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The “Roaring Game” History of the Cochrane Curling Club Written by Ernie Trosch, based on information provided by the Club Excerpts from the minutes provide some interesting information. The Cochrane Curling Club started in 1913. A meeting was held on December3rd form the purpose of organization a curling club. R.J. McNamee moved that the secretary communicate with the Calgary and Banff Clubs to purchase some second-hand rocks. A membership fee of $5.00 was established. Expenses for the first year of operation were as follows: Rocks $125.25 Curling in the early days In the early days the curling rules were not yet cast in stone and disputes were fairly common. Evidence of this is a motion by the Club, on December 10, 1914, state that any disputes arising during a game be settled at the first meeting following the dispute. Various stories talk about the rocks being different shapes and sizes. The weight of the rocks ranged anywhere from 35lbs. to 52 lbs. Many members owned their own rocks and some belonged to the Club. The rocks were always locked in a special box at the rink. Apparently Ernie Dickie had a set of 52 lbs. rocks. Cyril Camden said, “when they went through the house they just kept on going”. D. Whittle believes that young Dave Murray used his dad’s rocks. They were taller and narrower than the rest. They could go through ports and other rocks could not go through. A pair of black granite rocks, weighing35lbs., were once owned by Father Hermes. According to a story by Cyril Camden, the early rocks did not have numbers. In order to distinguish them the curlers made pom poms which slipped over the handle. It is also interesting to note that shavings and saw dust were used to form the base for the ice. The curling rink just east of St. Andrews Church had a Quonset type structure and was also used for other functions, such as wrestling matches, fund raisers, moccasin dances and roller skating. The rink on 1st Avenue was used for skating on one occasion to prevent the ice from building up. The kids could skate for a dime from 7 – 9pm. Aileen Copithorne recalls a trip to a bonspiel in Banff. Back then you had to bring your own rocks. They were all packed I boxes in the trunk of a car. ON the way home they hit some black ice and Aileen says, “there were rear-enders everywhere”. Fortunately their car had hardly any damage because the guy behind hit a trunk with 4 boxes of rocks. On other occasions the rocks were shipped by train.
Old curling stories by Ed Beynon Memories by Ed Beynon tell us that the very first rink was an outdoor rink with one sheet of ice. It was located at the east end of town, south of the Big Hill Lodge. During bonspiels the skating rink, on the grounds where the Holy Spirit School is located today, was also used for curling. There were time when Ed would walk two miles from home, down Horse Creek road to the 1 A highway, to catch a ride with Bill Brasseur and Harry Coleman, his team members. They would curl 10 ends, then ride back to the Horse Creek road and Ed would walk home again from there. His father, William Beynon, hauled water for the ice, first form the river and later form the Creamery, in a wooden water tank pulled by a team of horses. Bob Hogwarth would fill four 45gallon drums which were standing n the walkway between the two sheets. After dumping the barrels, two for each sheet, Bob would take the mail to Bottrel. By the time he returned the water would be frozen. Bob also remembers curling in a bonspiel one day at 10:00am. Where they started it was -30F. After the game he had to go home to do chores and when he stepped outside the snow was melting. Recollections by Gordon Hall The “Roaring Game”, as Gordon Hall called it, was played on natural ice in the second rink which was located on First Avenue, next to the blacksmith shop. There were two sheets of ice with a boardwalk between the sheets. The scoreboard was a blackboard for each sheet and the score was marked with a piece of chalk. If it was -30Foutside, it was -30F inside the heavy clothing had to be worn, complete with overshoes. Getting to the rink was sometimes a problem because of deep snow and the cold. Most people in town walked o the rink, those from the country rode saddle horses. Earl Whittle and Bob Hogarth came from Horse Creek in a horse drawn cutter with an enclosed box, complete with a door and a little stove to keep warm. There was a little slit in the front for the reins from the team. Gordon remembers one bonspiel when the roads were blocked. Ed Thompson lived about 5 miles south of town. Bill Andison Jr. flew his little plane out and picked up Ed to curl. D.P. Mac Donald used to ride in from the Mount Royal Ranch, a distance of about 15 miles each way. Bonspiels were the highlight of the season. Prizes were mostly donated by local businesses and merchants. There would be4 blankets, 4 flashlights, 4 gallons of Prestone Antifreeze or a ton of coal tobe divided among 4 players. Teams would come all the way from Calgary, Canmore, Banff and other places. By 1930 the Club was tired of hauling water and decided to dig awell. The only spot available was in the coal in the south –east corner of the curling rink. Bailey’s Bakery building was on the north side of the curling rink. Whoever was digging the well struck a massive rock about 4 feet down. To overcome the problem some dynamite was bought and Arthur Kirkland from Cochrane Lake was hired to blow up the rock. Baron Cyvossey had a Tiger Moth airplane which he used to fly up the river from his home at the Bow River Horse Ranch. On this day Baron was flying at about 200 feet over the town and as luck would have it the dynamite cut loose just as he approached the curling rink. Kirkland was a good well man, but he must have used enough dynamite to blow up half of Cochrane. Ricks and pieces of roof went skyward and there wasn’t a war vet who wasn’t lying under a wagon or a car. Everyone though that Baron had dropped a bomb. The curling rink finally got it well at a depth of 100 feet. The roof was repaired and an electric pump installed. Frost used to hang from the ceiling. If someone threw a fast rock and hit the end boards all the frost would land on the ice. Whenever they had fungames it was customary to go to the blacksmith shop after about the third end for a little drink and then come back and finish the game.
Old memories by Cyril Camden Cyril recalls that at the end of each year, all teams were redrawn fora mixed bonspiel. The prizes consisted of groceries such as a box of apples, tins of coffee, 10 lbs of sugar, a great big block of cheese, a ton of coal, 10 lbs of butter. Curlers used heavy-handled brooms. Dave Murray used to sell them for$1.25, the Hardware store would charge $1.50. The brooms were normally retired after one season and then used for cleaning and rug beating. Normal curling clothing consisted of a heavy white wool sweater, oxfords,spats and toe rubbers were the usual footwear. Some wore Scotch tams. The second curling rink was located on First Avenue, approximately where the Senior Center is today. It had two sheets of ice with a club room. There were benches for spectators. At times certain matches drew a considerable crowed, usually determined by the intensity of the game. There was a cook stove n the clubroom. Besides a cooking surface the stove provided heat and also had a reservoir which was used to heat water for pebbling the ice. IN the 1947 bonspiel at Banff Cyril Camden played with Bill Boothby and Steve and Paul Makaluk. They won 8straight games. But there were a totalof 7 teams entered from Cochrane and they were the only team that did not win a prize. The bonspiel had to be interrupted because of a sudden Chinook. The spiel was finally completed one week later. Warren Cooper had three big Swedes on his team. They had a barrel of black rum at each end of the ice. Each time before throwing a rock, they would take a little snort. They did not seem very steady on their feet anymore and Cyril thought it would be an easy game, but much to his surprise he ended up on the losing side. There were no block heaters in the old cars. Every couple of ends the curler would have to go out and start their cars which were covered with blankets to keep them warm. When they arrived back home the water had to be drained from the radiator until the car was used again. In the old days, curling was not just a sporting activity, it was also an important social function for the town. People that never curled would come and watch certain games. Some curlers’ were very serious about it. When Billie Davies played Bob Chapman there would usually be a room full of people. Andy Chapman lost to Bob Chapman one night and Andy escaped through aside window to avoid the crowd in the club house. According to some stories you could mention a game 6 months later and they would have it all set out on the table with all kinds of utensils and they would replay the exact shots all over again. If there wasn’t curling in the old building you could always find a game of crib or checker. The curling rink was an important gathering place for the community. Old Minutes reveal more interesting facts 1914 Discussions were held with Tho’s Quigley regarding the poor condition of the ice. Tenders for ice were received from Tho’s Quigley and Bert Johnson. Mr. Quigley offered ice for $125.00 for 25 members. 1915 The Club explored the possibility of putting a new roof on the rink. A committee of 5 members was established to investigate the cost of lots and a new rink. A Board of Trustees was elected and authorized to purchase property tobe registered in the name of the Cochrane Curling Club. 1916 Rev. Burns moved that Charles Peyto be appointed skip to represent Cochrane at the Banff bonspiel and that Bert Johnson, Jas Loughery and J.A.Morrison be accepted as members for the team. There were 36 active members registered at $10.00/member. The cost for electricity was $4.00. Honorary members who were serving in the war were remembered with a Christmas card. Geo. Raby’s offer of $10.00 to remove about one foot of earth from the rink was accepted. Thos. Quigley was instructed to arrange for better lighting – 5x 100’s and 2 x 60’s. The following expense were incurred during the 1916/17 season: Christmas cards for overseas $2.25 Lumber for Shack $59.81 Load of posts for curling shed $6.00 Electric light $5.00 1917 The club decided to go with one sheet of ice and appointed Mr. Simpsonand Mr. Babtie, as members of the Finance Committee, to investigate the cost ofa building to cover the ice and feasibility of improving the present building. Due to an increase in memberships, the Club decided against erecting anew building in 1917 and go instead to two sheets of ice. 1918 President Andison explained that there is a desire to have new quarters for curling. At a special meeting it was agreed to purchase a building for $600.00 with payments of $100/ year until paid in full. This was likely for the site near the present Seniors Centre on First Avenue. To raise money for the first payment, a dance was proposed and a committee was established to organize a dance on May 3rd. W.H. Robinson purchased the old curling ground for $80.00. A special meeting was held in the Council Chambers for the purpose of disposing old lumber belonging to the Club. It was determined that the following equipment was required: One scraper, a sheepskin, a tank for hot water and a sprayer for pebbling the ice. A petition was received form interested Ladies curlers. A decision was deferred until ice contractors were interviewed. 1919 The report from Executive, regarding curling for ladies, was considered and approved. It was also moved that ladies be responsible for any damage to rocks as well as damage done by them during a game. Communication was read form H. Raby requesting permission to use No. 6rocks during Banff bonspiel. The old property, owned by the Club, was to be raffled off at a special dance. Tickets sold for $.50. Financial Statement for the 1918/19 Season: Receipts: $10.00/member, proceeds from dance $273.85 Expenses: Supplies for dance $2.95 Meat for dance $9.00 Music for dance (Chapman) $12.00 Taxes for 1918 $17.85 Phone $1.50 2Funeral wreaths $20.00 New Ice Men – Mortimer and Beynon 1920 Owing to financial condition of the Club it was agreed that economy wherever possible be practiced. It was thought advisable to dispense with further services of Ice Caretaker. At the Annual General Meeting the President presented the financial statement for the current year, showing a deficit of $347.97. Memberships count increased to 47 at $10.00/member. 1921 The financial statement for the 1920/21 season showed a substantial cash balance on hand. A. Baptie moved that the officers of the Club try to obtain part of lot owned by G. Hope for a third sheet of ice. Competition for the Simpson Cup took place in Banff. 1934 The Prime Minister R.W. Bennett donated 4 easy chairs as first prize 1948 Moved to have mixed curling. Dues were set at $8.00 for all adults. 1951 Moved that the water line be brought to the rink when available Mrs. J Hogarth, on behalf of proposed Ladies Curling Club, summarized plans to form a separate Ladies Club. Request granted. 1953 Bearspaw curlers announced they would stay in Cochrane and assist all they could with the new rink. Construction started on the 3rd rink with 3 sheets of ice. Total cost was less than $15,000. This rink was located just east of the St. Andrews Church. 1954 Investigated the cost of artificial ice. ($15,000 - $23,000) however, the club Executive decided to defer a decision for another year. Proceeds from 2 donated calves were put toward entertainment committee. 1955 Moved that the ladies and men curl together on mixed rinks if members wish to. Skips to pick their own rinks. 1957 Curling rink was used on the summer for horseshoes and Bingos to raise money for artificial ice. 1959 Artificial ice was installed and financed through the sale of debentures. Jail wardens asked for permission to enter two tears from the jail. 1961 Ed Davidson, manager of the Cochrane Hotel, offered to donate atrophy. It became the men’s league trophy. 1967 Motion made to cost out heaters for the ice area. 1976 Some curler gathered in Gordon Maththews’ basement for the purpose offorming a seniors league. Over a period of 5 years the Horseshoe club made a profit of $200 form selling coffee at $.10cup. The Club donated half of this amount $1000.00 to the senior curler for seed money. A year or two later another meeting took place in Gordon Matthews’ basement to resurrect the Simpson Cup competition. This competition was discontinued for many years because of hard times. The Cup was rediscovered in somebody’s attic in Banff and suddenly there was renewed interest. The cup was named after Jimmy Simpson, a well know outfitter n the Lake Louise area. This annual competition is still ongoing to this day between Banff, Canmore, Springbank and Cochrane. 1978 Jack Steel passed away and left a very generous bequest of $40,000 to the Curling Club. 1985 The rink on 1st Street East, near St. Andrews Church, was in use until 1985 when the Club moved to a new rink on 5tyh Avenue with 4 sheets of ice. This rink is still in use today but will have to make room for a larger facility some day. |