(1845?-1905)
An ex-slave from
Texas, John Ware followed the expansion of the cattle ranching industry
westward until in 1882, he found his way to the foothills while driving
3000 head for the North-West Cattle Company. There, his prodigious
strength and remarkable horsemanship won him a reputation as a cowman
who drove himself as hard as his cattle, 
and whose friends claimed no horse could throw. Eventually settling on
his own ranch, Ware established himself as one of the best-loved and
most-respected frontier pioneers. During his lifetime, the face of the
prairie changed; the year of his death more than 30,000 homestead
entries were made in the newly created province of Alberta.
and whose friends claimed no horse could throw. Eventually settling on
his own ranch, Ware established himself as one of the best-loved and
most-respected frontier pioneers. During his lifetime, the face of the
prairie changed; the year of his death more than 30,000 homestead
entries were made in the newly created province of Alberta.
With his talent for ranching, he built up a
sizable cattle operation of his own and eventually became one of the
most famous cowboys in Canadian history. In September 1905 John Ware was
killed when his horse stumbled and fell on him, killing him instantly.