Black cowboy John Ware recognized as a person of national historic significance

The federal government has recognized John Ware, a legendary Black cowboy in Western Canada, as a person of national historic significance.

Ware’s designation was commemorated Monday with the unveiling of a plaque at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site south of Calgary.

It’s been 140 years since Ware arrived in the district of Alberta on a trail crew driving thousands of cattle to what is now known as the Bar U Ranch.

After being born into slavery in the southern United States, Ware became an extremely talented rancher — his skill earned him a large following in Alberta.

His legacy includes a building at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology that bears his name, and a Calgary junior high school that is named after him.

Ware was recently the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Cheryl Foggo titled “John Ware Reclaimed.” The film highlights the racism and challenges Ware faced in the predominately white industry of cattle ranching in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.

Josh Traptow, CEO of Heritage Calgary, says Ware holds an important place in Alberta’s history.

“It’s extremely significant, obviously John Ware is an extremely important Black Canadian, but even moreso for Western Canada given his cowboy roots,” Traptow said. “I think we’ve seen more attention on the importance that Black Canadians have made in Alberta, whether it’s Violet King becoming the first Black lawyer, and now John Ware being recognized as a personal of national historical significance.”

“That’s a pretty important thing, to see that recognition down at the Bar U Ranch,” Traptow said. 

Traptow adds Ware overcame racism and big corporations at a time when it was not easy to be a Black person in Canada, let alone be a Black Cowboy.

“Hopefully we’ll see more of these types of individuals being recognized for their contributions,” Traptow said. “I think this significance will likely encourage more and more people to learn about John Ware. There was a great children’s illustration book that was done just recently that won a Heritage Calgary Award in the storytelling category about the history of John Ware as a Black Cowboy.”

Ware remained in southern Alberta until his death in 1905, he and his wife Mildred had five children. Ware’s funeral was reported to be one of the largest in Calgary’s history at the time.

–With files from Tom Ross and the Canadian Press