Remembering our roots ~ Muriel McKinnon

Times Contributor

 

The Donald McKinnon family arrived in Ontario from Tiree, a small island on the west coast of Scotland in 1847. In 1886, grandson Lachlin McKinnon took the CPR train from Priceville, Ont. to the end of the line at Calgary.  

Here he got a job with General Strange at the M.C.C. (Military Colonization Company) just east of what is now Carseland. 

Keith McKinnon was a grandson of Lachlin, and was born in Majorville (east of Milo). His dad was working at the XL Ranch at the time. This was part of the LK Ranch and Farming Co., which was family owned. His parents, Don and Kay, moved from Majorville to Carseland in 1932, and formed one of the earliest family farming companies, Kenwynn Farms Ltd in 1950. They later moved to Calgary in 1957, where Don established McKinnon Farm and Ranch Management, a consulting firm.

Keith attended school at Carseland, until Grade 12, followed by two years at both Olds Agricultural College and SAIT. Following graduation he returned to the family farm, just east of Carseland.

Muriel’s grandparents on her mother’s side, Leslie and Jane (Warrack) McKenzie moved to Spokane, Wash. in 1910, then to Alberta in 1912, from Fintray, a village just north of Aberdeen, Scotland. Her father Fred Reasbeck, was born in Vankleek Hill, Ont. and came west to Alberta in 1919, to visit his brother, but stayed to work for a local farmer, north of Lyalta. After 10 years, he was able to purchase some land of his own in the same area, from the CPR. He married Jessie McKenzie in 1936. This marriage produced two children – Muriel born in 1937, and Gerald born in 1941. Muriel attended a one teacher, one room country school called Bryn Mawr through Grade 7, before being bused to Strathmore High School. She then attended the University of Calgary where she attained her teacher’s certificate, and returned to Carseland, where she was hired to teach Grade 3 and 4.

She and Keith met at a dance, and they were married at Scarboro United Church in Calgary in July 1958. They had to arrange for the wedding to take place between spring seeding and harvest time! 

This marriage produced two sons, Wayne whose wife is Allison, and Brian married to Teri. There are now six grandchildren – Lachie, Jordan, Kyle, Sarah, Kate and Connor.

The original McKinnon house at Carseland, is now located just north of Strathmore Municipal Library, and belongs to Gene and Elizabeth Struiksma.

Maarten Hoogesteger, Elizabeth’s father, moved the house from Kenwynn Farms to its current location in 1967. Muriel’s brother, Gerald, is retired from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, part of the Federal Government in Ottawa. His wife, Linda, was head of the Home Economics Department at Kemptville Agricultural College.

Over the years, the family continued to grain farm and increase their cattle operations. In 1970, they were among the first to import Limousin bulls and heifers from France. This was followed by more females in the following years. Kenwynn Farms reputation continued to grow, and soon they were exporting cattle and embryos around the world. In 1987, they established the first two-year-old Limousin bull sale at High River. Since then, the focus has changed from purebred and commercial cattle to a custom feedlot and more intensive grain farming.

There was an old gravel pit on Kenwynn Farms, and around 1997 they were approached by a golf course developer, who wished to purchase this area. After much discussion, Kenwynn Farms sold the land to the developer, and the result is the beautiful Speargrass Golf Course and residential development overlooking the Bow River valley.

Keith and Muriel enjoyed volunteer work. He started as a Charter Member of the Carseland Lions Club, leader of the Carseland 4–H Beef and Heifer Club, Master of both Strathmore Masonic Clubs, Chairman of Strathmore & District Recreation Board, and President of Strathmore Minor hockey. He was a long time volunteer with the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, where he served as a Director, then President in 1991 and 1992. He was also a Director of the Western Heritage Centre, President of the Stockman’s Memorial Foundation, member of the Board of Governor’s at Olds College, and worked with the Ranch Rodeo at Highwood Museum and Western Stock Growers. 

For Keith and Muriel’s 25th Wedding Anniversary, their two sons and families presented them with an all expenses paid trip to Scotland and England, where they visited their ancestral roots, and found time to check out a few Limousin herds.

Sadly Keith passed away in 2001.

Muriel taught Sunday School in Carseland, was a member of UCW and the Public Benefit Club, worked on the two Carseland history books – ‘Trails to The Bow’ and ‘More Trails to The Bow’, and for seven years wrote the hockey news for the Strathmore Standard. This was while their two sons played in the Bantam, Midget and Juvenile divisions. Additionally, she has found time for genealogy, where she has researched five lines of her family. In recent years, she has enjoyed working at the Strathmore United Church Thrift Sale in April and October. 

Nowadays, Muriel has acquired the travel bug. She has visited 18 countries on four continents, and will soon leave on a trip to Chile and Argentina.