George Barnet ("Barney") Creech was born in 1882 on a large mixed farm in Somerset, England. He came from a family of eight children. When Barney Creech was nineteen years old, he immigrated to Canada. After arriving in Quebec, Mr. Creech realized that he would not be able to find work because he could not comprehend the French language, so he moved on to Vermont, U.S.A., to procure employment.
After reading in the English newspaper about the Barr Colony going west, Mr. Creech decided to follow them in the fall of 1903. (At that time, Mr. Creech every Englishman had to have their newspapers sent from home for a few years).
Barney Creech walked from Saskatoon to Lloydminster, stopping in Battleford to secure a Job for the winter. The job consisted of building a pile bridge across the North Saskatchewan River. On arriving at Lloydminster, he filed on his homestead, N.E.1/4 6-51-27 west of the 3rd, built a log house and barn. He returned to Battleford to work for the winter.
In the spring of 1904, Barney Creech again set out for Lloydminster, only this time he wasn’t walking. He had acquired a team and wagon, walking plow, disc and harrows. On the way he bought seed oats and a milk cow with calf. The calf was so young, it had to ride in the wagon, with the cow following closely behind.
After breaking acreage on his own homestead, he did custom work for other homesteaders. The reason that Barney’s help was so much in demand was that many of the colonists were not experienced in farming procedures.
After re-visiting Great Britain in 1910, he came back and married Miss Mary Ann Myra Brundige. The Creech children: Gilbert, Frank, Bob, Ethel, and one son that died in infancy, were born between the years 1912 and 1920.
In retrospect, Barney Creech contributed much to the development of this area. In 1904, he arrived on the scene, a twenty-two-year-old farmer with generations of agricultural knowledge behind him, and he served a position of great importance by helping others to settle this area. It is understandable, then, that as his farm grew more prosperous, he would have more time for civic involvement. He served on the council of the R. M. Britannia #502 for years, was active in the Lloydminster Co-op, and stood for office on school boards. He played a significant role in the formation and early development of the Lloydminster Exhibition Association.
Barney Creech named his farm "QUANTOCK", so called after a row of hills on the south shore of the Bristol Channel in England. On his farm he raised registered Shorthorn cattle, Clydesdale horses, sheep and swine. One of his special projects was an interest in seeding cultivated land back to grass and legumes, as was practice on the farms in the Old Country.
He died at the early age of 52 in 1935. In his passing, he has left a legacy in the person of his son, Dr. Frank Creech, who, with his sons, continues the preservation of the knowledge and the quest for excellence in producing registered livestock.
Thank you, George Barnet Creech!