William Roper Hull was a successful cattleman, entrepreneur and land developer, but the statement that best describes his life: He helped define the culture of the community.
He arrived in the Canadian West in 1873 and within ten years the Cherry Creek Ranch was a successful cattle and horse operation under the guiding hand William and his brother John. When the North West Mounted Police needed horses, the brothers gathered 1200 head and drove them over the Crows nest Pass to Calgary.
The bothers were instrumental in the founding of the meat packing industry in Calgary, and by the late1880’s were involved in every aspect of the process from producing the cattle do distributing the finished product.
In 1893 William built a 1000 seat opera house. He was deeply involved in Calgary’s business scene, including the Calgary Brewing and Malting Co. By 1896 Hull’s growing wealth and social status saw him hosting visiting delegations of the ranching and business elite of Southern Alberta. In 1902 he sold his meat industry holdings and ranch properties to another well known Trail Blazer, Patrick Burns.
At the time of his death in 1925 he left an estate worth millions. His Widow Emmeline lived until 1953. Having no children of their own a large part of the estate funded a home for orphans and troubled young people, and it’s now known as the William Roper Hull Home.
