The Big Four (Calgary)
Encyclopedia
George Lane (politician)
George Lane was an American-born Canadian politician and rancher and known as one of the Big Four who helped found the Calgary Stampede in 1912.George was foreman at the world famous Bar U Ranch....
, A. E. Cross
A. E. Cross
Alfred Ernest Cross was a Canadian politician, rancher and brewer, known as one of the Big Four who founded the Calgary Stampede in 1912.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Cross was the oldest of seven children...
and Archie McLean
Archie McLean (politician)
Archie McLean was a cattleman, politician and known as one of the Big Four who help found the Calgary Stampede in 1912.Born in southwestern Ontario in 1860, McLean moved to what is now Alberta to work as a ranch hand; soon becoming the manager of the large CY Ranch near what is now Taber,...
. Together they founded the Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
, as well as other cultural and entrepreneurial activities in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early years of the 20th century.
George Lane and A.J. McLean were ranchers, Pat Burns owned a meat packing business and A.E. Cross was a brewery owner. All four men were involved in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
's cattle industry.
Calgary Stampede
In the summer of 1912, the Big Four were approached by cowboy Guy WeadickGuy Weadick
Guy Weadick was an American performer and promoter. Today, he is best known as the founder of the Calgary Stampede in Alberta, Canada.- Early years :Weadick was born in 1885, in Rochester, New York....
with the proposal for a wild west show that would "make Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
's Wild West Extravaganza look like a sideshow." They each put up $25,000 to finance the first Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
held in September 1912. The event has grown since to more than $1.8 million in prize money, and attracts more than one million visitors yearly.
The Big Four Building at the Stampede Grounds in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
was named for the four businessmen, and once held the largest curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
rink in the world.
Political careers
- A.E. Cross was elected in 1898 as a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of AlbertaLegislative Assembly of AlbertaThe Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
("MLA") for the riding of Calgary East. - Archie McLean was first elected as a Liberal MLA for the LethbridgeLethbridgeLethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
constitency in 1909. He served as minister of municipal affairs, and as minister of public works. - George Lane was elected to be a member in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1913 for the Bow Valley riding on behalf of the Liberal Party. He held the position for less than a year; resigning his seat so that defeated party leader Charles R. MitchellCharles R. MitchellCharles Richmond Mitchell was a Canadian lawyer, judge, cabinet minister and former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.-Early life:...
could re-gain a place in the legislature. - Patrick Burns was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1931 by his close friend R. B. BennettR. B. BennettRichard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC, KC was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from August 7, 1930, to October 23, 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years...
, then Prime Minister of CanadaPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
. Burns sat in the senate as an independent until 1936.
Legacy
- A.E. Cross Junior High School was named for A.E. Cross. A.E. Cross, together with Pat Burns and George Lane, as well as other prominent local figures, also funded the creation of Western Canada High SchoolWestern Canada High SchoolWestern Canada High School is a public senior high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has classes for grades 10 through 12. Western is located in the 17th Avenue business district of the Lower Mount Royal community, and is the most centrally located public high school in Calgary.-History:The...
. - Senator Patrick Burns Junior High School was named for Pat Burns
- Mount Burns, a peak in Kananaskis Country.
- Burns BuildingBurns BuildingThe Burns Building is a historic six story building located in downtown Calgary, Alberta. It sits at 237-8th Ave. S.E. on the end of Stephen Avenue overlooking Olympic Plaza and City Hall.-History:...