was survival on the Great Plains.

The Indians had great respect for John and his family and traded tanned furs and "Shagganapi" (rawhide) for use by the family. . John and Mildred, with children in tow, were in regular attendance at the local log church, which still stands today up on the hill overlooking the Millarville Race Track. Once, on the way home from church with Mildred's family in the buggy with them, the horses were hit with a bolt of lighting and killed. John calmly got down, unhitched the team and pulled the wagon full of kinfolk home by his brute strength.

John enjoyed pitting his strength against the large, half-wild steers and would wrestle them to the ground for branding or dehorning. He was not a bully, but when one met John one knew one was talking to a very tough hombre!

One day in 1905, while he and his son were moving some cattle out on the range, John's horse tripped in a Badger hole, reared up and fell over backwards onto John, driving the saddle horn through his chest. Instant death!

John was a great loss to the ranching community and Mildred could not run the ranch with only one son and daughter, so they sold out and went to live in Calgary where John had been buried in the Union Cemetery. http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/parks_operations/cemeteries/history.html You'll learn a great deal about the early days in Calgary at this site. John was honoured by the naming of a school after him and there are few Calgarians that do not know "The Big Bad Black White Man" as the Blackfoot nation called him. He was a man among men!


John Ware circa 1845-1905

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