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Homesteader Jim Wolford was a turn-of-the-century barber in Olds, NWT
1900
Olds NWT Canada

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Jim Wolford arrived in 1893:
According to "See Olds First":
He traveled with his uncle's family the Banes to Olds as a very young man. His only settler goods were a racing mare Topsy.
He filed for a homestead and did odd jobs, won many a horse race, to raise the cash to prove up.
He attending barbering school and started a small shop in Cloakleys' real-estate office.

"… In time he built his own shop across the street and a bit west…"
This was a two-story building. The first floor contained a three-chair barbershop, a public bath and a confectionary, with two bowling alleys and three pool tables in the back. The top floor was given over to offices and apartments."

He married Jeannie Deans in 1903
The following notes are by J.H.Deans.
"… he was small of stature, fair of complexion and "snappy" in dress, appearance and temper. He was fond of animals especially race horses."

"… he owned two harness animals, a pacing mare "Lady" and "Snorter".
Like his owner, "Snorter was of pint-size dimensions, but the orneriest bit of cussedness ever done up in horsehide. Sometimes it took two men to bridle him, but he could step and get away from the post in a hurry.

Once in the lead, Jim's long mustache streaming back over each shoulder got the eyes of the following horses, and Snorter occasionally won."

Jim died in the 1918 flu epidemic