Fonds med-148 - Emery LeGrandeur family fonds

Violet Pearl LeGrandeur (nee Sykes), was born in Montana in 1892. When she was 4 years of age, her family moved north to the Lesser Slave Lake area by pack train. The family resided there for some time and Violet and her brother learned to speak Cree. The family returned to Helena, and a few years later, Violet joined her cousin Nettie Taylor and her new husband at the Spencer Ranch in Milk River, Alberta. While there, she met her future husband, Emery LeGrandeur. Emery LeGrandeur was born near Pendelton, Oregon, in 1882. As a small child, he came with his parents to Pincher Creek. He worked around horses all of his life and from an early age, acquired a reputation as a fine bronco rider. In 1911, Violet and Emery were married in Taber, Alberta. Violet, having also grown up on a ranch, was a great help to Emery, as she would often train horses and break colts alongside her husband. The couple had four children: Gordon, Margaret, Nettie and Dorothy. In 1913, after taking the World's Champion Bronco title in Winnipeg, Emery took the crown in New York. He won the Northwest Bronco Championship at Gleichen, in 1914, 1915 and 1916, as well as the 1916 World's Bucking Horse Riding Championship in New York. He became Canadian Champion at Medicine Hat in 1917, and again in 1919, at Saskatoon. He was however, not just a skilled rider, but a fine all-around cowboy and judge of cowboy and rodeo events. Emery also served in the arena of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede as an Official for many years. The LeGrandeur family moved to the Peace River area for a short time and then resettled at Hussar in 1925. Emery operated a trucking line between Calgary and Hussar and Violet operated the telephone station and Post Office there. Emery LeGrandeur passed away in the Bassano Hospital on September 19, 1934. He is also an inductee in the Cowboy Hall of Fame.