THOMAS MCPHERSON  -----  FREEMASON

Bro.  A.0. Aspeslet  P.G.M.


Someone has said that world history is the biography of great
men.  This would also hold true of Masonic History.  I do believe
that it is not too early to begin to gather whatever scraps of
information we can, of those men, who in earlier days, shaped the
course of the Craft in what is now Alberta.  One cannot, however,
get a feeling about a particular individual merely from the
information contained in the Lodge records.  One should know as
much as possible of the individual's family, his business life
and his community involvement.  Historical items are only where
you find them and some are found in the strangest places.

The Lethbridge Herald (6) of March 14th, 1928 had this to say:
"Thomas McPherson a soldier, engineer, riverboat man and
adventurer".  It may well have included that he was also an
ardent Freemason.

Thomas McPherson was born on February 12th, 1850 in Richmond
Hill, eight miles north of Toronto, seventeen years before
Confederation.  In the summer of 1872 he heard the call of the
West and enlisted in the Second Northwest Rebellion Expedition,
then being formed for dispatch to Fort Garry, Manitoba.  The
expedition left Toronto under command of Col.  W. Osborne Smith
on September 21st, 1872. (1) They crossed the Great Lakes in a
side wheel steamer the 'Francis Smith', and landed at Thunder
Bay, later named Port Arthur and now again Thunder Bay.  From
Thunder Bay the Regiment marched overland 45 miles, and then
proceeded by boat through a chain of lakes to a region known as
'the Northwest Angle', a distance of some 450 miles.  A forced
march of four and one half days completed the 110 mile gap to
Fort Garry and they arrived just as the river was freezing over. 
Here Thomas McPherson served out his enlistment, being discharged
as a Corporal, and settled down in Winnipeg.  He married there on
September 21st 1876.

About this time he turned to a new career, that of Railroading,
eventually becoming an engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railroad
(C.P.R.). In 1885 he was ordered to go to Lethbridge to assist in
moving troops from Southern Alberta to Edmonton by water.  The
old 'S.S. Alberta' owned by the Galt coal interests was pressed
into service as a transport.  He became the engineer on the
'Alberta' and made all that historic journey, through the Oldman
river at Lethbridge, the Bow river, the South Saskatchewan and
North Saskatchewan rivers to Edmonton.  Enlisted men were picked
up along the route, and many were the encounters with the rebels. 
Often the 'Alberta' was peppered with shots from the shore, but
fortunately there were no casualties.

Let us now turn our attention to the economic situation in the
Southern part of what is now the Province of Alberta, which at
this time in our history was part of the Northwest territories,
(N.W.T.). While the C.P.R. was under construction across the
prairies from the Red River to the Rocky Mountains, public
attention was focused on the development of this wide and arid
region. Coal was being mined and sold to the owners of freight
teams as early as 1870, from a mine on the banks of the Oldman
river just below the present city of Lethbridge.  This community
located under the present C.P.R. bridge was known as Coalbanks.

Nothing could be done to increase the volume of coal production
in the area without some type of bulk transportation.  In 1882
the C.P.R. began construction of the Transcontinental line
Westward from Winnipeg.  Sir Alexander Galt became interested in
the development of the coal deposits in the area, and in 1882
incorporated the Northwest Coal & Navigation Co. (NW Coal Co.) in
Great Britain, to develop the coal deposits in the Saskatchewan
river basin, and to transport this coal by steamer along the
river and its tributaries.

In the autumn of 1883, as the C.P.R. reached Medicine Hat, the NW
Coal Co. initiated work on the project by building the hull of
the steamer 'Baroness' at Coalbanks.  The hull was completed in
the spring of 1884 and then floated down the river to Medicine
Hat, where the machinery was installed and the superstructure
built.

Simultaneously, another steamer the  'Alberta' and a number of
coal barges were constructed at Medicine Hat.  The flotilla was
completed by a third and smaller vessel, the 'Minnow' , which was
purchased in Winnipeg and brought to Medicine Hat by rail.

In April 1884, during the spring runoff, the three steamers made
their first trip to Coalbanks.  They carried provisions upstream
and pushed loaded coal barges downstream.  The service operated
just two seasons, hauling a mere 3000 tons of coal per season. 
The difficulties encountered were, lack of power during high
water and insufficient water at other times.

The 'Alberta' was a flat bottomed stern wheeler, her crew
consisting of a Captain, two engineers, two pilots and a mate. 
When asked many years later how he was able to navigate in the
shallow water of the Oldman river, Thomas McPherson said, that on
his last trip he walked her (the steamer) up.  When he was asked
what he meant by 'walked up' he said, "the river was so low that
the paddle wheel was scraping the gravel in the river bottom.  I
gave her all the steam I could muster and literally walked her up
to the ferry landing, where I ditched her".

During 1884 the NW Coal Co. obtained authorization to build 109
miles of narrow gauge (3'6") railway from Dunmore, just nine
miles East of Medicine Hat to Lethbridge. (2)  The Lethbridge
townsite was laid out on the prairie 300 feet above the river,
and was named after the President of the NW Coal Co., William
Lethbridge.


The railway location was approved in March 1885 and construction
was completed on 28th August of that year.  This rail line ran
through the same communities as the present C.P.R. line from
Medicine Hat to Lethbridge.  It was equipped with six locomotives
and 135 wooden hopper cars.  Despite its nickname, 'the Turkey
Trail', it was hauling a  handsome figure of  90,000 tons of coal
annually by the end of the 1880's.  In November 1893 this section
of rail line was leased to the C.P.R. and the  rail gauge was
changed to the standard 4' 8 12".

The engineer on the first locomotive to arrive in Lethbridge over
the narrow gauge railroad was Thomas McPherson and the fireman
was a Benjamin S. Burrell.  We shall meet this man again later.

At some point in the fall of 1886, Thomas McPherson moved from
Medicine Hat and took up residence in Lethbridge.  Four years
later on September 15th, 1890 he left Lethbridge to live in
Tacoma Washington, U.S.A., where he was employed as a stationary
engineer at the Pierce County Hospital.  In 1897 we find
McPherson joining others to go into the Alaskan and Yukon gold
rush.  He did not go all the way in, because a friend persuaded
him to remain in Juneau, where he worked as an engineer for the
famous Treadwell mine.  When the sea burst through the roof of
this mine putting it out of business, McPherson returned to his
former place of employment, the Pierce County Hospital at Tacoma.

Thomas McPherson ---- His Masonic Career.

Bro.  McPherson received his Entered Apprentice degree in St.
Johns Lodge No. 4, G.R.M. Winnipeg on the 4th of June 1879 at the
age of 29.  He was passed on the 6th of August 1879 and raised on
the 3rd of September 1879.  In 1880 and 1881 he served as Senior
Deacon, and was elected Senior Warden in 1882.  He did not,
however, complete his term as Senior Warden having moved to
Medicine Hat N.W.T., now Alberta.  Two years later in 1884 a few
members of the Craft in Medicine Hat began to meet, and a
dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Manitoba dated June 16th
1885 was issued.  This lodge was designated Medicine Hat No. 31
in the District of, Assiniboia, N.W.T. under the jurisdiction of
the Grand Lodge of Manitoba. (11) The first officers were Thomas
McPherson Worshipful Master, Silas Barry Yuill Senior Warden,
Thomas Tweed, Junior Warden, and James Peter Mitchell, Sec/Tres.

In 1884 there were in the N.W.T., as Alberta and Saskatchewan
were called at that time, only five lodges.  One at Edmonton No.
17, G.R.M.; one at Calgary, Bow River No. 28, G.R.M.; and one in
each of Regina, Moose Jaw, and Prince Albert, all under the,
G.R.M. These five lodges were even at this time considering the
formation of a Grand Lodge; but realizing that the Territories
would be split into Provinces, they decided to wait to form a
Grand Lodge.  The Edmonton Lodge No. 17 received its Charter in
1883, but surrendered it in 1889, as so many people had moved
from Edmonton to Calgary to be near the C.P.R.

     
Communications between Calgary and the West coast prior to the
completion of the railroad were difficult indeed.  A letter had
to go to Winnipeg, thence to Omaha, Nebraska, and then to San
Francisco, and from there three times a week to Victoria B.C. by
steamer.  These were also troublesome times, as you will recall
that Louis Riel was executed in 1885.

Even though the dispensation was dated June 16th 1885, the first
meeting of Medicine Hat Lodge No. 31, G.R.M. U.D. was held in
September 1885.  A perusal of the minute book shows the first two
pages containing a rewrite of the Dispensation, page three
becoming the first page of the lodge minutes.  This page has the
following at the top of the page, "Dominion of Canada this 16 Day
of June AL 5885, AD 1885, and was signed by the Grand Secretary
of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba".  Written below this is " Lodge
Room Medicine Hat, Sept 1/85".  The first paragraph following
reads: "Minutes of the first meeting of Medicine Hat lodge held
in the lodge room Medicine Hat Sept. 26/85" Whether the lodge met
on the 1st or the 26th is anyone's guess, I suspect that the
latter date is probably correct.

The Worshipful Master Bro. McPherson was in the chair at the
first meeting.  It is interesting to note that at this first
meeting, it was moved by the Junior Warden, seconded by the
Senior Warden and carried that the minutes of all meetings held
to organize the lodge be filed for future reference.  To date no
trace of these minutes has been found.  Two applications for
initiation were received at the first meeting, and the
investigating committee was named in open lodge.  At the next
regular meeting, October 6th 1885, the report of the
investigating committee was found to be favourable for one
candidate and unfavourable for the other.  The successful
applicant was then balloted on, accepted and initiated in the
Entered Apprentice degree

From September 1885 until August 1887 seventeen meetings were
held, 15 regular and two emergent.  During this period there were
six Entered Apprentice degrees and six Fellowcraft degrees and
three Master Mason degrees conferred.  There is no mention of it
in the minutes, but it would appear that the lodge had decided to
meet on the first Tuesday of the month, because on checking all
regular meetings following the first meeting, they were held on
the first Tuesday.  At the fourth meeting on December 5th 1885, a
committee was formed to draft the By-Laws for the Lodge.  The
next mention of by-laws is contained in the minutes of June 7th
1887, (some nineteen months later), when the lodge adopted the
by-laws of St. Johns Lodge No. 4, G.R.M., the Worshipful Master's
mother lodge.  However, there is a note in the minutes from
October 4th 1887 to ask the Secretary of Moose Jaw Lodge for a
copy of their by-laws.  In 1886 the lodge decided to request that
they work another year U.D.

On August 25th 1887 the lodge was opened in Emergent meeting at
20:00 o'clock, for the purpose of constituting the lodge and
installing and investing the officers.  The minutes state that
Worshipful Master Bro.  Tweed was in the chair, yet when listing
the members present, as was their custom, W. Bro.  McPherson's
name appears.  R.W. Bro.  T. Robinson D.D.G M. from Moose Jaw was
received at 21.30 hrs.,  and proceeded to constitute the lodge on
behalf of the Grand Master.  Following this ceremony he then
installed and
invested the following officers:

Worshipful Master                    Thomas Tweed (Captain)
I.P.M.         W. Bro. Thomas McPherson
Senior Warden  Silas B. Yuill (Senior Warden since beginning)
Junior Warden  James A. Mitchell
Sec/Tres       T. Findlay
Tyler          Wm. T. Dean

Lodge was closed at 24.20 hrs.

Many were the problems in the formation of this lodge. In reading
the minutes one finds that the members appear to have been
allowed to pay their dues in installments, many of which were in
amounts of less than one dollar at any one time.  It is not
surprising, therefore to observe, that they had difficulty paying
their accounts.  In April of 1886 a discussion was carried on in
lodge in an  effort to provide some means of raising funds to pay
off debts already incurred.  In June 1887, one year later, a
committee reported that the owner of the building  in which the
lodge was meeting, would take over some of the furniture owned by
the lodge valued at $75.00, which amount would be applied to the
amount due for rent of the facilities.  At other times some of
the brethren loaned money to the lodge to pay accounts.

Apparently also, the Worshipful Master Bro.  McPherson had
difficulty attending the meetings.  During the period September
1885 to August 1887 there are minutes extant for 17 meetings, two
of which were emergent, and of these, the Worshipful Master
missed six meetings.  The Senior Warden presided at five and the
Worshipful Master of Kinistino Lodge of Prince Albert No. 16,
G.R.M. presided at one.  This latter meeting is of some interest. 
One brother was to be examined as to his proficiency in the
Entered Apprentice degree and advanced to the Fellowcraft degree
However, one Bro.  Dempsey denied his right to be examined and
advanced, as he stated he had charges to lay.  When questioned by
the Acting Worshipful Master , Bro.  Dempsey refused to inform
the acting Worshipful Master as to what these charges were,
stating that he would lay them before the Grand Master in
Winnipeg.  The acting Worshipful Master then formed a committee
consisting of the Junior Warden as chairman, the Senior Warden
and the secretary, to visit Bro.  Dempsey, at his convenience, to
ascertain the nature of the charges.  At the next meeting this
committee informed the lodge that Bro.  Dempsey had refused to
meet with them, informing them that he would be contacting the
D.G.M. at Regina.  No other mention is made of this problem in
the minutes, and the brother in question was advanced to the
degree of Fellowcraft in November 1886.

It must be remembered that Bro.  McPherson was at this time an
engineer on the narrow gauge railroad from Dunmore to Lethbridge,
and that his place of residence moved from Medicine Hat to
Lethbridge sometime in the fall of 1886.  At the meeting of
October 5th 1886 the Senior Warden proposed that the expenses of
Worshipful Master coming from Lethbridge be paid.  The lodge
finally agreed to pay his expenses from Dunmore to Medicine Hat a 
distance of some nine miles.  There was apparently a goodly
amount of charity in the hearts of the brethren in Medicine Hat
lodge at this time, particularly when we know that they were
having difficulty paying their accounts.  It must also be kept in
mind that travel was slow, even on the narrow gauge railroad. was
unable to obtain a timetable for this particular railroad; but a
journey made on this line by a newsman from the Lethbridge News
(3) in December 1885, took over five hours to make the journey
one way, gonig East one day and returning the next day.  This
particular trip was a special event so that I assume that it
travelled faster than the normal working trips.

There is some difficulty with the minutes of Medicine Hat Lodge 
No. 31, G.R.M. Pages 8, 9 and 10 contain the minutes of December
5th 1885, pages 11 and 12 are missing, while pages 14 and 14
contain the minutes for January 5th 1886. Just why these pages
are missing is not known. It does not appear likely that they
would have had an emergent meeting in December 1885, though
it is possible. Pages 15 and 16 are also missing; page 17
contains the minutes for March 1886, therefore it appears that
the minutes for February 1886 are missing, if indeed they held a
meeting that month.

No meetings of the lodge were held after November 2nd 1886 until
April 5th 1887, probably due to the absence of the Worshipful
Master It was at this April meeting that the Secretary was
instructed by motion,  duly moved, seconded and passed in lodge,
to write the Grand Secretary requesting a dispensation to allow
the Senior Warden to confer the degrees in the absence of the
Worshipful Master As we would expect, the Grand Secretary replied
that, "the conferring of degrees by the Senior Warden or in his
absence the Junior Warden was denied."

On May 1st 1888 W. Bro.  McPherson requested and was granted a
'Demit' from Medicine Hat Lodge No. 31, G.R.M. On June 4th 1889
he appears on the list of brethren attending the lodge as a
visitor from North Star No. 41, G.R.M. Lethbridge.

Now let us turn our attention to the town of Lethbridge since, as
mentioned earlier, Bro.  McPherson was now living in Lethbridge. 
He had been succeeded by W. Bro.  T. Tweed as Worshipful Master
of Medicine Hat  Lodge No. 31, G.R.M. in August 1887.  It appears
that Bro.  McPherson was not going to be an inactive Mason.  The
first meeting of North Star No. 41, G.R.M. (now No. 4, G.R.A.)
was held on April 16th 1889 (9) in rooms over a furniture store
located at what is now the corner of 4th Street and 3rd Avenue
South, Lethbridge.  James Brogden D.D.G.M. of District No. 7,
G.R.M. representing the Grand Master, having satisfied himself of
the good standing of the brethren present, ordered the Worshipful
Master Bro.  McPherson to open the lodge in the 3rd degree.  The
Worshipful Master then passed the gavel to R.W. Bro.  Brogden who
declared the lodge duly constituted U.D. of the Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, and empowered them to work
thereunder until a charter should be issued by the Grand Lodge. 
The D.D.G.M. then installed and invested
the following officers:

Worshipful Master    W.Bro. Thomas McPherson
Senior Warden        Bro. R.Niven
Junior Warden        Bro. Rev.C.McKillop (proxy for Bro. Lowry)
Treasurer            Bro.T. Champness
Secretary            Not yet elected (W.Bro. Alex Moffat G.R.C.   
                     (Acting) He affiliated on June 7th 1888 and  
                     was elected Sec.)


At the meeting of May 3rd 1888 Mr. Benjamin S. Burrell applied
for initiation at 23 years of age, he was subsequently accepted
and was the first initiate of the new lodge.  You will recall
that B.S. Burrell was the Fireman on the first train to arrive in
Lethbridge from Dunmore, in October 1885.  At the September
meeting the brethren decided to meet on the second Monday of the
month, and the Grand Secretary was to be asked for approval.

At the meeting of March 11th 1889 the meeting was duly opened and
the Worshipful Master R.W. Bro.  Thomas McPherson, who was at
this time elected J.G.W. of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, was
received in form, given Grand Honours, then assumed the gavel and
proceeded with the meeting.

On April 18th 1889 with eighteen members and eleven visitors
present, W. Bro.  White-Fraser acting D.D.G.M. consecrated and
constituted North Star Lodge No. 41, G.R.M. for the Grand Master
at 5:20 p.m. (4) He then proceeded to install and invest the
officers, which were the same as  those of April 16th one year
earlier.  Lodge was called from Labour to Refreshment at 6:10
p.m. and from Refreshment to Labour at 8:10 p.m. One candidate
was initiated and three were raised to the sublime degree of a
Master Mason.

R.W. Bro. McPherson was elected S.G.W. of the Grand Lodge of
Manitoba in 1890.  However, he did not advance further, as he
again felt the urge to move on and left Lethbridge in September
1890.  An emergent meeting was held followed by a banquet at
which 25 members were present, as a send off for Bro.  McPherson. 
At this point in time R.W. Bro.  McPherson began his career as a
stationary engineer at the Pierce County Hospital, Tacoma,
Washington, U.S.A.


North Star Lodge was not without its growing pains, though it
usually ran quite smoothly.  On only one occasion did its
finances seem to be in trouble.  It seems that at the meeting of
January 3rd 1889 the Secretary has .77cts in his books and bills
owing totalled  $137.00. Some two months later a surplus of funds
were in hand.  It is quite possible that this was because Bro. 
McPherson learned many lessons at Medicine Hat which he used in
Lethbridge; also he was able to attend every meeting except for
one emergent meeting.  The presence of the Worshipful Master at a
lodge meeting is certainly essential . North Star was also very
busy during the period under review with 13 regular and three
emergent meetings.  Six members affiliated, there were 14
initiations, 12 Fellowcraft degrees and 12 raisings.

R.W. Bro.  McPherson seems never to have lost his zeal for
Freemasonry.  He continued in the Craft in the state of
Washington U.S.A. and he attended the 40th and 50th Anniversaries
of North Star Lodge.  At both he accepted the chair and conducted
the meetings.  At the 50th Anniversary Bro.  B.S. Burrell the
first initiate was also present.  One interesting bit of
information came to light during the planning for the 50th
Anniversary celebrations in 1938.  A letter was received from
Bro.  McPherson, who was then 88 years old, to the effect that he
did not think that he would be able to attend due to travel
expenses involved.  In this letter he states that he had had a
happy and exciting life, but he had not been able to make very
much money.  It is not clear what transpired between receipt of
Bro.  McPherson's letter and the anniversary celebrations, but we
do know that Bro.  McPherson was in attendance.  It is to be
hoped that once again charitable brethren stepped into the
breach.  R.W. Bro.  McPherson was made a life member of North
Star Lodge in 1893.

R.W. Bro. Thomas McPherson's masonic career in Canada was  (10)
continuousio

Entered Apprentice  4th June 1879 - St. Johns No. 4, G.R.M.
Fellowcraft         6th August 1879 - St. Johns No. 4, G.R.M.
Master Mason        3 September 1879 - St. Johns No. 4, G.R.M.
Demitted            St. Johns No. 4, 6 July 1887
Affiliated          Medicine Hat No. 31, G.R.M., 16 June 1887
Demitted            Medicine Hat No. 31, 1 May 1888
Affiliated          North Star No. 41, G.R.M., 16 April 1888

It is not known when Bro. McPherson retired from the County
Hospital at Tacoma, Washington; it is known that he was still at
work at the age of 78.  Upon the death of his wife in 1938 after
nearly 62 years of a very happy married life, he entered the
Masonic Home at Zenith, Washington.  Bro.  McPherson passed to
the Grand Lodge above on September 8th 1940 at the ripe old age
of 90.
     
It has been said of Bro.  McPherson that he was a most careful
and experienced engineer.  Other reports also speak well of him
saying, that he was a very considerate  person. As stated earlier
he continued his activity in the Craft in the State of
Washington, U.S.A.; however, this activity is beyond the scope of
this paper.  He did say to an interviewer in 1928 that
engineering and the Craft were the two great loves in his life. 
He was a Mason for 61 years.

Thanks and appreciation are extended to the Worshipful Master's
and officers of Medicine Hat No. 2 and North Star No. 4 for their
kind permission to allow me to peruse their lodge minutes for the
purpose of preparing this paper.


BIBLIOGRAPHY


1. Grand Lodge Bulletin October 1940

2. Lavallee Omar, Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada, Railway
Enterprises, Box 6042, Station "A", Montreal H3C 3E4

3. Lethbridge News december 18th 1885

4. Lethbridge News June 26th 1889

5. Lethbridge News, September 17th 1890

6. Lethbridge Herald, March 14th, 1929 p. 9

7. Macleod Gazette, April 4th 1883

8. Minutes Medicine Hat Lodge No. 31, G.R.M., September 1885 to
August 1887

9. Minutes North Star Lodge No. 41, G.R.M., April 1888 to
September 1890

10. Private correspondence Grand Lodge of Manitoba

11. "Samis" Medicine Hat Centennial Committee, 1967



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