The Irishman Who Tamed Elk
A resourceful homesteader, Tom Ticknor domesticated wild elk to work his land
A true tale about pioneer Tom Ticknor, who tamed wild elk to farm his Prairie homestead.
About Our Cover Portraits from Tim Van Horn’s Canadian Mosaic Project grace this issue’s wrap-around cover. Turn to page 8 for Tim’s photo essay.
If you have ever taken snapshots of the elk that graze in and around Banff, Alta., you may be surprised to learn that the herd began more than a hundred years ago near the Prairies hamlet of Miami, Man., where Tom Ticknor domesticated his first pair of elk.
We don’t know how old Tom was when he arrived in Manitoba with his wife Ursula, but years later, their only daughter Nora told Dorothy Clearwater, a longtime resident of Miami, Man., now deceased: “Your great grandfather was six feet four inches tall and every inch was Irish.” Stories filtering down through the generations indicate Tom and Ursula were robust pioneers, ideally suited to the rigours of Prairies homesteading.
Since Tom had only a horse and a cow when he began farming, he captured and tamed a cow elk that he hitched to the horse and used the oddly mismatched team to break land. Come mating season, wild bull elk were attracted, and within a few years, Tom had a herd of elk that he used for fieldwork.
Tom also had another claim to fame. On a July day in 1886, he drove his team of elk to Morden, Man., and pulled up beside the railway station to await the ar- rival of Canada’s first prime minister. Sir John A. Macdonald was making a side excursion to the Pembina Hills region as part of his cross-canada inspection tour of the newly completed railway. To entertain the distinguished guest, Tom, attired in buckskin, performed his rendition of an Indian war dance on the station platform. Today, a mural in the town of Morden captures the historic event (above).
He also captured and raised two deer that he broke to harness, using them to drive to Morden or Miami. They were a vast improvement over the days when he used to walk to Emerson or Winnipeg for supplies, backpacking his load homewards a distance of more than 100 kilometres.
Known for his hunting prowess, he shot prairie chicken, partridge, ducks and deer to round out the family’s meagre homesteaders’ rations. With no sons to help him with the farm chores, he relied heavily upon his daughter, Nora, whom he nicknamed “Johnny,” probably to justify in his own mind the heavy work expected of her. At 16, Nora married James Mckeen and gave birth to 11 children in 12 years. Widowed at age 29, she must have been as strong in spirit as in strength.
Tom Ticknor died in 1899, at which time his widow Ursula sold the herd of elk to Valentine Winkler, a member of the Manitoba legislature. In 1900, the elk were shipped to Banff National Park, where records show that they formed the nucleus of the herd that is still around today— much like the stories of Tom Ticknor himself, a figure of legendary proportions in the history of Miami, Man.