Robert (Pete) “Rattlesnake” Dixon

Pioneer, Cowboy, Jockey, N.W.M.P. Scout, rattlesnake wrangler

Born: 1861 at Aberdeen, Scotland
Married:  1912 to Wanita Jackson at Butte, Montana
Died: May 19, 1955 (age 94) at Calgary, Alberta
Buried: Queen’s Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Plot I:12:013
Contributor: Jim Benedict

A pioneer who dined with Jesse and Frank James and played billiards with Louis Riel, lived to 94.  He came from Scotland to Canada seeking adventure, which found him, as a N.W.M.P. scout and undercover man.  His nickname came from the number of prairie rattlers that he had killed.

His Early Years

Born Robert Dixon in Aberdeen, Scotland, the family moved to England when he was two.  At age 19, Robert heard the call of adventure and sailed for the New World.  The prairie west was pretty rough in the 1880’s and Rattlesnake Pete knew some of the toughest men back then.  The James boys, Frank and Jesse; Louis Riel, the Metis agitator and leader, Louis Lamont, Riel’s right hand man; Sitting Bull and many others.  Pete ended up working as an undercover scout for the Northwest Mounted Police, which was dangerous, and would have meant sure death if uncovered.

Pete worked on many Alberta ranches.  Starting from Fort Garry (now Winnipeg), he travelled in the early days by horse and on foot through all parts, from Manitoba to British Columbia.  Among the ranches he was worked on have been the Cochrane Ranch, the Bow River Horse Ranch, the Bar U, the CY, the Alberta ranch and the Cross Top A.

Rattlesnakes

Working as a cowboy on the ranges of Alberta, he earned a living killing rattlesnakes and making the skins into belts and purses.  His nickname of “Rattlesnake Pete” was bestowed on him when he caught a small rattler alive, defanged it and carried it around inside his shirt.

His trick was in capturing the reptiles by means of a silk handkerchief, and killing 160 at one time in the snake-infested region of the Belly River, as told to a Herald reporter¹  His method of capturing the poisonous rattlers was to flick them with a long stock whip which he carried, enraging them to the point where they would approach close enough for him to throw a long silk bandanna over them, and when they caught it in their mouths, a violent wrench pulled forth the poisonous fangs, rendering them harmless to pick up.

“Rattlesnake Pete” told of wearing a live rattler inside his shirt when he went to dances, and of the fright which his dance partners naturally experienced upon perceiving the inquisitive face poking through the front of his vest.

The final Years for Pete

He never learned to read or write, but he had many friends through his life.  He signed off a short biography with “Goodbye from one that loved the roaming life of the prairies.

1. Calgary Herald, July 10, 1935, p.13 [↩]