Home Social Landscape Featured Articles Myrtle Raivio: Alberta’s First Woman Guide and Outfitter

Myrtle Raivio: Alberta’s First Woman Guide and Outfitter

by Annette Gray

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Perhaps it was her mother’s untimely death which fired in young Myrtle a fierce sense of independence and forced her to learn the skills of trapping, hunting and wood cutting. She often told about her first trapline which consisted of small rabbit snares set among the willows next to the family’s log cabin. These traps she tended conscientiously, knowing each pelt was important for her family’s welfare. Myrtle also became an ardent horse lover, riding and memorizing every landmark in the miles of timbered country adjacent to what is still known today as the old Sands’ Ranch.

When her father remarried, Myrtle became a mentor to five more siblings and, after some formal schooling in Slocan City, British Columbia, she began cooking in the camps her father set up for hunters. In 1932 she married Niilo Raivio who predeceased her in 1948. Two sons, Clarence and Ken Ravio were born to this union and later the boys worked with her on the trail.

In 1949, after six years of apprenticeship (partly served under her father) she acquired her own Guide and Outfitters’ license, embracing a career which spanned over fifty years. In this capacity, she often found herself traveling to conventions, such as the annual convention organized for the preservation of wild sheep. This conference hosted by the Foundation of North American Wild Sheep, not only helped Myrtle keep abreast of current big game policies, but also supplied her with many new clients. Traveling to such states as Wyoming, Nevada and Louisiana, she met other guide and outfitters, as well as hunters and conservationists from all over the world. Other trips took Myrtle to Montana, Wisconsin and Hawaii. Traveling as she did, was it any wonder she was able to speak so knowledgeably on international issues?

Most people in the region knew Myrtle as a capable business woman. Few knew about her voluntary work. When Myrtle’s mother-in-law, Amanda, and brother, Carlyle, were confined to Rocky Mountain House Hospital due to lengthy illnesses, Myrtle became a regular hospital visitor. Her visits were considered a ray of sunshine to both staff and patients alike. Once or twice a day you would find Myrtle at the hospital, dressing, feeding or running errands for various convalescents on the ward. She was never happier than when she was getting books, cards or pushing a wheel chair for a needy shut-in.

She was also an excellent seamstress, making the royal blue western shirt she wore when accepting the trophies (shown here). She seldom, if ever, used a ‘store-bought’ pattern while sewing for herself, her family or a neighbor. She simply took the recipient’s measurements and tailored the garment to fit. Once, when a group of little girls joined dance classes, Myrtle made each a pretty ‘made-to-measure’ dance costume. On another occasion, when a young pregnant mother could not afford a new dress to attend a wedding, Myrtle saved the day by whipping up a gorgeous maternity dress. She also made tack for her horses, crafting leather and nylon into bridles, martingales and halters.

Myrtle won many trophies during her years of guiding, perhaps her finest award being the Rocky Mountain Trophy for five years of registering the largest animals taken each season. Of this trophy, Myrtle proudly remarked, “I won it with goat, sheep and moose. It’s really a very attractive thing with wild animals mounted on it.”

In her many years as a Guide and outfitter, I never had the opportunity to travel in the mountains with Myrtle, but those who did, give glowing reports of their experiences. Except for personal items, Myrtle supplied all the necessities for a well run camp and scheduled the day’s activities to suit the needs of her clients. She was known to pay attention to details, assuring that travelers under her care, whether human or equine, were safe, comfortable and well fed.

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