Great Find!!

[cswilson]

When I was a kid I used to spend hours reading my Dad's Animal Science Textbook from the U of S - it was written in 1936 by Grant Mackewan. Well was rummaging around today and I found it-talk about excited my wife couldn't believe it but I've wondered where that book went for years. Found a bunch of books of my Gramma's printed in the early 1800's also that she brought over from Scotland. Guess what I'll be reading tonight-it's soo cool looking at the breed standard pictures from that time. Some awesome draft horse stallions pictured in it plus a pretty good angus cow 'Lola of Moose Jaw' taken in 1931.

[cakadu]

CS, those types of books - like Grant McEwan's would be terrific to have and you've definitely struck a chord with me. Too often we forget about those good old breeds that had a number of great qualities that are just not found in today's breeding, which is why some of us raise breeds that are outside of the mainstream.

There is some talk of having a historical type of archive of the rare breeds and that is where books like yours would come in handy. I'm sure there are more of them around - one just has to know where to get them as they have long since been out of print.

Thanks for giving me a boost after a long day of fighting with my computer!!

[greybeard]

Books like those are a great resource for “holistic” management. They didn’t have any choice in those days. They were studied how to make it work without much help from modern chemicals and drugs. Most ideas were based on the sound science available at the time.
I have some of my fathers USDA “Yearbooks of Agriculture” from the 40’s and 50’s including one dedicated to grass. It’s amazing how everything comes around.

[BigMuddyrancher]

Great find Cory. When I went to colege at Olds, Grant McEwen lived down the hall from me and I didn't even know who this old fellow was but always said hello in passing. He was teaching a class in Alberta history at the time. A few years later was in municipal office with my Dad when 2 older gentlmen came walking up to office I said to Dad I know that man It was Grant and Stonewall Johnson from Smiley. Grant had gone to visit him and then they decided to travel down to see the Big Muddy together, Quite a pair. Michael

[cswilson]

Yeah a guy is lucky to meet some of those old fellas once or twice a lifetime the trouble is most of us never spend enough time visiting with them. Wayne Stevenson from Hobson, Montana was a great cattleman in my opinion too-always enjoyed any time spent talking cows with him-in fact was on my way to visit there the night he was shot. All those years I worked for Western Breeders- Bob Gordon was the sire selector-now there's a man with more anecdote's than Carter has liver pills-I'll never forget him telling us about this bull's great disposition and how he sure as hell didn't get it from his owner lol. Just a couple I've met a long the way that have taught me a few things-another great old cattleman was Bill Hunt from Endiang Alta. I worked for him just out of college had the best set of Charlolais cows I've seen-was just a good old cowboy who happened to own 400 purebred cows but he ran them right.

[cakadu]

Too often we don't appreciate the wisdom found in some of these great people. Thankfully, many of them write it down or pass it on to others, so that the knowledge doesn't disappear when they pass on.

I've always appreciated the wisdom that seniors possess and firmly believe that in the agriculture community we should be finding ways to set people such as the ones you are referring to - among others - up as mentors for all of the rest of us. The collective wisdom would likely do a great deal for all of us.

When I look at the generation today that doesn't really know how to cook unless it can go in a microwave or come out of the can it makes me really sad because that is truly something that goes into a family way of life. I used to always ask my nana how to cook things and she always had an answer. What will happen when they aren't around any more.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to have met Grant McEwan. At least I can read his books.

[BigMuddyrancher]

Cory ,I never met Wayne S. but my freind Dale Fellman was a good friend of Wayne's. He got a bull that Wayne wanted him to have at the time of his murder. The bull was sort of forgetten about for a few days in the confusion after the murder and in tough shape but came out of it OK. The bull was Basin Emulation C997.
Did you here that the fellow that shot him died in prison. Only after many appeals and 2 or 3 escapes. Michael

[cswilson]

That was such a bizarre trip I phoned Doug Stevenson and left a message that I's stop on way back from the Double Fork sale as we were running late-Doug never showed up at Double Fork the next day and John Robbins told me that there was trouble at ranch-then later he told me Wayne had been kidnapped by next A'M they'd found his body. I phoned the Canadian Angus office and told them the news and they didn't believe me at first. The thing I like about Wayne is he'd visit with you for hours about cows whether you were going to spend thousands at his sale or were just there to watch. Spent a fun night with his brother Rick in the Hobson hotel one night -he's a real character.