Ida Mae Pealo was born on January 24, 1924 in Grande Prairie, Alberta and was a long time resident of Teepee Creek. She grew up on a farm 1 ½ miles east of the Teepee Creek stampede grounds. She raised her family two miles north and five miles east of Teepee Creek. She moved to Grande Prairie in 2005 at the age of 81. Ida, resident of Grande Prairie, passed away on Monday, March 30, 2015 at the age of 91.

She was the youngest of three girls. As a young girl she grew up with her sisters Ruth and Ruby and her beloved pets; her saddle horse, Pat and her dog, Tippy. Her father passed away at a young age from TB (tuberculosis) and her mother lived to be 93.

Ida was asked to be one of the “Honorary Wagon Masters” for the Teepee Creek Stampede on Sunday, July 19, 1998, and she was honored to have been chosen. I had the good fortune of helping her document her experiences for this occasion.

Her memory of the first stampede was 81 years ago in 1934 at the young age of 10. She remembered the stampede was like a three ring circus, with mud or dust everywhere depending on the year. Later in the day everyone would try to clean up for the dance which was in McKenzie’s barn.

The stampede was moved to the McKenzie farm so the organizers could use the corrals. Her father eventually built the chutes, since he was a carpenter by trade. He wasn’t well at the time, but he persisted because he wanted to volunteer his time to the stampede.

She remembered there use to be a variety of water sports in McKenzie’s dam south of the current stampede grounds. A couple of her favorites were swimming races and greasy pole walk. She also recalled greasy pig races and potato races with horses. She enjoyed the water sports most of all.

In the late 1930’s, Rusty Hollingsworth added a new dimension to the stampede, “The Musical Ride”. She rode in “The Musical Ride” the first year. The musical ride became a popular attraction and went to a number of local stampedes for the next three years. Much to her dismay her mother wouldn’t let her participate in the ride after the first year.

One year when the stampede organizers didn’t have enough entries, Sam Webber, Ida’s partner of 38 years was asked to bring his plow horses as a fill in. He won the race. His horses out ran the thoroughbreds. He was thrilled. It was a story his family heard many times over the years.

In the early 1940’s, Ida ventured out of the Teepee Creek area to Calgary, Chilliwack and Vernon only to return to the Teepee Creek area by 1944 to raise her family.

Ida raised a family of eleven children, 5 girls and 6 boys. For years our entire family put in many volunteer hours before, during and after the stampede. At one time the Teepee Creek Stampede was the only attraction and the best stampede in the area. People came from miles around to watch the two day show. We looked forward to this so called “three ring circus” every year. It was the Teepee Creek terror kick off to summer holidays.

Marg Martel, On Behalf of the Pealo Family
In Memory of Ida Mae Pealo (1924 – 2015)