A personal note by BJ Smith
November, 2009
On September 21st we buried friend and relative Tom Butterfield of Ponoka, Alberta. A celebration of Tom's life was appropriately held at the Ponoka Stampede Grounds, where he performed as a rodeo cowboy and later as a director of the Stampede.
Well known in many agricultural organizations he tirelessly gave time and resources to promote the cattle industry. Apparently, Tom was a head of his time in opposing the mandatory cattle check off. Never loosing his sense of humor, even after a lengthy and debilitating illness, Tom remarked since the check off finally has become voluntary he should buy cattle. It was the mandatory part of the check off that was so offensive to Tom, not the dollars. The new mandatory restrictions coming into effect in the cattle industry would be even worse.
When recounting Tom's journey, it's normal to reflect on your own. An era where self reliance and hard work were the standards. Tom and my husband Bob Smith were first cousins, raised on adjacent farms and sharing the exact same birthday, three years apart, they were very close growing up. All the Smith and Butterfield brothers shared a love of the land and a sense of adventure. Bud Butterfield broke me up a while back describing their first rodeos; they only had one real pair of cowboy boots, so whoever was riding had to get back to the chutes, so the next competitor would have boots to wear. Still in their teens Tom and Bob took off for Texas to become real cowboys. They had very few dollars in their jeans, so had to eat carefully. Landing a job was crucial, and they had to convince the cow boss in the Texas panhandle that they were from Montana. The outfit had miles and miles of pastures and the hugely high wind mills were a revelation. They worked for a few months until they were needed at home, so returned to Alberta.
Tom and brothers Bud and Brian went on to establish feedlots and pursue professional rodeo careers. Bob became prominent in the purebred beef industry. During the time the Alberta government sponsored the train transport to the Toronto Royal, Bob made 17 trips, showing champion carload and pen of three steers five times and various champion single steers. Never "barn blind", Bob enjoyed fine animals in many breeds. For twelve years he managed Rothney Farms southwest of Calgary for Sandy Cross. He judged cattle extensively including Agribition in Regina, The National Western in Denver and in Scotland. In 1979 he established his own herd of Simmental cattle in the Jarvie area, north of Westlock, Alberta.
Even though the cousins followed different paths, they always ended up laughing about past exploits at family gatherings. The basic values of integrity and the cowboy code of honor where a handshake was enough to seal a deal and your word was your bond was an integral part of their makeup. When listening at the memorial recounting Tom's dedication to his family I thought back to a phone call I had made to my mother after Bob Smith had proposed to me. Bob had been left a widower with four children and my mother had firm ideas that my two children and I should join her in Washington, D.C. not marry a cowboy with four little kids. To answer her query as to 'why' I told her he was an honorable man and they were hard to find. At that time she was embroiled as Administrative Assistant to Senator Mike Mansfield of Arizona, the U.S. Senate majority leader, in the Nixon scandal. I thought in such an atmosphere my argument held a lot of weight. Forty plus years later, I still think it's a valid reason for hitching up. Tom was our best man and welcomed me warmly into the family.
The life of Tom and Molly and ourselves are not unique. There are many couples ending their sojourn in the cattle business, too many. My concern is; who is going to fill their shoes? Regulations and restrictions are defeating us as we wind down. Hopefully, some of the backbone and fortitude has embedded itself in the next generation. |
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