AHOF Members archive

Norman Criddle was born in Addlestone, Surrey, England and came to Canada with his parents in 1882. The Criddle family established a homestead at Aweme, Manitoba. Criddle was well known for his lifelike drawings of flowers and insects. Proof of his skill exists in abundance. His talent led him to collaboration with Dr. James Fletcher on the book Farm Weeds of Canada and later Fodder and Pasture Plants. In the grasshopper outbreak of 1902, Criddle became prominent by producing the Criddle Mixture. This poison mixture was accepted by the Dominion Department of Agriculture as a proven weapon against grasshoppers. In that same year, he was hired by the government to travel from place to place showing farmers how to use...

Sen. Thomas Alexander Crerar was born on a farm in Huron County, Ontario in 1876. At age five, he came west with his parents to homestead in the Silver Creek District near Russell. There he received his schooling to age 12, helped on the farm and worked for others. He obtained his teacher’s certificate, teaching in local schools until he was able to acquire a quarter-section of Hudson Bay Company land. He farmed with his wife, Jessie Hamilton, worked for others and operated a sawmill for several years. He was hired as manager of the Farmer’s Elevator at Russell and bought grain for a Winnipeg firm, Graves & Reilly. When Grain Growers Company formed in 1906, Crerar became interested, attending...

Almon James Cotton was born in 1858 near Port Hope, Ontario. In 1880, he married Esther Louise Ford and thus was established a life-long partnership. Her constant support and encouragement was a strong, binding element for their union. Life for this couple began on a small inherited acreage. However, the West was quite enticing, so in 1888, he sold the farm and moved his young family to Treherne, Manitoba. For 10 years, Cotton very successfully grew excellent crops on rented land. He was able to improve the yield of his wheat crops to such a degree that he became known as the “Wheat King” of Manitoba. His thoughts turned to the promise of the newly opened up area of the...

John Murray Cormack was born and raised on a family farm at Rossburn, Manitoba. He obtained a BSA from the University of Manitoba, an MSc from the University of Nebraska and a PhD from Iowa State University. Murray and Catherine (nee Crookshank) raised four sons: Ron, Ken, Neil and David. From 1957 to 1959, Murray was employed by Manitoba Department of Agriculture (MDA) as an Agricultural Representative in Swan River. Following post-graduate studies in the US, Murray became Senior Economist with the Manitoba Economic Consultative Board. In 1967, he rejoined MDA, first as Assistant Deputy Minister and then a year later as Deputy Minister. Murray’s review of Agricultural Services led to a major reorganization of the department and the implementation...

Edward James Connery was born and raised in St. Vital where his parents operated a market garden and greenhouse. He received his formal education at Glenlawn Collegiate. Ed and wife, Beverley Sager, have four children: Doug, Jackie, Jeff and Tim. In the late 1950s, Ed began looking around the province for an area more suited to vegetable production than the heavy clay soils of the Red River Valley. He decided that Portage la Prairie presented the best combination of soil, climate and location for large-scale mechanized production. In 1960 Ed established Riverdale Farms along the Assiniboine River near Portage la Prairie. Ed was an industry leader in mechanizing the harvesting of carrots, onions and rutabagas, as well as their bulk...

Francis John Collyer was born February 18, 1865 at Rye, Sussex, England. He came to Canada in 1882 and was one of the first farmers in the Welwyn district, where he homesteaded. He, his wife, Jane Traquair and their son and daughter lived on Houghton Farm for the better part of their lives. Collyer was the first secretary-treasurer of the Welwyn Farmer’s Elevator Company. He was the main organizer of the company and through his efforts, the company obtained a building site. In 1913, he was elected director of the Grain Growers Grain Company and after 1916, as a director of the United Grain Growers, serving in this capacity until 1944. He was a leader and a member of the...

Ida Elva Cochrane was born on February 28, 1908 on the Thornbeck Farm in Shoal Lake Municipality, Manitoba. As second eldest of six children she grew up working hard on the farm. She took care of the horses, which included breaking colts for riding and driving. At thirteen she was driving a team and pitching sheaves at harvest time. Elva and her family experienced many hardships including two separate fires. After their house burned, her father and brother lived in the pump-house over the winter and Elva stayed with neighbours. She built a horse-drawn toboggan to drive to their farm each morning to cook for the men before driving the school van. Adding to the family’s hardships were epidemics of...

Douglas Roy Clark was born and raised in the Brandon area. He is the second son of Roy and Jessie Clark and grew up on their farm at 6-11-19w. He received his early education at Poplar Hill School in the R M of Daly, and later attended Brandon College. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Radar Division, spending several years in Iceland. After his discharge he returned to the staff of the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Virden. However, poultry farming became his keen ambition. In 1948 he built a combined hatchery and living quarters on twenty acres of land on 18th Street North in Brandon. He hatched his first chicks in 1951, producing a total of 11,000...