Senator Matthew H. Cochrane, 1823-1903, was the first and perhaps the most important of the western cattle barons. Born in Compton county in the Eastern Townships, Cochrane eventually prospered in the manufacture of shoes and leather goods, a business which provided the initial resources to support his main preoccupation, animal husbandry. Cochrane's Hillhurst farm earned a highly respected name in British and American breeding circles. As possibly the most prominent stock-breeder in Canada, his early interest in the potential of western ranching is hardly surprising. Of first concern to Cochrane and other potential investors was the matter and manner of land tenure. To this end the Senator commenced negotiations, in 1880, with Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. In December 1881, a month after Cochrane's celebrated herd of 6,600 head was driven into the Bow River Valley, the government introduced a comprehensive lease policy to encourage would-be investors. Numerous eastern and British capitalists followed Cochrane's example and established large ranches on western leaseholds. Cochrane might be considered the father of the cattle company era.
