Homer Treadway was born May 1st 1865 and passed away August 27th, 1967 at the age of 102. He never married.
During Homer's lifetime; some of the events that took place were World Wars I and II and the Korean War. Also events that took place, locally, were the Frank Slide and the Hillcrest Explosion. Alberta became a province of Canada in 1905.
Homer lived a interesting life as described in excepts from Under the Chinook Arch: a history of Cayley and surrounding areas (
visit link)
Homer Treadway and Kurt Williamson
Horner Treadway has the distinction of being the oldest Irving pioneer of this district. When Canada became a nation he was already two years old. He was born in Nebraska on May 1st, 1865 - the last year of the Civil War. As a young man he ranched in the Bitter Root Valley of Montana.
In 1900, Homer and his brother came to High River looking for land but, owing to bad weather, were unable to locate and returned to Montana. Four years later Homer and his brother Fred and their bother.in-law Kurt Williamson drove with team and wagon from Victor, Montana to take up homesteads on three quarters of section 9-18-29-W4 in the Last Chance district. They built a sod shack then Kurt and Fred returned to Montana for the winter.
In 1905, they brought Kurt's wife Lillie May, her other brother George and their mother Mrs. Treadway to the homestead. When they got off the train Kurt was very ill and was immediately quarantined with smallpox. He was the first patient to use the small isolation hospital which was maintained for many years on the east side of High River. He told later how lonesome he was - no one but the doctor was allowed to see him for six weeks. After he had improved he bundled up at night and walked to the cemetery where he was sure he would not hurt anyone. His family had rented a house in town and spent the winter there.
After a few years George Treadway moved to Spokane. Fred Treadway and the mother died here and were buried in High River. A two story house was built on the farm and Kurt and Lillie May raised at family of three. Charlie and Fred married sisters from England after the 1914-18 war.
Homer Treadway never married and lived with his sister and Kurt and the men farmed together.
In 1964 he entered Glenbow Auxiliary Hospital, where he celebrated his 100th birthday in 1965. Many of his old friends and neighbors attended his birthday party. His 101st birthday was celebrated at Mayfair Nursing Home, again write-ups in the papers and his old friends were there to wish him well.
A timeline is provided highlighting events that took place during Homer Treadway's lifetime.
1865 - May 1st Homer Treadway was born in Nebraska
1866 - Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia are combined into one colony named British Columbia
1867 - July 1st Canada becomes a nation
1869 - The Métis of Red River rebel, under Louis Riel
1871 - July 20 - British Columbia joins Confederation
1875 - Bell's first functioning telephone is demonstrated in Boston
1878 - Anti-Chinese sentiment in B. C. reaches a high point: government bans Chinese workers from public works
1883 - Standard time zones forms by railroads in US & Canada
1885 - Battle of Batoche, French Canadians rebel against Canada
1885 - The last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway is driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia
1889 - The Canadian Pacific Railway is completed from coast to coast
1890 - Canada and Bermuda are linked by telegraph cable
1896 - Gold is discovered in the Klondike
1897 - Construction begins on Crowsnest Pass railway
1899 - First Canadian troops sent to participate in the Boer War in South Africa
1900 - Homer and his brother came to High River looking for land
1900 - Reginald Fessenden transmits the world's first wireless spoken message via radio
1902 - The first symphony orchestra in Canada
1903 - April 29th at 4:10 am Frank Slide: over 90 million tons of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain within 100 seconds, obliterating the eastern edge of Frank. It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and remains the deadliest
1905 - Alberta becomes a province of Canada
1907 - Canada Dry Ginger Ale is first bottled
1907 - Proclamation sets fineness & weight of silver & bronze coins of Canada
1908 - Anne of Green Gables is published by author Lucy Maud Montgomery
1908 - Canadian branch of the Royal Mint opens in Ottawa
1910 - Royal Canadian Navy formed
1914 - June 19th at 9:30 am Hillcrest mine disaster occurred; the worst coal mining disaster in Canadian history. 189 workers died
1914 - The First World War begins Britain declares war on Germany on behalf of the British Empire, including Canada
1917 - Women won right to vote
1917 - 1921 Alcohol prohibition
1919 - Canadian National Railways established
1920 - New Canadian small cent coin is released
1924 - The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed
1927 - To celebrate Canada's Diamond jubilee the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast is made
1929 - Women are considered "Persons" under Canadian law
1934 - The birth of the Dionne quintuplets attracts international media attention
1938 - FDR dedicates Thousand Islands Bridge connecting US & Canada
1939 - In WW II Canada declared war on Germany
1941 - Japanese interred in B C interior after bombing of Pearl Harbor
1942 - Over 22,000 Canadians of Japanese descent are stripped of non- portable possessions
1958 - Wooden Roller Coaster at Playland - Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver - opened
1964 - Oil Sands development at Fort McMurray began
1965 - Homer Treadway celebrated his 100th birthday at the Glenbow Auxiliary Hospital
1965 - Maple Leaf becomes official flag of Canada
1967 - August 27, Homer Treadway passed away at the age of 102
The High River Cemetery is a very large cemetery with approximately 5,700 interments and is within Foothills County. The cemetery is still in use with interments in 2015. There is a Field of Honour dedicated to Veterans from the area.
In 2010 the High River Museum held its first tour of the cemetery and continues to be an annual event.
There are several well-known persons interred here included is: Guy Weadick, the originator of the world famous Calgary Stampede. The first Calgary Stampede was held from September 2nd - 7th, 1912. There were over 1.3 million attendees in 2014 and those numbers continue to increase annually.
Also interred is world renowned opera singer Odette de Foras