Ware, John National Historic Person
Longview, Alberta
John Ware, rancher, ca. 1902-1903
(© Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary | Avec la permission de Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, Université de Calgary / CU174691)
Address :
Longview, Alberta
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2022-04-14
Life Date:
1850 to 1905
Other Name(s):
-
John Ware (ca.1850-1905)
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Black cowboy who forged a successful ranching career despite racism, rough frontier conditions, and having been enslaved
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Saddlehorse Barn, Bar U Ranch National Historic Site of Canada, Longview, Alberta
John Ware was a Black cowboy who forged a successful ranching career despite racism, rough frontier conditions, and having been enslaved. After entering the District of Alberta in 1882 on a trail crew driving thousands of cattle to the site of the Bar U Ranch, he wrangled the herds of large ranching outfits before building his own ranch with his wife Mildred and their children. He achieved success in a white-dominated industry largely controlled by well-financed corporations. Ware’s generosity and superior skill as a cowboy earned him an enduring reputation and a prominent place in the mythology of the Canadian West.