Remembering prominent black community members

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 26, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

As Black History Month draws to a close, the News reflects on two notable black figures in Medicine Hat and area’s history; John Ware and Mary “Molly” Smith, both of whom called Alberta home throughout the late 1800s to the turn of the century. While Ware and Smith were not the only black individuals within this region, they are among the few who were ever recorded.

JOHN WARE

Born a slave in South Carolina in 1843, John Ware traversed North America – spending time in Texas, Wyoming and Montana – eventually settling in southern Alberta where he gained fame for his skills as a cowboy and cattleman.

Ware was noted as being physically large, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 200 pounds. His stature helped him manoeuvre cattle and horses as he spent his younger years employed in stockyards and on cattle drives.

Ware is first recorded as having entered Alberta in 1882 while on assignment for his employer, the famous Bar U ranch. After leaving Bar U, Ware became a cattleman and moved throughout the province. He eventually married a woman named Mildred Lewis and together they built a home near Tully, where they stayed with their six children.

Ware was known as many things throughout his life – a good neighbour, always willing to lend a hand; a talented cowboy, credited with once tying a 1,500-pound steer in less than a minute; and a hard worker, who, from slavery, eventually became the owner of land and cattle.

MARY “MOLLY” SMITH

Mary “Molly” Smith, who is documented as being one of Medicine Hat’s first black female residents, was widely known for her character and tenacity.

Not much is known about Smith’s early life, but it is believed she was born in the United States and upon coming to Canada, first resided in Fort Walsh during the 1870s.

Smith is remembered as being a shrewd business woman. At one point she owned her own Medicine Hat-based laundry service. She also worked as a nursemaid, and in her spare time, illegally ran liquor from the U.S.A. to Canada. Smith is said to have had several run-ins with law enforcement as a consequence of her bootlegging, however she was said to have avoided just as many encounters thanks to her specially made undergarments, which concealed a modest assortment of liquor bottles.

While Smith was known to live life somewhat on the wild side, she was also remembered as as a kind woman who tended well to children and those who were ill.

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