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Butters name synonymous with Cochrane area

The Butters family has been in the Cochrane area since 1936. Richard Butters came from Conway, just east of Calgary and purchased land north of the Ghost River from the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Lamont Butters
Lamont Butters

The Butters family has been in the Cochrane area since 1936.

Richard Butters came from Conway, just east of Calgary and purchased land north of the Ghost River from the Hudson’s Bay Company. It is located on the edge of the forestry reserve between Benchlands and Waiparous.

Richard loved ranching and was proud of his Hereford cattle. He always had amusing stories to tell about his bulls. For years he would trail the cattle to Conway to winter them there, then back again in the spring. It took him one day to ride to Conway on horseback alone; however it took two days when he was trailing cattle. Richard was a sociable fellow, attended all the dances at Beaupre Hall and wouldn’t leave until he had danced with every woman in the room.

Richard married Donna Johnson, a local girl, in 1950. Donna was quite the horsewoman in her day, active in dressage and many horse shows, continuing to ride on a daily basis into her late 70s. Now in her 85th year, Donna resides at the Bethany Care Centre in Cochrane and enjoys going home to her family on weekends. Richard passed away suddenly in 1989 at the age of 68.

Richard and Donna had three sons: Lamont, Erik and Ian. Ian passed away after an illness at the young age of 19 years.

Lamont attended SAIT (Southern Institute of Technology) to study mechanical engineering. He is working in the oil and gas industry in Calgary as a rotating equipment engineer and still resides on the homestead at Ghost River. His son Dale, who is 19 years old, was an avid hockey and football player while in school and is now working seismic in Northern Alberta.

Lamont has always been musically inclined, learning to play the accordion, trumpet, piano, guitar and banjo. He had his own band called “Nite Shift”, entertaining at pubs and community events for 15 years. “We just did it for fun and we didn’t charge a lot,” says Lamont.

In 1985 Lamont obtained his pilot’s licence and subsequently purchased his own airplane, which he keeps at the ranch. “I use it for trips, which includes looking for missing cattle on the summer grazing range,” as quoted by Lamont.

Erik is running the family ranch and is very involved in the cattle industry and the community. He served a term as chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers and is currently a councillor for the MD of Bighorn. Eric and his family received the Federal Environmental Award in 2002 for diligent care of the land, water and environment in their ranching operation.

Erik married Wendy Fenton and they have two daughters with outstanding careers — Alyssa a veterinarian and Erin a psychologist.

Today the entire family is still in the Cochrane area, which proves that once you grow up here – you never want to leave.

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