Patrick Burns (businessman)

Patrick Burns(July 6, 1856 – February 24, 1937)was aCanadianrancher,meat packer,businessperson,senator,and philanthropist. Aself-made manof wealth, he built one of the world's largest integrated meat-packing empires, P. Burns & Co., becoming one of the wealthiest Canadians of his time. He is honoured as one of theBig Fourwestern cattle kings who started theCalgary Stampedein Alberta in 1912.

The Honourable Patrick Burns KStJKCSG
Pat Burns, 1931.
Canadian Senator fromAlberta
In office July 6, 1931 – June 1, 1936
Personal details
Born	Patrick O'Byrne July 6, 1856 Oshawa,Ontario,Canada
Died	February 24, 1937 (aged 80) Calgary,Alberta,Canada
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Eileen Ellis
Parent(s)	Michael and Bridget O'Byrne
Occupation	Rancher businessman meat packer

He made his fortune in themeat industry,but ranching was his true passion. Burns's 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) ofcattle ranchescovered so vast an area ofSouthern Albertathat he boasted about being able to travel fromCochraneto theUS borderwithout ever leaving his land.

In 1931, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate as a representative for Alberta. On October 16, 2008, theCalgary Heraldnamed Burns as Alberta's Greatest Citizen.

Early life

Patrick O'Byrne was born inOshawa,Ontario, on July 6, 1856, the fourth of eleven children of Michael and Bridget O'Byrne.His parents had immigrated fromCounty Mayo,Ireland in 1848 due to theGreat Famine,and as part of the naturalization process, the family name was shortened to Byrne and then later to Burns.The family moved from the Oshawa area northward in the spring of 1864 to the small community ofKirkfield, Ontario,where Burns spent a majority of his childhood.Patrick had very little formal schooling but learned a great deal about hard work and thriftiness from his parents.

He spent his last summer in Kirkfield chopping wood for a neighbour. He had intended to save enough money to travel out west, but when it came time for him to collect his pay, he discovered that his employer did not have enough cash to cover the $100 he was owed for his labour and so was instead given two oxen as payment. They had a resale value of $70, but he saw an alternative. He made $140 by slaughtering the animals and reselling their meat and byproducts. That experience was one that he would remember when he was as an entrepreneur.

With his brothers John and Dominic in 1878 he head out west at the age of 22. They started out by steamer, but when they reachedRat Portage,he feared that if he paid for transportation the rest of the way, he might lack funds on his arrival. Undaunted, he bought some bread and cheese, and with his gun for protection, walked the rest of the way to Winnipeg. He and John, impressed by reports of good lands to the west, decided to take advantage of the CanadianDominion Lands Actof 1872. The brothers set out on foot to locate theirhomesteadsand walked 160 miles (260 km) until they found land to their liking just east ofMinnedosa, Manitoba.

Burns continued to homestead inManitobauntil after theLouis Rielrebellion but gradually became involved in buying cattle and selling meat. He began his meat packing career with a cow bought on credit and sold for $4.He began freighting goods fromWinnipegand driving his neighbours' cattle to the Winnipeg market. By 1885, he was buying and selling his own cattle.

As a contractor from railway construction, that Burns transitioned from being a small-time broker to a successful entrepreneur. In 1887,William Mackenzieand his partnersDonald Mann,James Ross, andHerbert Holtsecured a railway construction contract to drive a line fromQuebecthroughMaineto theEastern Seaboard.Mackenzie had grown up in Kirkfield and remembered Burns from their briefly-shared school days and time spent working in their fields. Aware of Burns's experience in the livestock business, Mackenzie gave him the opportunity to provision the labourers who were to construct the line.

Burns learned to establish a mobile slaughtering facility, which could move easily as the railhead was extended. The success of the contract in Maine led to whole succession of other contracts with Mackenzie and Mann.

Alberta

The Program for 1912Calgary Stampedefeaturing theBig 4:Burns,Lane,Cross, and McLean

Burns moved toCalgaryin 1890 and established his first substantial slaughterhouse.In 1898, he built a packing house in Calgary followed by others inVancouver,Edmonton,Prince Albert,andRegina.He then turned to ranching on a large scale and acquired large tracts of land. His company, P. Burns & Co. (later Burns Foods) became western Canada's largest meatpacking company.At the grand opening of his second abattoir in 1899 (the first had burned down), theCalgary Heralddescribed the event as "the passing of yet another milestone on the road to Calgary's full measure of prosperity."

In 1901 he married Eileen Ellis ofPentictonin a small ceremony in London, England. Back in Calgary, Burns was building a house for himself and his new bride.Burns Manor,on the corner of 4th Street and 13th Avenue SW, designed by Pat's friend, the famed architectFrancis Rattenbury,was a grand, 18-room sandstone mansion, visited by the likes of Prime Ministers and Royalty.Construction took two years, and the couple meanwhile lived at the Alberta Hotel, onStephen Avenue.The Burnses had one son, Patrick Michael Burns, born in Calgary in 1906.

An interior view of the Burns meat packing plant in the early 1900s

In 1912, he was one of theBig Four,who started theCalgary Stampede.WithA. E. Cross,A. J. McLean,andGeorge Lane,they arranged $100,000 worth of financing and billed the event as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth."Burns then personally owned six ranches with 38,000 head of cattle, 1,500 horses and 20,000 sheep. His company, Burns Foods, had abattoirs in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Prince Albert, and Regina with an overall daily capacity of 1,070 cattle, 6,000 pigs, and 3,000 sheep. Burns's facilities were of the utmost sanitation and technically advanced to a level previously unseen in Western Canada. Facilities were eventually opened in Winnipeg, Seattle, Australia, and Great Britain.

Burns was able to revolutionize the slaughterhouse industry by emphasizing efficiency in the use of byproducts.Traditionally, much of the animals had been lost to waste, but with his advanced abattoirs, Burns could expand the list of recoverable products, which included leather, fats for soap, bone for bone meal and manufactured articles, fertilizers, glycerine, hair for brushes, and even an array of pharmaceuticals. Burns joked that the only product not recovered were the pigs' squeals, which could have been sold to politicians.

Burns played a crucial role in World War I by supplying meat to troops overseas.For example, he shipped over 2,000 tons of pork shipped to troops in France during the first half of 1917. After the war,Belgiumwas looking to secure a meat supply from a North American company. With no American distributors able to meet the call, Burns stepped in to help the devastated nation.

British Columbia

Clock tower of the Vancouver Block on Granville Street as built by Pat's brother Dominic in 1910

From the early 1900s to 1914, he was the principal meat supplier for the workers during the construction of theGrand Trunk Pacific Railway.One of theFoley, Welch and Stewart,sternwheelers,theSkeenawas used for the express purpose of delivering Burns's beef to the railway construction camps inBritish Columbia.

As part of his western expansion, Burns purchased several thousand acres of land south of Vancouver with the intent of using it for grazing cattle.The property included a significant amount of wetland that was not ideal terrain for cattle grazing and so failed. The land was renamed theBurns Bogand maintained its original state until around the 1940s, when peat harvesting began and parts of the bog were dug up.

In 1907, Dominic Burns, a brother, oversaw the construction of Burns Foods' first slaughterhouse inVancouver.When it was torn down in 1969 the man in charge of the demolition said it was the toughest building to destroy he had ever seen with brick walls that were 36 centimetres (14 in) thick.Burns constructed the historic 18 West Hastings Street as his regional head office and one of several retail outlets in the city. The building is a six-storey brick Edwardian commercial building on West Hastings Street, Vancouver. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Hastings Street corridor was the centre for Vancouver's trade and manufacturing.

In 1910, Dominic had the Vancouver Block built onGranville Street,Vancouver. Dominic moved into the penthouse upon completion of the building in 1912 and lived there until his death in 1933. The building is recognized by its large clock tower and has incredible historic value with its prominent location, the highest point of land in Downtown Vancouver, and being an early example of Edwardian commercial buildings that typified the building boom at the turn of the 20th century.

TheBlakeburncoalmine, near Princeton andCoalmont,was another of Burns's ventures.

Bow Valley Ranch

The Bow Valley Ranch House circa 1897

The Bow Valley Farm became the functional headquarters of his cattle empire.Burns purchased the Ranche in 1902 fromWilliam Roper Hull.Burns also acquired adjacent sections of land, as they became available. Eventually, the Burns Ranch at Bow Valley included some 20,000 acres (81 km²) bounded on the north by what is now Stampede Park, on the east by theBow River,on the south by 146th Avenue, and on the west byMacLeod Trail,a large property by any standards but only a small segment of his ranching empire.The farm was an ideal location with respect to the Burns family meat packing plant. Many large cattle drives were brought to the site where the animals were bedded, fed, watered and rested before being herded to the stockyards. Burns frequently offered the hospitality of the ranch to distinguished people visiting the Calgary area.

Hull was responsible for building the natural brick two storey Bow Valley Ranche House which was said to be the finest country home in the territories. When Burns bought the property, the house was a two-hour ride away from Calgary, and he used it as a weekend retreat. Today, the house is occupied by theBow Valley Ranche RestaurantinFish Creek Provincial Park.

After his death, his nephew and business successor Michael John Burns came to live in Bow Valley Ranche House.Under his supervision, the ranching operation continued to prosper and he also preserved the established tradition of true western hospitality remembered by many Calgarians. In failing health, Michael John Burns moved to Calgary in 1950, and his son Richard J. Burns came to live at the ranch with his wife and three sons. Under his management, many more improvements were made, including the construction of a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a one-story addition. Richard J. Burns lived at the site until 1970.In 1973, the Alberta Provincial Government purchased the Bow Valley Ranche from the Burns Foundation as part of the development of Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Later years

Patrick Burns in 1929

By theGreat War,Burns had become one of Canada's most successful businessmen and had butcher shops andabattoirsall across Western Canada. He had over 100 retail meat shops in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. He also established 65creameriesand cheese factories, 11 wholesale provision houses and 18 wholesale fruit houses. He extended his empire overseas and set up agencies in London,LiverpoolandYokohama.In 1928, Burns Foods generated sales of about $40 million ($691 million in 2023).

In 1928, he sold his interests in Burns Foods for $15 million ($259 million in 2023) toDominion Securitiesand the company was renamed Burns & Co. Ltd.In the sale, Burns retained control over his true passion, his vast cattle ranches. At the height of his empire, his assets included nearly 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) of ranch land, roughly the size ofLuxembourg.One of his most prized possessions was theBar U Ranch,south of Calgary, which was among the largest in the country and one of the first and most enduring large corporate ranches of the West. Under George Lane, it had achieved an international repute as a centre of breeding excellence for cattle and purebredPercheronhorses. Burns acquired the property from Lane's estate after his close friend died in 1925.Some of the other ranches in his possession were Willow Creek, Glengarry (44), Bradfield, Two Dot, Rio Alto, Linehum, Flying E, and C.K.

Burns andR. B. Bennettat the Calgary Stampede in 1928

In 1931, he was appointed to theSenate of Canadaby his close friend,R. B. Bennett,to represent the senatorial division of Northern Alberta. In making the announcement, Prime Minister Bennett had this to say about him: “Holding your wealth as a trust, you have given generously to every good cause and your life has been an inspiration to the younger generation.” He sat as an independent until he resigned for health reasons in 1936.

He was predeceased by both his wife, Eileen, and their son, Patrick Michael. He died in Calgary on February 24, 1937, with his nephew John and other family at his side. He is buried alongside his son in St. Mary's Cemetery in Calgary.

Upon his death, he left his estate to his nieces and nephews and many charities. The succession duty on his estate, at almost $1 million, was a welcome windfall for the province of Alberta, and the revenue helped to offset the loss from suspending the provincial sales tax in August 1937.

Philanthropy

Burns was known as a man of few words but great generosity. One employee estimated that for a period Burns was donating over $50,000 per year ($863 thousand in 2023).

When a hugerock slidedevastated the community ofFrank, Albertain 1903, Burns was among the first to send aid.Five years later, when fire swept throughFernie, British Columbia,leaving 6,000 people homeless, he sent carloads of food.He was a staunch supporter of many children’s charities, making sure that the local orphanage was always well-stocked with free high-quality meat. He was an active Catholic but also supported other religious groups. When he was called upon to pay for the painting of a small Catholic church near Calgary, he requested for the Anglican church next door to be painted as well, at his expense, so that it did not look shabby by comparison. He was extremely generous to theDiocese of Calgaryand donated large sums to St. Mary's Parish.He donated three 750 lb bells toSt. Mary's Cathedralin 1904 that were cast by theFonderie PaccardinAnnecy,France.The bells were the only parts from the old building used in the construction of the existing cathedral. He paid for the construction ofAlbert Lacombe's "Hermitage"inPincher Creek,and donated the land for the Lacombe Nursing Home atMidnapore,which he kept provisioned at his expense.

Burns placed a high value on education. He contributed to the creation of Western Canada College, nowWestern Canada High School,in Calgary, provided the funding for the erection ofSt. Joseph's Collegeat theUniversity of Alberta,and financed construction on a new school building, new residence, and donated land for expansion atVancouver Collegein Vancouver.

On August 11, 1914, he offered £10,000 to equip a complete "Legion" (Mounted Rifles Regiment) of Canadian Legion of Frontiersmen, for the Canadian Government's war effort.

In 1914,Pope Benedict XVcreated him a Knight Commander of theOrder of St. Gregory the Great,the first Canadian to receive such an honour. He was also a Knight ofSt. John of Jerusalem,and an honorary colonel in Calgary's 31st Regiment.

Patrick Burns's 75th and Canada's largest birthday cake at 3500 lb

In honour of his 75th birthday, a huge cake (said at the time to be the world’s largest birthday cake) led the Stampede parade and was cut and distributed that evening to the city's underprivileged citizens.Also, he celebrated his birthday by giving a 5 lb roast to every family in which the head of the house was unemployed and a ticket for a meal at any restaurant in the city to the unmarried unemployed. It was during the Depression days, and the gifts were much needed; 2000 Calgary families received the roasts and 4000 single unemployed dined out at his expense.

Patrick Burns took special interest to environment conservation.Recognizing the value of the trees in Fish Creek Valley, he directed his foreman to erect fences around the groves of aspen and poplar as protection from the cattle. They also planted 2000 poplars along the MacLeod Trail, adjacent to Bow Valley Ranche.

Burns Memorial Fund

In his will, Burns endowed a third of his estate to the Burns Memorial Fund. As such, in 1939 a court order was issued setting up trusteeship and administration of The Burns Memorial Bequest Fund for three groups of beneficiaries:

• Widows and orphans of members of thepolice force of Calgary
• Widows and orphans of members of thefire brigade of Calgary
• Poor, indigent and neglected children of Calgary

Today, the Burns Memorial Fund is made up of a private charitable foundation (the Children’s Fund) and two non-profit trusts (the Police Fund and the Fire Fund). The funds operate collectively as the Burns Memorial Fund.

Death and legacy

Burns died February 24, 1937—less than six months after the death of his son.

Estate

After his death, Burns's estate was assessed at $3.8 million ($78 million in 2023)—having fallen significantly due to the Great Depression.In 1996,Maple Leaf Foodspurchased a majority of Burns Foods for an undisclosed amount.Some Maple Leaf products retain the Burns name but many have been rebranded.

Alberta's Greatest Citizen

As part of its 125th anniversary, theCalgary Heraldorganized the search for Our Greatest Albertan. In what is considered the largestcitizen journalismproject in the province, readers originally nominated 125 people for consideration. A Top 10 list was culminated from months of thought, debate, and votes from the public. Along with Burns, the list included former PremierPeter Lougheed,former Mayor and Lieutenant-GovernorGrant MacEwanandFamous FivememberNellie McClung.On October 16, 2008, at a gala at Heritage Park, Burns was named the province's greatest citizen. TheHeraldcommented that "His story is the story of Alberta. His struggles, his dreams, his success and philanthropy define the very core of our western character."

Influence on ranching

Burns was a major force behind the growth of ranching in Alberta. He purchased large herds of purebred Hereford stock, which he used to help fellow ranchers improve the blood lines of their own cattle. A pioneer of cold-weather ranching, Burns put up 250,000 tons of hay for winter feed and convinced other ranchers to utilize winter feeding methods themselves. He renovated the corrals and feeding pens on his ranches and introduced modern feed-lot techniques to finish cattle for market.

Namesakes

Burns Building,Calgary, Alberta, ca. 1930

Burns Block,8th AvenueandCentre Street,Calgary, Alberta, ca. 1906

Buildings

• Burns Manor,Calgary
• Burns Block, Calgary
• Burns Block,Nelson
• Burns Block, Vancouver
• Burns Building,Calgary
• Burns Stadium(former home of theCalgary Cannons), Calgary,
• Senator Patrick Burns Building atSAIT Polytechnic,Calgary
• Senator Patrick Burns School, Calgary

Land

• Burns Bog,Delta, British Columbia(Named after Burns's brother, Dominic)
• Mount Burns, Alberta

Neighbourhoods

• Burnsland,Southeast Calgary
• Burns Industrial Park, Calgary
• Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary

Parks

• Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Rock Garden, Calgary
• Blakeburn Park, Port Coquitlam

Roads

• Burnsland Road, Calgary
• Burns Ranch Road,Olds
• Burns Road,Winnipeg
• Patrick Street, Winnipeg

Ranches

The following is a list of ranches owned wholly or in part by Patrick Burns or his companies:

• OH/Rio Alto Ranch
• Bar U Ranch
• Bow Valley Ranch
• CK Ranch
• Ricardo Ranch
• Circle Ranch
• Walrond Ranch
• Bradfield Ranch
• Lineham Ranch
• Glengarry Ranch
• Flying E Ranch
• 76 Ranch
• Two Dot Ranch

References

Works cited

• MacEwan, Grant(1979).Patrick Burns, Cattle King.Saskatoon, Sask.: Western Producer Prairie Books.ISBN0888330103.
• Sproule, Albert Frederick (1962).The Role of Patrick Burns in the Development of Western Canada.Edmonton, Alta.: University of Alberta.OCLC1157188195.

External links

• Elofson, Warren (2016)."Burns, Patrick".In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.).Dictionary of Canadian Biography.Vol. XVI (1931–1940) (online ed.).University of Toronto Press.
• Patrick Burns: A Man of His Word
• Patrick Burns's Manor HouseArchivedApril 16, 2007, at theWayback Machine
• Best of Alberta. Our Greatest Citizen Announced
• Patrick Burns – Parliament of Canada biography
• Burns Memorial Fund
• The Ranche Restaurant at the Bow Valley RancheArchivedNovember 12, 2013, at theWayback Machine