1

George Cloakey and his new bride came to Olds in 1894.
1894
Olds NWT Canada

2

George Cloakey 1894

Stated in See Olds First:
"No immigrant to the Olds District ever became a more popular citizen than George Cloakley.
He hailed from Michigan, in the spring of 1894 with a bride of a few weeks.
He homesteaded about 8 miles west of Olds. Like most of the early settlers their finances little more than got them to their destination… they stayed in the Immigration Shed until they got their homestead and home accommodation of a sort was arranged."

A diary notation regarding Mr. Cloakley stated:
… he looked to me more like a sport athlete than a farmer, he seemed so physically perfect, tall and straight, proportionately built, a very Hercules of strength. Mr. Walker told me after he left the store that Mr. Cloakley was having rather tough sledding, financing his homestead."

George perhaps got his first financial lift from Mrs. Cloakley who obtained the position of teacher of Harmattan school, the first rural school of these parts. It could not have been too much as Miss Bruce, first teacher of Berrydale school ha a salary of only forty dollars a month and that for a full calender month."

3

Cloakey soon buys the Livery Stable close to the Bathos hotel.
1896
Olds NWT Canada

4

Cloakley Horses:
According to "See Olds First" pg 218
"George made a deal with a southern horse rancher to get raw broncs off the range, break them and sell them to neighboring homesteaders. At this he soon made a reputation for himself, for he never sold a bronc to anyone without giving an honest opinion of the animal and never one to a man whom he thought incapable of handling it."

Within three years he had a livery stable in Olds.

There is a horse tale involving Cloakley and the Rev. Peter Naismith.

"…Rev. Peter Naismith a Presbyterian was posted to Olds in 1893. He drove a large number of miles in a buckboard traveling for 2 weeks at a time. He soon noticed his horse needed a whip to move on and the collar was too large for her …

Cloakley overheard the conversation in the saddlery shop---
Later, on the street Cloakley passed Naismith, stopped and said:
"Oh say, Naismith, the wife and I have had an argument about a passage of scripture. I wish you would call in and explain it to us."
…
When Rev. Naismith arrived at the Cloakley home, George took the pony (Mary) to the barn, and the missionary went for tea. Soon George was back, saying there were clouds gathering and if Naismith wished to reach his next call dry, he had better be going. As he left, he remembered the reason for the call, stopped:
"But that explanation of the scripture----"then seeing his outfit "that is not my horse"
The reply was very terse.
"You get in that rig and get going. Come back in two weeks and get your own horse, and come back again every two weeks and change again."

5

George Cloakey opens another business.
1900
Olds NWT Canada

6

Cloakey Businesses:
”See Olds First” states:

Due his charm…
” he established himself as a real estate agent in town. He built a residence and office…

He also became Government Ranch Inspector and C.P.R. land sales Agent. Like his horse trading days when he said a certain section would make a good farm it was so and he located some of the most successful farmers of the district…

The first telephone exchange in Olds was in the Cloakey home and operated by Mrs. Cloakey. Jim Wolford also opened his first barbershop in the Cloakey real estate office.

George left Olds for the Oil Business in Calgary.

When George left Olds his large virile figure, his waxed and carefully crimped moustache, his cowboy hat, his Prince Albert coat and his large diamond ring were missing from the streets. But the clothes never made Cloakey, but he could display them to advantage.”

7

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

8

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