Stop a steer head on and wrestle it to the ground? That’s just one story from the legendary life of Canadian cowboy John Ware. He could ride, shoot—and eat–as befits a legend. Some said he could cross a herd of cattle on their backs and easily lift small cows.
No wild horse could throw him and when he invented a way to stop a steer from atop a horse instead of meeting it head on, it became a rodeo event. Steer wrestling is still highlight of the annual Calgary Stampede.
Born a slave, either near Georgetown, South Carolina or somewhere in Tennessee, depending on your source, newly free John headed to Texas immediately after the Civil War made him free. He quickly learned the skills of a rancher, riding, roping, handling cattle and horses. He helped drive a herd of cattle from Texas up to Montana then, in 1882 Northwest Cattle Company hired him to bring 3000 head up to Alberta.
One of the first black men in the region, John didn’t escape racism. He also refused to let it bother him.
He found work with several Alberta ranches and then established his own ranch near the Red Dear River. He married Mildred Lewis and together they raised five kids.
They moved their operation from the Calgary region to Duchess, Alberta, and when a spring flood destroyed their home they rebuilt on higher ground and kept going.
In 1905 pneumonia took Mildred.
Just a few months later, John’s horse found a badger hole the hard way, tripped and fell crushing and killing the cowboy legend.