THE MILLARVILLE MAFIA

By Marie Nylund

This is the story of five young men who grew up in the rolling foothills of Millarville, Alberta, where hard work, horses, country roads, and one-room rural schools shaped their early lives.  They were farm and ranch boys, raised in the close-knit community where neighbours helped one another and children learned responsibility and developed a strong work ethic.  Horses and cattle were a big part of their lives.  They loved to explore the wilderness, camped and hunted while gaining outdoor skills which would benefit them along the paths they would follow.  Few could have imagined that these five young men, whose worlds once stretched only across the foothills and nearby mountain ranges were destined to spend their careers in Canada’s national parks.  They became well known within the National Park Warden Service, earning respect and a reputation for their dedication to the job, practical skills, and deep understanding of the outdoors, and wildlife.

Their shared roots and lifelong friendships and the fact that they all worked for the national parks, led others to jokingly refer to them as “The Millarville Mafia” — a nickname worn with pride and good humour.  Their story is one of life-long friendship, dedication, and humble beginnings.  From rural classrooms and country dances to mountain patrols, park headquarters, and years of service in some of Canada’s most treasured landscapes, they carried the values of Millarville with them wherever they went.  They were Keith Foster, Bob Haney, Perry Jacobson, Don Mickle and Johnny Nylund.

The first to join the Warden Service was Keith Foster in 1967. Born in January 1944 at the Turner Valley Hospital, Keith was the son of Chub and Nita Foster. He attended Sheep Creek School and Turner Valley High School, and was active in the local Cadets. Raised on a ranch west of Millarville Keith developed a strong knowledge of livestock, wildlife, horses, and ranch operations.  Keith enjoyed his rural life and was happiest exploring the mountains and wilderness.

After leaving school, Keith spent three summers in Lake Louise working as a guide and packer for Timberline Tours, owned by Ray Legace, and worked on oil drilling rigs during the winters. For a short time, he sold real estate in Calgary, but the pull of the outdoors proved stronger. He joined Alberta Provincial Parks as a fire lookout stationed north of Fort McMurray, where long hours of solitude inspired him to study forestry and consider a future in conservation.  Keith then joined Alberta Forestry, gaining valuable experience and eventually serving three years as Assistant Ranger at Anzac. During this time, he was Fire Chief in charge of 70 men battling the 1967 Athabasca fire, and also served on a crew fighting a major fire west of Banff.

Keith later transferred to the National Parks Warden Service and was posted to the Willow Creek district of Jasper National Park.   While working in Jasper he met and married Nona Vinson a skilled horse woman and artist. In 1971, Keith was transferred to Riding Mountain National Park in Dauphin, Manitoba, serving as Area Manager. Keith and Nona raised two daughters, Lenore and Brandi. He was later promoted to Assistant Chief Park Warden at Clear Lake.  In 1989, Keith was transferred to Grasslands National Park near Val Marie, Saskatchewan, a park established to preserve Canada’s disappearing mixed-grass prairie ecosystem.

After 31 years of service, Keith retired from the National Park Warden Service in 1998. He and Nona settled in Stavely, Alberta, where Keith remained until his passing on September 24, 2001.

Bob Haney was the second member of the group to join the Warden Service. Born in Seaforth, Ontario, in the spring of 1943, he moved to Millarville at the age of six with his parents, Bert and Vera, and his three sisters. He attended Sheep Creek School and quickly embraced the rural lifestyle.

In 1963, Bob went to work for Timberline Tours, Bert and June Mickle’s outfitting business in Lake Louise. There he developed a deep appreciation for the mountains, horses, outfitting, and the tourist industry, while gaining valuable practical outdoor skills. During his time at Timberline Tours, he met veteran park wardens Gerry Lyster and Wally McPhee, who encouraged him to join the National Park Warden Service. They also advised him that skiing was an essential skill for the job. Taking their advice to heart, Bob found work at the Lake Louise Ski Area, where he honed his skiing abilities in preparation for an interview for a career as a park warden.

After working briefly for Alberta Forest Service and on road construction for the MD of Foothills, Bob joined Banff National Park Warden Service as a seasonal assistant in the Eisenhower District. He later spent three summers as a seasonal park warden in Waterton Lakes National Park and winters as an avalanche observer in Rogers Pass.  In 1969, Bob began a 16-year career in Jasper National Park as the Rocky River District Warden. He later worked in avalanche control at Marmot Basin, became Area Manager for Poboktan Creek, and finished his Jasper years as a resource management representative. In 1970 Bob married Pat, a school teacher, whom he had met during his years in Lake Louise. Pat, originally from Gleichen, shared Bob’s love of the mountains and national parks. Bob and Pat raised two daughters, Tara and Colleen. In 1984, Bob became Chief Warden of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, and a year later moved to the Yukon as Chief Warden of Kluane National Park. In 1988, the Haney family returned to the Rockies when Bob was appointed Chief Warden of Banff National Park, a position he held until retiring in 1998 after a 32-year career with the National Park Warden Service.

Perry Jacobson was the third one to join the warden service.  Born in the spring of 1939 at Redcliff, he spent his formative years on a large cattle ranch owned by his parents, Clark and Pat Jacobson. As a youth, he participated in rodeos and developed a talent for playing guitar and singing western songs. In 1954, the Jacobson family moved to Millarville after his father purchased the former Malcolm Millar ranch. (Millarville is named after Malcolm Millar).  Perry quickly formed friendships with others who shared his love of hunting and exploring the wilderness west of Millarville. Through these pack trips, he and his companions developed strong backcountry skills and a deep appreciation for the value of wilderness conservation.  Perry and his friend Johnny Nylund became excellent marksmen, spending countless hours honing their skills through target practice. As a result the steep hillside behind the Jacobson home in the hamlet of Millarville was — and likely still is — riddled with lead.

Perry met Elaine at a dance at Square Butte, and they were married in 1966. Perry worked at Kendall’s Sawmill while Elaine taught school in Millarville. Their daughter, Kim, was born first, followed by their son Travis. Around this time, Perry became interested in a career in resource conservation after Keith and Bob encouraged him to follow in their footsteps working in the national park warden service.  He enrolled in Biological Sciences at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, a decision that opened the door to a career with the warden service.  Perry began his career with the park warden service in Lake Louise in 1972. After four years — including time spent posted at Saskatchewan River Crossing — he transferred to Banff as a wildlife warden. In 1980, he became Back-country Manager for the park, later advancing to Front-country Manager. In 1990, Perry was appointed Chief Warden of Kootenay National Park. After serving for a year and a half as Acting Superintendent, he brought his career full circle by returning to Banff as Chief Warden, a position he held until his retirement in 2000 after 28 years in the warden service.  In retirement, Perry returned to his cowboy roots, becoming a cowboy poet and singer-songwriter.

Don Mickle was the fourth member of the group to join the warden service. Born in Calgary in the spring of 1943, Don is the fourth generation of the pioneer Mickle family.  He was raised by his parents, Bert and June Mickle, alongside his sister Faye. Don’s parents instilled in their children a deep appreciation for the outdoors, ranching, horseback riding, hunting, and guiding. Don attended Sheep Creek School in Millarville, where he completed his early education.  In 1961, the Mickle family purchased Ray Legace’s outfitting business, Timberline Tours, in Lake Louise. The operation included guided horse trips, the management of Temple and Skoki lodges, and guided horseback tours at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. While helping operate the family business, Don became acquainted with many park wardens and developed an interest in a career with Parks Canada’s warden service.  In 1963, Don was hired as an assistant avalanche technician. During the winters he worked at Rogers Pass with Noel Gardner on the Snow Research Avalanche Warning Section, and later with Peter Schaerer on the Avalanche Research Program for the National Research Council of Canada. During the summer seasons, he worked on trail crew in Banff and Yoho national parks.

Don met Grace in 1966. Grace was attending the University of Calgary studying fine arts and education and working summers for the Mickle family at Temple and Skoki lodges. They married in 1971 and took over the family outfitting business at Emerald Lake. After selling the business in 1974, Don worked as an avalanche observer in Yoho before becoming ranch boss for the park, caring for the warden service patrol horses. When the position was later reclassified as a warden’s role, he was hired as a seasonal warden and became a permanent warden in 1977.

Don and Grace raised two daughters, Flora and Johanna, who were still very young when the family was posted to the west gate of Yoho National Park. In 1983, Don transferred to Lake Louise, where his responsibilities gradually expanded to include environmental assessments. He later served as Front-country Manager and spent eleven years as Cultural Resource Manager for the warden service in Banff National Park, a role he thoroughly enjoyed.  In 2003, Don was recognized with the Commemorative Integrity and Cultural Resource Management Award of Excellence. That same year, he retired from the warden service after nearly thirty-five years of dedicated service.

Johnny Nylund was the fifth member of the group to build a career within the organization of the Parks Canada Warden Service.  Born in Calgary in the spring of 1938, Johnny was the third child of Hjalmar and Peggy Nylund, and a third-generation member of a pioneering Square Butte family. He rode horseback to Square Butte School until it closed, after which he travelled by school bus to Sheep Creek School—though he much preferred the horse.

Raised on a ranch, Johnny spent nearly every day in the saddle, whether doing ranch work or exploring the mountain trails to the west of Millarville.  He gained practical experience on the ranch and took an interest in building with logs.  Over the years he became an exceptional horseman. He also devoted countless hours to camping, hunting and developing his marksmanship skills alongside his friend Perry Jacobson. During the mid 1960s, Johnny gained experience in the guiding and outfitting business while working as a packer for Bert and June Mickle’s Timberline Tours at Lake Louise. He later spent many years working for John and Isamay Ballachey managing their Chinook Ranch at Square Butte, west of Millarville.  Johnny gained more experience working at Bragg Creek’s Elkana Ranch an historic private guest ranch and children’s horse camp established in the early 1960s by Bob Echlin.  It was at a dance in the Bragg Creek Round Hall that he met his future wife, Marie. A fourth-generation descendant of the pioneering Muncaster family, Marie was enrolled in business college in Calgary. Married in the spring of 1969 they spent their first four years together at the Chinook Ranch before moving to Lake Louise.

In 1973, Johnny, Marie, and their son Leo moved to Lake Louise, where Johnny joined the Banff National Park trail crew, which operated under the Warden Service.  The work required travelling the park’s backcountry by saddle horse and pack string while clearing and maintaining trails—work Johnny thoroughly loved. This was seasonal work but he was able to work for Skiing Louise operating a Tucker Snow Cat grooming the slopes.  Johnny was hired as a winter seasonal speed plow operator for Banff National Park while continuing working trail crew in the summers.  In 1977, an opportunity arose for the position of Barn Boss in Banff — a permanent, year-round position with Parks Canada. Johnny applied, successfully completed the interview process, and was hired. His responsibilities included caring for the Warden Service patrol horses and the small bison herd kept in the paddock below Cascade Mountain. He was also responsible for shoeing horses, as well as repairing and maintaining Warden Service equipment — work he thoroughly enjoyed.  During this period the family moved to Banff where the children, Leo, Nancy-Lee and Guy, attended school.

In the late 1980s, Johnny attended a log-building course taught by renowned log builder B. Allan Mackie, where he gained valuable skills and knowledge in traditional log construction techniques. Using those skills, Johnny and park warden Frank Burstrom built three backcountry log patrol cabins for Parks Canada in Banff National Park — Palliser, Fish Lakes, and Stoney Creek.    When the position of Manager of the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch became vacant in the spring of 1996, Johnny took a keen interest and was extremely pleased to be appointed as Manager.   He took great pride in the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch.  After seven memorable years at the Ya Ha Tinda, Johnny retired in 2003 after a 30-year career with Canada’s national parks.  He often commented, “I have had the best jobs in the national park!”  In the autumn of 2020 Johnny passed away at the age of 82.

The circle of friends is not broken; the three remaining members of the Millarville Mafia — Bob, Perry, and Don — have remained close over the years and gather whenever they can to reminisce about the good old days: growing up in Millarville, their years with the National Parks Warden Service, and the many adventures shared along the winding trails of their lives and careers. Their conversations are filled with memories of saddle horses, diamond hitches, backcountry trails, river fords, close calls, and unforgettable encounters with wildlife. And, before long, stories of Keith and Johnny inevitably find their way back into the conversation.