Remembering our past – Merle Marshman

Times Contributor

 

Merle Marshman’s history is unique as it begins with both his Mother’s and Father’s families, and their move to Canada. Both families knew each other before they moved, and they each purchased land through the Calgary Colonization Co. The Marshman homestead became a century farm in 2009, and the Leathart homestead will be one in 2013.

Merle’s grandfather, on his father’s side was born in Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The Marshman family moved to Dedham, Iowa (where Merle’s father was born); and then to Roseburg, Oregon for 17 years. In 1909, Merle’s father, uncles and grandfather, took a team of horses, one wagon, some farm machinery and some furniture, and travelled to Crossfield by train. They used horse and wagon to travel from Crossfield to the farm located 10 miles north of where Rockyford now stands.

Merle’s grandfather on his mother’s side was born in Manchester, Wisconsin in 1854, and moved to Charles City, Iowa (where Merle’s mother was born). The family then moved to The Dakotas, and then to Tekoa, Washington in 1898, before arriving in Canada in 1911. They lived on a farm south of Carbon, before purchasing their homestead near Redland in 1913. Winfield Marshman and Mildred Leathart (Merle’s parents) were married in April 1913, near Carbon. Their first home may have been the first duplex built in the area. Winfield and Mildred lived in one half of the house, and the relatives in the other half! They moved to their own home in 1920.

Both families moved from the American mid-west to Oregon and Washington by wagon, quite possibly on The Oregon Trail. One can only imagine this travel by wagon in those days – before the mechanization introduced in the 20th Century. Rockyford didn’t exist at all at this time, and wasn’t created until 1913. But, there were coal mines at Carbon, eight miles north, and at Drumheller and Beiseker. All the villages and towns in this area were built in the last century because of the railroad, and as we know are gradually disappearing once again.

Merle was born on the Marshman Farm in 1926. Initially, he attended Greyhurst School, then spent the years 1941-1943 at the dormitory in Drumheller, where he went to high school. He has spent his whole life working on his mixed farm of grain and cattle, farming both his paternal and maternal grandparent’s farmland. In the mid-1940’s, he started a feedlot with approximately 100 head of cattle. These were purchased at auction in Calgary, then moved by train to Rockyford and herded to the farm. In the 1970’s, the cattle expanded to 600 head!

Merle met his wife Verna, who was teaching in Carbon, at a square dance. They were married on 4th July 1953, and this wedding produced three sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Verna passed away from cancer in 1998.

Merle’s community activities have included working with the board of The Rosebud Seed Cleaning Plant for 19 years, being a founding member of The Rosebud Gas 

Co-op, board member of Rockyford United Church, and The Rockyford Rural Fire board. He was a member of the Carbon Lion’s Club, and caretaker and lineman for rural telephones.

His sons, Lloyd, Dwayne and Gerald now run the fifth generation farm. Merle still lives in his house in Rockyford, where he retired to with Verna in 1995. He advises the biggest changes he has seen over the years have been the move from horse drawn farm equipment to mechanization, continuous farming as opposed to summer fallow, the use of GPS with seeding and harvesting equipment, and how physical labour has been replaced by mental labour.