Growing up in Millarville in the foothills of the Rockies, Don Mickle couldn’t avoid falling in love with horses.
When his father, Bert, and his mother, June, purchased a guiding and outfitting operation from Ray Legace in 1962, the whole family, including Don and his sister, Faye, moved to Lake Louise. For the following 12 years, the Mickle family ran Timberline Tours, operating both Skoki and Temple lodges, leading trail rides in summer and hunting trips outside the park boundaries in fall.
It was also during the 1960s that Mickle worked with the snow and avalanche control program in Rogers Pass, during an era when the section of the Trans-Canada Highway through Glacier National Park was brand new, and the science of road-related avalanche control work was in its youth.
Then in the mid-1970s, Mickle joined the National Park Warden Service, during what now is seen as an historical time when wardens lived and raised families in rough and remote back country cabins, travelling countless kilometres on horseback. Through his 30-year career with Parks Canada, Mickle worked in numerous domains, including public safety, animal control and law enforcement, serving his last 13 years as Banff National Park Cultural Resource Manager before retiring in 2003.
While his time as a park warden no doubt left him with countless memorable stories to share, he’s sure to tell the one about the time he investigated a depression in the ground, said Chic Scott, who welcomes Mickle as his guest at the latest of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies’ Fireside Chat program on Sunday (Oct. 6).
“One of Don’s most interesting and moving experiences was his discovery, when he was cultural resources manager, that the depressions in the ground along the Red Deer River that he had observed as a cowboy were the remains of native pit houses and were several thousand years old,” Scott said. “The realization of how long people have been living in these mountains was a real eye opener and an epiphany for Don.”
Other stories Scott expects Mickle to share include tales of the spring roundup at Parks’ gorgeous Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, and stories about cowboy-turned-avalanche-expert Noel Gardner who pioneered the snow science program in Western Canada’s mountains.
“If you are looking for some good old-time stories, don’t miss this fireside chat,” Scott said. “You’ll hear about Ray Legace, the cowboy with the lisp and the wicked sense of humour. You’ll meet Al Johnson, who took care of Erling Strom’s herd of horses and Walter Perren, the gentleman mountaineer and guide who established the National Park Public Safety Program. And here’s your chance to learn who the Millarville Mafia are.”
If the weather cooperates, Mickle will tell his stories outdoors in front of Windy Cabin behind the Whyte Museum in Banff, so Scott recommended people dress appropriately and bring a lawn chair. If the weather is not conducive to being outside, the chat will be hosted indoors at Abegweit, the historic Crosby home, located at 136 Bow Ave., along the Bow River in Banff.
The Fireside Chat, featuring Mickle and moderated by Scott, is free and doors open at 2 p.m., with the chat beginning at 2:30 p.m. Tea and cookies are included.
To view videos of previous Fireside Chats, please visit www.whyte.org and look under archives and library/special projects.
