Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies
Wilf Carter
Wilf rode the box cars from Nova Scotia to Alberta in the 1920s and went to work as a guitar-strumming cowboy and ranch hand.
He had been a packer and Murray Gibbon, then president of the TRCR, suggested that he come on the Trail Ride as Musician. In 1932, Wilf came on his first Trail Ride, strumming his guitar while riding his horse along the trail. In 1933 he was made official Trail Songster.
The TRCR, in fact, started Wilf's musical career, as a couple of years later he was called to Montreal by an eminent CPR trail rider for an audition. That audition gained him a place on the musical team of the CPR cruise boat, the Empress of Britain.
Unable to read music, he weathered the Depression and went on to be an international star 
the name of "Montana Slim" with his folksy western songs, but he never forgot his roots, and regularly returned to Calgary with his guitar, his local fame culminating in being a Calgary Stampede Marshall in the 1970s.
There was lots of reference material on Wilf at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, but the references to it seem to have disappeared from their Web site. We'll try to find out where it has gone. Much of the references were about his relationship with the TRCR.
Wilf Carter, aged 91, died Dec. 5th, 1996 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wilf was that rare being who never lost the common touch and we feel proud that he will always remain a part of our TRCR heritage.
PS: While traveling in Provence, France, during September,2006, your Webmaster chanced to meet the President of the "Wilf Carter Fan Club"! He knew more about Carter than we'll ever know and he even had a lot of details about Carter's association with the TRCR. If any Carter fan wishes to contact him, he can be reached at:
Mr. Colin Marshall,
Robin Hill, High Street
Inkberrow, Worcs., WR7 4DY
ENGLAND
Singing on the trail for members of the TRCR, c.1935
