DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Biography: Wild Horse Jack Morton

Have you ever heard of a cowboy named Wild Horse Jack Morton? He was a very special person who lived a long time ago in a place called Alberta, Canada. Jack loved horses more than anything in the world, and he was really good at training them.

Jack was born in the year 1883, which is more than 100 years ago! His parents had moved to Canada from a country called England. As a boy, Jack loved horse racing and playing tricks more than going to school, so he only went to school until he was in Grade 3. After that, he started to work with horses and cattle, which are big farm animals like cows and bulls.

In the year 1900, when Jack was a young man, he started to work with a man named Jose Sala. Mr. Sala had a ranch in Alberta, and Jack learned a lot about cattle and horses from him. Jack worked so hard and was so good at what he did that he was able to start his own ranch, called the CX Ranch.

Jack was really brave and strong. He would take horses that had never been ridden before and teach them to trust him. Then, he would sell these horses to people who needed them. But Jack was also very kind. If someone didn't have enough money to pay for a horse, he would let them have one anyway. People said he was like Robin Hood, a hero who helped people who needed it.

One of the most fun things Jack did was help start the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede is a big event where people celebrate cowboys and their way of life. Jack brought horses to the Stampede for races and shows. He also started a special tradition: the Stampede breakfast. At the breakfast, everyone got to eat pancakes and sausages cooked by the cowboys, just like they would on a ranch.

Even though Jack made a lot of money selling horses, he didn't keep it all for himself. He spent his money helping other people and having fun. Because of this, he lost his ranch and his horses. But he wasn't sad. He said he wanted to keep living his cowboy life until the end.

Jack passed away in 1944, but people still remember him today. Every year during the Calgary Stampede, when people sit down to eat their pancake breakfast, they think of Wild Horse Jack Morton, the brave and kind cowboy who started it all.

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