University of Lethbridge | Valerie Wilson donates 140 acres of ranch land as tribute to family
Land belonging to a well-known Alberta ranching family has been donated to the University of Lethbridge for future sale.
Valerie Wilson, widow of cattle rancher Murray Wilson, has donated 140 acres of land near Cochrane, Alta., to the university. Its value won’t be known until the property is sold, but it is located near the hamlet of Westbrook in a scenic part of the province considered desirable by many.
Wilson said many rural students choose the U of L, including her own nephew, so it was a prime choice for the land donation. She will continue to lease and graze cattle on the property until a decision is made to sell.
Read Also
Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
“The gift to the U of L is a reflection of my husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law and their lives and work in agriculture,“ Wilson said in a news release.
Her father-in-law, George Wilson, settled two quarters near Cochrane when he arrived from North Dakota in 1905, and brothers Murray and Carl Wilson became well known in cattle ranching circles. They were partial to Simmental cattle in their commercial breeding operation and also owned a machinery dealership in High River, Alta.
Trevor Kenney, information manager at the U of L, said proceeds from the land may go toward agriculture programs, but that decision has yet to be made.
He said land donations are becoming more common for the institution.
“I think it’s at a point now where the university is starting to mature and being recognized a little bit more. Our alumni and relations are getting a little bit older so that now these gifts are starting to come in,” he said.
“We’re just starting to mature as an institution … and I think it’s been a little bit more of a focus too, as we’ve gone out and sought these sorts of things. It’s just a natural evolution.”
Among the most notable of gifts is a bequest from the late Jim Coutts, political adviser to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who donated his homestead near Nanton, Alta., and an extensive art collection for use in perpetuity by the university.
