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Edward and Walter Parlby, brothers, were also very early settlers in our area. They were the first 'ranchers' to settle here.EDWARD PARLBY was born at Manadon, County of Devon, England, in 1865. He came to Canada in 1885, first to Montreal, then Calgary, before finally settling in Alberta, near Ponoka.
In 1887, Edward visited the area as far as the trading post at Wolf Creek , and in 1888 he pushed on further, finding the perfect ranching area just SW of Buffalo Lake, along what later became known as Parlby Creek and Parlby Lake.
In 1890, after his brother followed him to Canada, the railway decided to extend their line right through his ranch. He and his brother moved the ranch to the Parlby Creek area, settling on the west end of the lake, calling the new place, Long Valley Ranch.
Edward married Ann Wilkins on January 2, 1896, only daughter of the British Vice Consul, Francis Wilkins and Jean Wilkins of Red Deer, Alberta.
Ann and Edward had two sons, John Francis Hall Parlby and George Alexander Hall Parlby (killed in action in France, in 1917), and a daughter, Jean Admonition Hall.
Edward's first house on Long Valley Ranch was built in 1890, of logs, with a sod roof. This was his home until 1900, when he built a nine-room frame house on the same spot.
Edward was sworn in as Justice of the Peace, and court was sometimes held in the old log house. Before St. Monica's church was built, services were also held in this log house on his Long Valley Ranch.
He was also very active in the community as president of the local Red Cross Society, chairman of the local school board and one of the councillors elected for the Municipality of Lamerton during the early days after the Local Improvement Districts were taken over by the Municipalities.
WALTER PARLBY, also born at Manadon, England (May 31, 1862), followed his brother to our area in 1890, and stayed to partner with him in raising cattle.
Walter was an educated man, having attended Oxford, where he graduated with an M.A. degree.
In 1890, while on leave from managing a tea plantation in Assam, his father offered to send him to Canada to see how his brother was doing.
He ended up loving the country and decided to stay and ranch with his brother.
He met Irene Marryat at the Westhead ranch in 1896, and married her the next year. Irene, went into politics in 1916, and she was one of Canada's "famous five" women who fought for women's rights. They had one son, Humphrey.
Walter and his brother ended their partnership when Edward married Anne in 1896, and Walter started Dartmoor Ranch on the North side of the Lake.
Once Walter's wife, Irene went into politics, they purchased a much larger home in which to entertain, and named it "Manadon", after the family home in the county of Devon, England where Walter had come from.
The Parlby brothers, (with the help of either Jim Gadsby or Charlie Mott; we have both of them named as the third man) built 'by hand', the Buffalo Lake/Lamerton trail, through the bush, with 3 wagons and a few axes. This trail extended all the way to the town of Lacombe, many days ride from our area, and followed much the same route as our present day Highway 12.
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Manadon, The Home of Walter and Irene Parlby1910
Near Mirror, Alberta
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"MANADON", the home of Walter and Irene Parlby, built in 1910 by Eugene Bashaw, for Major C.E. Amplett, and purchased by the Parlby's when Irene was elected Minister without Portfolio in the U.F.A. Government of Alberta in 1916.Many notable dignitaries were entertained in this house.
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Mrs. EMH Parlby and Jean1900
Near Mirror, Alberta
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One of the women in this photo is Mrs. Edward (Ann) Parlby and the young girl is her daughter, Jean.The other woman is unknown.
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Irene Marryat (Parlby)1890
India
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This is a photo of Irene Parlby, in India.Irene was the daughter of Colonel Ernest and Lindsay Marryat. She was born in England, January 9, 1868, and lived in India as a child, where her father was in charge of building railways.
She was educated at home by governesses, and spent some time in Germany and Switzerland, where she became an accomplished pianist.
In June, 1896, Irene travelled to our area to have a short visit with a friend, Alice Westhead, on the Westhead ranch. It was here she met her husband to be, Walter Parlby, and she decided to stay. They were married the next year.
Irene was a strong supporter of women's rights, and entered public life when she became the Provincial President of the United Farm Women of Alberta in January, 1916. She held this position until 1919.
From there, she entered politics, and in 1921 was nominated U.F.A. candidate for the constituency of Lacombe. After a long battle, she won easily, and when the U.F.A. cabinet was formed, she was made Minister without Portfolio. She was the second woman to hold that position in the British Commonwealth, and was one of the five women who led the movement to allow women to sit in the Senate.
She passionately fought for women's rights throughout her career.
After retiring in 1934, Irene and Walter moved back to their original home, where Irene spent her time on her other passion, gardening.
She continued to write articles, address meetings and speak on the radio for many years.
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Irene Parlby1921
Near Mirror, Alberta
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Irene in Alberta, most likely around the time she entered politics.10
Some other Parlby tidbits.In 1908, at Walter Parlby's earlier home on his Dartmoor Ranch, the Parlby's had their first telephone installed.
1910, Model T Ford cars made their first appearance in the area, and Edward Parlby bought one. His brother, Walter hated cars, but a neighbor, John Sim told him that he owed it to his family to have one, so Water gave in and ordered a 490 Chevy from the dealer in Lacombe.
In 1918, Walter Parlby installed a Delco light plant at his Dartmoor Ranch. The electrician who installed it had to bore holes through the old logs to install the wiring, a formidable task in those days.
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