Sam Livingston- Was born in Ireland the son of an Anglican clergyman. He
didn't have much education but he was an Irishmen heart & soul. His
conversational skill, blarney and good humour along with tall
distinguished bearing and fearless but friendly attitude made him the
kind of man most people enjoyed.
Sam's early life took him to the 1849 gold rush in California and when
he didn't strike it rich he decided that he would explore. He ended up
exploring British Columbia and the Caribou. His travelling resulted in
his being the first white man to see the headwaters of the mighty Peace
River.
But no gorgeous Irishman will stay single forever and when Sam met the
daughter of a Scottish employee of the Northwest Trading Company he
thought that settling down might just be the thing he wanted to do. He
moved to Calgary in 1875 and staked a homestead on land that was where
the Glenmore Dam is now. He built himself a log cabin to accommodate his
family and got on with the business of farming. During the next few
years he raised good crops and developed a herd of 300 cattle. Of his
own accord he brought in mowing raking and threshing equipment, He grew
what was described as "phenomenal" vegetables, milk (at five cents per
quart) and the meat he grew was sold to the Northwest Mounted Police.
Sam Livingston was a success because of his guts and determination and
his imagination. This was what turned his dreams into a reality. While
harvesting his crop in 1897 he suffered a heart attach and died a few
hours later. It is recorded that when the pioneer physician Dr. Rouleau
saw Sam he remarked "Well, Sam I see you are on your knees at last," to
which Livingston replied, "Yes, Doctor, for the last time,"