Naming the West : Stories High River Parks

High River Student Story 3:
Sheppard Family Park

 

I was walking down the street, longing for a home. I was looking around when suddenly I saw farm like area. I went up to the house door and knocked. I waited for a while, and then knocked again but no one answered. I began walking away slowly, when suddenly I heard somebody calling.

“Wait, come back! Wait, come back!”

I ran back to the house as fast as I could.

“Hello, my name is Elizabeth Sheppard.”

Elizabeth welcomed me in. She let me stay for supper. We began talking about how Sheppard Family Park got named. Soon it became dark. Elizabeth was letting me stay at her house for the night. As I lay on the bed the thoughts of how Sheppard Family Park got named kept swirling around in my head. I fell fast asleep in one of Elizabeth’s spare bedrooms.

I was suddenly awakened by the sound of tapping on the window. I looked up and saw a ghost standing in the middle of my room. I tried to scream, but I was speechless frozen with fear. The ghost looked like the picture of Ruth McCoy that Elizabeth showed me.

“My name is Ruth McCoy,” said the ghost. “Did you know that the original log cabin was built by Andy Bell in 1883. In 1925 Henry Sheppard acquired the property and expanded the cabin when he married my mother. Sheppard Park was named in honor of my stepfather.”