HISTORY & BIOS
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ROSS SAMUEL LIGHTLE
Son of Isaac Stephen and Dorcas Hester (Wade) Lightle Grandson of Samuel Stefin and Martha Elizabeth (Dempsey) Lightle Great Grandson of James and Mariah (Julian) Lightle GG Grandson of James and Jane (Bartlett) Lytle Submitted by Jodi
Ross was born January 1, 1693, near Springfield, Illinois, and was one of six children. When he was
three years of age, the family moved to Amarillo, Texas. In 1908, the family moved to the area adjoining
the Dinton district to the south, and resided on the Harris place. That summer, a farmer named Yursely
gave them a bunch of cayuses to put up hay with near the old High River Lake.
In 1909, Ross worked on the dray in High River. Building material did not come in sacks in those days,
but arrived in bulk in box cars. The lime that was used to build the Astorio Block, had to be shovelled by
hand. The safe for the Bank in High River was hauled on the dray, It was so heavy, it required a bunch of
men on the front end to keep the dray from rearing in front. He worked for Dick Tigner in (he winter of
1910, hauling oats from the farm, with a four horse team, to High River, a long cold trip.
He worked for various farmers in the Dinton district for the next three years, and in 1914, went Homesteading in the Coronation area. By the summer of 1917, he was fed up with the hard work and poor returns.
He packed his belongings in a suitcase and walked out.
On his way bock to Dinton, he stopped to work near Brooks, freighting dirt out of the 'big cut' for the
irrigation ditch, with a four horse frezno. The only drinking water available here, was from a slough at
camp, The slough was invaded from time to time by a large herd of Pat Burns' cattle, so there was a great
turnover of men, due to illness. As Ross said, "There were three crews; one going, one coming, and one
working."
In the fall of 1917, he came back to Dinton and returned to work, harvesting with Fred Both. It was
while working around this steam threshing outfit, that he acquired enough knowledge to obtain a Steam
Engineer's license. He worked here until Fred died in the spring of 1920. Then he rented a half section of
the Both estate, and purchased the Andy Orr homestead. In 1923, he bought his first siring of males, and
used mules as the chief source of power for his forming operations until 1942. He drove them in teams of
from two to fourteen head, and many tales he told of the fun and frustrations they caused.
In 1923, a young woman, Mrs. Mae Tresidder, and
her small son, Harold, came to work for Ross. She continued as his housekeeper until she passed away in 1957.
He raised Harold as his own son, and helped him get
started farming on John Kiddoo's place in 1946.
He gradually acquired more land until at one time,
he was farming nearly three sections, but by 1942, his
operations were reduced to farming three Quarters of a
section and sixty acres. In 1942, he moved to NW 22,
20-26-W4, where he resided until 1961, when he moved
to a small acreage at High River.
He married a young Scottish woman in 1959. They
had two children, a son, Ross, and a daughter, Jean
Katherine.
Ross died of a heart attack in November 1962.
OBITUARY
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Ross Lightle, although not a homesteader in this district, was a colorful early resident. He was a steam
engineer, mule skinner, road builder, good farmer, and a good friend and neighbor who would lend a helping hand to anyone.
