Not many people know where there great grandparents were living a century ago, but for the Scott family that knowledge gave them reason to celebrate.
Just four kilometres east of La Corey, on Range Road 453A, there's a small farm with a big history. Through four generations, the Scott family has been raising cattle and growing wheat on the same land for 100 years.
Multiple generations of family members, and friends, gathered at the farm to mark the momentous occasion on Saturday, sharing stories and looking through old photographs.
“It's unbelievable that we could stick with it for 100 years. Every generation has said ‘if it doesn't rain tomorrow we're going to be broke' or ‘if the cattle prices don't change, we're not going to survive next year'. I remember my grandfather telling me that before I was 10-years-old,” said Murray Scott, who currently runs the farm.
He added, “We're still going. It's quite an amazing thing that we were able to keep the farm in the family and keep someone interested. I have friends my age in their 40s and 50s that would love to have a farm, but they left the farm when they were in their 20s to make big money and when their parents retired they sold the farm. You can't just go out, buy 10 quarters of farm land and start farming, you have to build that up over a lifetime.”
That's just what the Scott family did, starting with Murray's great grandfather who immigrated to Canada from England. He first put his roots in Dalroy, just outside of Calgary, where he worked for the railway.
When Murray's grandfather William Scott, who was commonly known as W.S. Scott, was in his late teens, the family decided to make the move north. It was then, in 1916, that they settled on the farm outside of La Corey.
“My grandfather homesteaded a quarter on one side of the road and my great grandfather homesteaded the quarter across the road. They brought some cattle with them and that's how they got started,” explained Murray.
William Scott and his wife had seven kids on the farm. While the work kept them busy, he still made time to be an active part of the community.
“He established the Lakeland School Board, hospital boards, he was an MD councillor and reeve for a while. He kept himself very busy,” noted Murray.
Eventually, it was Murray's father Lenard and uncle Elton who kept the farm running and in the family.
“Farming is my whole life,” said Lenard. “Dad just quit and we took it over, me and Elton, around 1976. I think we concentrated more on making a living then beautifying the place. I made a living off of it and dad did, too, so I guess it's not a bad place.”
Elton expressed that he was quite pleased to see the family farm keep the same last name for 100 years.
“It just feels good, I guess we accomplished something. I've been on the farm all my life. I was never really away from it since I was 16 and quit school.”
Six years ago, Murray stopped working in the oil patch to return to the farm full time, allowing his dad Lenard and uncle Elton to retire – though they both still reside on the farm and lend a hand when needed.
From the two quarter sections that his grandfather and great grandfather homesteaded on, the Scott family farm has grown to about 10 quarters with 140 cows and some grain, depending on how the market looks.
“When you're here every day it doesn't seem like much has changed, but when you look back at the pictures you realize the original cow barn is gone. There's been quite a few changes,” said Murray, adding that they have kept some of the original buildings around.
“The log shed at the corner of the property was here when my grandfather came, the original farm house is here but we've opened the end up and put tractors in there now. We've kept a lot of that stuff around, for sentimental value I guess.”
Murray doesn't have any children himself to take it over, but he's hoping his nephews will show an interest in keeping his family's farm in the family.
While they're not sure what the future holds, Murray knows his grandfather would be glad to see it's made it this long.
“He'd be very happy I'm sure. He's up there somewhere smiling at this event.”
