From bondage to the saddle—John Ware never looked back. Born into slavery around 1845 in South Carolina, John Ware had every reason to believe life would be cruel. But he had grit—and he rode west chasing freedom. He earned his reputation across Texas and Montana as a fearless cowboy and master horseman. In 1882, he crossed into Canada. There, in the rugged land of Alberta, he found something he’d long been denied: ownership, peace, and dignity. By 1891, John had his own land. A year later, he m