BC Cowboy Heritage Society
Casual Country 2018
David Maurice (Working Cowboy)
David was born in 1948 to Hermie and Evelyn (Twan) Maurice, who at the time worked at the Alkali Lake Ranch. He was born to be a cowboy. As soon as he could ride he could be found on the back of a plump ranch horse called “Puck,” following his father’s team of horses around the fields haying. Onward Cattle Co. (Hugh Cornwall) offered David his first paid cowboying job, for $5 a day. His next 50-plus years have been riding and following the call of the “unseen cowboy country” as David worked throughout the Cariboo and Chilcotin areas.
He worked for Tom Desmond and Jim Symes, then Alkali Lake Ranch, Gang Ranch, Nicola Lake Ranch, Frolek Ranch, the Cotton Ranch, Wineglass Ranch, and Thompson Land & Cattle Co. When he heard that The Onward Cattle Co was seeking a cowboy, he moved back home. He then worked at the River Ranch where he stayed put for 14 years, before moving on to the Chilco Ranch.
Thinking about retiring, but not quite ready, he has since worked in part time jobs and can currently be found (at age 69) riding the range for Douglas Lake Ranch in the Alkali and Riske Creek divisions.
Charlie Brous (Competitive Achievements)
Charles H. Brous was born in California in 1932. In 1949 he helped a neighbour drive his cattle to the mountains for summer range. After high school, he worked in Yosemite National Park, packing mules in the High Sierras, then working for an importer of Mexican cattle in receiving, distributing and pasture riding. Charlie’s family bought the Sutton Ranch at 150 Mile House in 1963. This new area brought new challenges to ranching that had not been experienced in California. Over the years, and while operating the Sutton Ranch, Charlie competed in Team Roping in both the Interior Rodeo Association (now BCRA) and the BC Team Roping Association (BCTRA). He became director and president of both. With Bruce Watt, he worked with the BCTRA to include the event at the Williams Lake Stampede, and provided the cattle for the first event. His work helped to have Team Roping added to the CPRA rodeos. Charlie and his partner qualified for the North American Rodeo Commission (NARC) finals in Denver, CO, and the highlight of his team roping career was winning both first and second at the great Riske Creek Rodeo where over 100 teams were competing.
Joe Schuk Family (Family)
Joe Schuk was born in Rosthern, Sask. in 1918. In the Great Depression of 1936 Joe, at age 17, left Saskatchewan with his family and headed west, to West Branch, an area in the Chilcotin, 30 miles out of Tatla Lake. Joe worked where and how he could, saving money for his dream of owning his own ranch.
He bought his first cows in 1937, and having no owned land, had to farm them out. In 1939 he bought 120 acres in the Tatlayoko Valley, which had a house, outbuildings and place to keep the cows. In 1941 he bought the neighboring 160 acres. Joe built the ranch, carving it from brush and rock, and built his cow herd one cow at a time. Joe married Katie McGhee in 1946. Katie was born and raised ranching in the Tatlayoko Valley. Joe and Katie raised a family of four; Marjorie, Calvin, Nora and Clifford. They are all involved in ranching with Clifford and his wife running the Home ranch and Mountain House. Calvin and his wife ranch at Telkwa near Smithers. Nora and her husband, Walter Lampert, ranch in the Blackwater.
Several of the grandchildren are involved in ranching and rodeo.
Mike Jasper and Pat Jasper (Working Cowboys)
Mike and Pat Jasper, born to Delmer and Irene Jasper, were born and raised in Riske Creek. Mike, born in 1964 is the second youngest of eight children, and Pat is the second oldest, born in 1956.
Mike Jasper has competed in rodeos from a young age, but after graduating in 1984 he began his career as a working cowboy. He worked for the Ilnicki Ranch, Riske Creek Ranch, and at one point was the range rider for three ranches in the same summer.
In 1988 he took a full time job with Riske Creek Ranching where he worked until December of 2015 when the ranch sold.
He then started working for the Wineglass Cattle Co. where he is still working today. Mike married Connie (Mulvahill) and they had two children, Kayla and Ryan.
They grew up in the saddle and would often go to work with Mike. Mike and Connie have built their homestead in Riske Creek and have a small herd of beef cattle. Mike has spent the majority of his life on the back of a horse. His horsemanship skills have become well known and he often has a waitlist of people wanting him to put miles on their horses.
Pat Jasper also competed in rodeos and attributes High School Rodeo for keeping him in school. Pat has been a working cowboy for over 50 years. His first job at age 17 was working for Thompson Land and Cattle Co. He has also worked at River Ranch, Cotton Ranch and at his brother-in-law’s ranch, Diamond S Ranch in Pavilion.
He returned to the Riske Creek area where he worked for Deer Park Ranch Bald Mtn. and Raven Lake Community pastures as Range Rider and working for Wineglass in the winter months feeding cattle, calving and day to day cowboy work. Following Wineglass, he began working at Chilco Ranch (Miller Ranches Ltd). During his years of working on local ranches and his own place, he also raised and trained his own working cow dogs, colts and trained other people’s horses.
Pat’s laid back personality, light handed riding, good roping skills, patience, and many miles in the saddle make him the accomplished horseman he is today. Pat might swear at his dog from time to time but never at his horse. Pat and his wife, Lorraine, with three children moved to the family homestead in 1991, which the wildfires of 2017 consumed.
They plan to rebuild and return to live in Riske Creek.
