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Stock Growers Association

Prairie fires, Indians, wolves, livestock diseases, rustlers, and later, the intrusion of sheep herds onto prime grazing lands posed serious threats to the economic potential of cattle in the 1880s. Alberta’s first ranching associations attempted to unite ranchers against these many dangers.

The Ranching Associations

The members of southern Alberta’s earliest formal stockman’s association held their first meeting in 1882. In April of 1883, the more broadly based South West Stock Association came into being, which delegated local matters to smaller district organizations. In 1886, the association was again reorganized, calling itself the Canadian Northwest Territories Stock Association. Some of the most prosperous and influential ranchers in the area - Stanley Pinhorne and William F. Cochrane among them - were elected to draft its new constitution and bylaws.