This land was purchased in about 1907 from John Quail and served as a central location in the midst of a large tract of land available for lease from the Federal Government at that time. The lands were later taken over and administered by the Province of Alberta after its provincial status was obtained in 1905.

Michael accumulated several large tracts of land. The ranch was divided up into several camps or stations. He had the home quarter and the valley lands that comprised about 19 miles along the Red Deer River. These were used for hay lands, winter pasture and shelter. Attached to this was the plateau lands above the river to the south. These lands were three hundred feet above the Red Deer River valley floor and were quite hilly and extended eastward for at least ten miles. These were used for pasture and grazing. On the north side of the River, across from the homestead, there were valley lands that could be hayed in good years and there were plateau lands for grazing.

There were lands east of the Jenner road and on the east side of the south bend of the Red Deer River. Up on the plateau there were flat areas with steep slopes that acted as natural barriers to cattle. A good artesian spring was found there and conditions were good for calving. This area had a bunkhouse and some corrals and was called the Calf Camp. It was about eleven miles from the ranch house.

Another area of the ranch we could call Halsbury, was comprised of most of Township 19, Range 7, about 24 sections, or 15,000 acres. This probably had water and was used for pasture. The British Block, or the Sheep Camp, as it was called in 1926-27, or the Horse Camps as it was called in the 1930’s, was further south and east again. (presently, the northwest portion of the Suffield Military block) Cowboy Jim Spratt had living quarters there and Roy Banta spent two years living there in 1928 and 1929. It was normal for the cowboys to report to Michael or Murray Stapleton by mail from those far out locations. The cowboys had to be experienced to survive out there and look after things in those remote areas.

A man named Tom Owens, who lived across the river from the ranch, would pick up the mail from the camps up and down-stream with his boat and then send it across the river to the homestead. I am not sure just how this was done, but there was an account of a man, Billie Cudmore, who owned a small motor boat – he may have been the one that picked up the mail from Owens. In the albums there are pictures of the small boat, usually carrying three or four of Murray’s children, heading out across the river. Murray had a boat as well.

The access to the ranch from Jenner was really pretty good if you are looking at a map. There were two trails. One went straight up the hill southwest to the top of the plateau and then southeast to the Jenner road and south to Jenner. That was nine miles. You could ride along the river valley for three miles and then wind your way up Gordon Coulee and go south for six miles. That was still nine miles. In the winter or in spring (or most any other time), the trail was either; slick, steep, slumping, or hotter and drier than Death Valley. Jim Spratt tells of ice and snow 3 to 20 feet deep. Murray had to build a mobile home (sleigh) with a stove for the nervous trip to town when John Joseph was about to be born.

All in all, this spread was about 90,000 acres or about 140 sections. (140 square miles) This would be most of four townships. It was considered one of the largest ranches in Alberta. Many of the local people, at one time or another, worked on the ranch.