A Look Back... The Pekisko Trading Post
Pekisko Trading Post, no date.
Musuem of the Highwood Collection
Pekisko is a small-unincorporated area southwest of High River, just off Highway 540. Filled with historic ranches and beautiful scenery, it's no wonder that the word “Pekisko,” which means "rolling hills” in the Blackfoot language, was chosen. It was also the location of the South Fork Trading Company, also known as the Pekisko Trading Post.
The Pekisko Trading Company was originally owned by Harry Hewitt Baines, an Englishman who had come to the area in 1886. Initially hired to bring cattle out from Ontario, he decided that he liked the area and decided to stay a while. In 1896, Harry and his friend Billy Henry went into the hotelier business, running the High River Hotel. This partnership would last until Harry joined the British Army. Harry would spend the next few years fighting Boers in South Africa. When Harry returned home, he was hired on as a bookkeeper at the St. George Hotel. He and his new English bride, Mary Eliza "Polly" Juett Baines, would live in the hotel until their house on Macleod Trail was finished. Their two sons, Harry Jr. and Alfred, would be born in this home.
H.H. Baines and sons, Harry Jr. (left) & Alf (right) in front of Pekisko Store, c. 1922.
Museum of the Highwood Collection
In 1909, Harry would take over the Loch Sloy post office and mercantile store, located near the Bar U Ranch. When this post office would close in 1918, Harry would purchase land east of Longview where the Pekisko post office was located. He then moved his store to this location.
Almost immediately, a log building was on the site by Phil Weinard, Joe Powers, and Elza Creel Sanders. The store was an important service for those who lived in the Pekisko area. Mail was by far the most convenient way to send messages to far away friends and relatives. At this time, mail was delivered by train and would be dropped off at the nearest station. However, the closest train station was located in High River, a distance of about 34 kilometers. Fortunately, the Longview area had a dedicated mailman, Mark Lounsberry. Lounsberry would make the trek to High River and would then deliver the mail to the small post offices that dotted the long trail back to Longview. Besides mail, the Trading Post also offered food and necessities for those living in the area. Trips to town could be arduous (and sometimes impossible) so having a local store was a necessity.
Pekisko Trading Post cash box, no date.
Museum of the Highwood Collection
Harry and Mary would run the store and post office until Harry’s death in 1924 and Mary’s retirement in 1946. Their son Alf and his wife Mabel would run the store until 1957. That year, they would sell the store and move to High River with their three children: Roger, Barbara, and Jackson. The building would go through several other owners in the following years. In 1967, the Pekisko post office would close. The original log building would then become a private residence.
Although the trading post is no more, the name "Pekisko" continues to live on. Locals may recognize the name from the "Pekisko Boutique" a women's fashion and accessory store run by one of Harry and Mary’s descendants.
Dedicated to our museum friend,
Roger Baines
Written by Delainey Niven
Harry Hewitt Baines, c. 1910.
Museum of the Highwood Collection
Mary Eliza “Polly” Baines (nee Juett), c. 1910.
Museum of the Highwood Collection