Trailblazer
Johnny Boychuck
 The world Johnny Boychuck came into in 1905 was a wild empty place compared the one he departed in 2006. Johnny’s mother died when he was four years old. He and his sister were raised separately and learned early the value of self reliance. When he started working on his uncles stock farm there were few cars, but half a million horses in the region and Johnny loved working with horses. He saw his beloved Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1926 and from then on, that’s where he wanted to be. The lean times of the ‘30s saw Johnny back on the prairies looking for work and even following the rodeo circuit to keep food on the table.
When things improved Johnny returned to his mountains in 1933 working for Pat Brewster. The war interrupted his packing career but in 1944 he came back to the Rockies after his hitch in Europe. Johnny realized a cowboy’s dream of owning his own outfit in 1950 when he bought Bill Brewster’s trail riding operation at Emerald Lake. He packed supplies from Wapta Lake to Lake O’Hara, and later established a trail riding operation on bench below Lady Macdonald Mountain. It didn’t take long before everyone in town knew who he was. The operation was so successful that he let is lease at Emerald Lake go in 1970
Johnny continued to ride and manage his Canmore operation known by everyone as “Johnny’s Stables” until he turned 91.
He was known and respected by everyone who met him and folks often said he was the guy who could pack anything on any horse anywhere.
Johnny Boychuck rode across the great divide for the final time in 2006 at the age of 101.
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