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Catherine McKay Ewing

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Catherine McKay Ewing

Birth	:	30 Nov 1863 Ontario, Canada
Death	:	5 Apr 1925 Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Alberta, Canada
Burial	:	Ewing Cemetery, Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate	:	52.1717164, -112.9118200
Description	:	Sources: “Trails of Tail Creek Country” by Edith J. Lawrence Clark – date of publication unknown – paraphrased. Also, “Historical Roots of the Erskine Evangelical Free Church” written by George Foxall in July 2017. Much of this information had previously been published in the Stettler Independent newspaper and the “Erskine Homecoming 100 years” booklet. The information provided was from members of the Rachar family, Foxall family and Lester Lohr. Much of this biography are direct quotes from the various sources, with paraphrasing in some parts, for the sake of brevity. As a family, John and Kate Ewing raised their... Read More	Sources: “Trails of Tail Creek Country” by Edith J. Lawrence Clark – date of publication unknown – paraphrased. Also, “Historical Roots of the Erskine Evangelical Free Church” written by George Foxall in July 2017. Much of this information had previously been published in the Stettler Independent newspaper and the “Erskine Homecoming 100 years” booklet. The information provided was from members of the Rachar family, Foxall family and Lester Lohr. Much of this biography are direct quotes from the various sources, with paraphrasing in some parts, for the sake of brevity. As a family, John and Kate Ewing raised their family and established Ewing Ranch in what is known as the Ewing district, about 15 km south of Erskine. The Ewing name is well-known and respected in this area. The huge lake below their homestead is still known as Ewing Lake. Born November 30, 1863 in Ontario Catherine (Cate) McKay Ewing was the strong, courageous matriarch of the Ewing clan. Both John and Kate (nee McKay) were of Scottish ancestry and were devout Presbyterians. John and Kate originally farmed in the Paisley, Ontario area until the summer of 1892 when they had the urge to move west to claim a free homestead. They travelled on the Canadian Pacific Railway along with their four boys and one girl. They joined the throngs of other settlers moving west. Their final destination was Olds, Alberta. In April 1893, John had filed on the NE quarter section of 4-33-1 W5. This land is now part of the Olds townsite. After proving up the homestead, he began ranching near Pine Lake and then searched for more land in the area east of Tail Creek and the Red Deer River. Originally, Ewing Ranch had been owned by Mr. Posthill who had used the land for hay since 1890 or 1892. John Ewing arrived in 1898 and was particularly interested in the natural spring and the land situated in a “lovely vale with hills behind it on two sides.” John Ewing purchased the ranch for $250. He moved his wife Kate and children, plus a herd of cattle, to the ranch in the spring of 1898. The Ewings were the first family to settle in this area. The nearest town was Lacombe. It took three to four days by wagon to travel for supplies. Since there were no doctors, schools, roads, cemeteries or other amenities, they needed to be self-sufficient. Following is a quote from a local newspaper on the history of the Ewing family. "No Ewing story would be complete without repeating this one told by Mr. Ewing when they lost their firstborn son, also named John. This occurred sometime during the year 1899 and as Mr. Ewing explained it, this was the most difficult, hardest and most heart-breaking task he had ever been called upon to perform. The boy in his middle teens had been sickly for some time and finally succumbed one night in his father's arms. There were no neighbors, no one to turn to for help, so Mr. and Mrs. Ewing, with much anguish and sorrow were compelled to pick out a burial site, dig a grave and as they had no casket or material to make one they rolled him in a blanket and as no minister was available, they repeated a few prayers, shed many tears, and shovelled the dirt back in." In all, there are 9 unmarked graves under a common mound in that graveyard. This cemetery is still in use today. The Ewing Ranch was noted for its’ hospitality. Many were welcomed, given a meal and a place to stay the night. On several occasions Indians were welcomed and fed as well. By this time the family had grown to five boys and two girls. The Ewings lived in a log cabin for the first seven to eight years before building a larger house. The log cabin was 16 by 24 feet in size, with a sod roof. It had two rooms, a living room and sleeping quarters. Daughter Jean was born in this cabin on April 19, 1900 with the help of Catherine Vaness, a capable and experienced Metis midwife from the Content area. Jean was a twin but the other child, a son, only survived a short time. As more settlers arrived into the Ewing area, there was a need for a school. A referendum was held and after a vote at Benjamin Foxall’s house, the vote was positive. The school became known as Ewing School District #2001. It was built and opened in 1906. It was a one-room school with one teacher for grades 1 to 9. There were two outhouses, a barn for the horses and a well with a hand pump. An additional room was built in the mid- 1940’s. The last classes were held in 1959. Today it is a Community Centre. Pictures of John Ewing and Benjamin Foxall still hang on the wall. The Ewing School was and still is an important centre for education, worship and social activities. Ewing Lake, Ewing School and the Ewing District were named after John Ewing. John and Kate were very religious and held a small service every morning, with the entire family present, after breakfast. On Sundays a similar service was engaged in, consisting of a sermon, a Sunday School lesson and the singing of a few hymns. Visitors were expected to join in if they were present. Then, as the number of settlers increased, various church denominations began missionary work to establish their congregations. John Ewing and Benjamin Foxall (until his death in 1930) corresponded with leaders of the Presbyterian Church, affiliated with the Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, to have Mr. Kirk minister to the Ewing Church for 18 years. The Ewing Church moved to Erskine on November 15, 1953 and eventually joined with the Evangelical Free Churches of America in 1957. Kate earned extra money by churning butter, saving it and selling it on semi-annual trips to Lacombe. She would accumulate 1000 to 1500 pounds of butter to sell every six months. Using $60.00 from the sale of her butter, she helped to purchase a new mower for the ranch. John was an enthusiastic horseman and had a large herd of Clydesdales. He hitched some half-broken Clydsedales to the new mower. John was thrown off and the mower ended up in a brush pile, broken beyond repair. A return trip to Lacombe was made, with more butter and the purchase of a replacement mower. The Ewings successfully operated their ranch until Kate suddenly passed away in her sleep on April 5, 1925 in the Ewing District (Alberta Death Reg. #403-008.)in 1925. Since John was in his seventies by this time, drastic changes needed to be made. John moved in with his son-in-law Les Legg (Jean’s husband) until Les moved in to Stettler. John went with him and lived with him until his passing on April 18, 1945 in his 96th year. She was laid to rest in her own cemetery with her family who had predeceased her. This biography is a tribute to the true pioneering reality faced by the Ewing family.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Catherine McKay Ewing's memorial?
Catherine McKay Ewing's memorial is located at: Ewing Cemetery, Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Canada.
When did Catherine McKay Ewing death?
Catherine McKay Ewing death on 5 Apr 1925 in Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Alberta, Canada
Where are the coordinates of the Catherine McKay Ewing's memorial?
Latitude: 52.1717164
Longitude: -112.9118200

Family Members:

Spouse

John Ewing Sr.

(1856 - 1946)

Children

John Alexander Ewing Jr.

(1884 - 1899)

James Harvey Ewing

(1886 - 1902)

William Howard “Bill” Ewing

(1887 - 1943)

Henry Louis “Harry” Ewing

(1888 - 1903)

Ernest Hall Ewing

(1890 - 1900)

Mary Ethyl Ewing Rachar

(1893 - 1947)

Arthur Nathan Ewing

(1897 - 1910)

Jean Blewett Ewing Legg

(1900 - 1940)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Ewing Cemetery
Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.1717164, -112.9118200

2. Lakeview Cemetery
Fenn, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.1426421, -112.8499213

3. Erskine Hutterite Colony Cemetery
Stettler, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3119330, -112.8401030

4. Tail Creek Cemetery
Delburne, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2961000, -113.0528000

5. Veach Family Plot
Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3176080, -112.8358530

6. Estonian Cemetery
Stettler, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2013977, -112.6595442

7. Erskine Cemetery
Erskine, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3326100, -112.8850700

8. Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cemetery
Big Valley, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.0396800, -112.7562800

9. Big Valley Cemetery
Big Valley, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.0313400, -112.7669570

10. Great Bend Cemetery
Delburne, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.2973970, -113.1008320

11. Lake View Cemetery
Stettler, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3120000, -112.7050000

12. Delburne Cemetery
Delburne, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.1869300, -113.2200300

13. Liberal Cemetery
Stettler, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3995240, -112.8355340

14. Huxley Hutterite Colony Cemetery
Perbeck, Strathmore Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 51.9500317, -113.0987271

15. Elnora Cemetery
Elnora, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 51.9764000, -113.1946300

16. Fairview Stone Cemetery
Alix, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3244490, -113.2886020

17. Woodland Cemetery
Botha, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.3036500, -112.5089700

18. Alix Cemetery
Alix, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4053500, -113.1717800

19. Water Glen Baptist Church Cemetery
Bashaw, Lloydminster Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4361200, -113.0890200

20. St. Monica's Anglican Cemetery
Mirror, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4648300, -113.1115100

21. Huxley Cemetery
Huxley, Strathmore Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 51.9180640, -113.2318020

22. Mirror Cemetery
Mirror, Red Deer Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4815260, -113.0988840

23. Gadsby Hutterite Cemetery
Gadsby, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.1550620, -112.3630085

24. Red Willow Cemetery
Red Willow, Wainwright Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 52.4419518, -112.5722733