Jasper teen seeks stories about talking crow

A Jasper student is looking for information about Rocky the talking crow.

17-year-old Ty Sales, a volunteer with the Jasper - Yellowhead Museum and Archives is putting together a brochure on the life of Rocky the crow. Unfortunately, records of Rocky are scarce, however Sales has interviewed several Jasper residents about the talking bird. 

As the story goes, Rocky was hatched at Lake Edith and tamed as a chick between 1958 and 1960.   Popular with local children, he  grew up with families in town, quickly learning to imitate human sounds. While he enjoyed riding on cars, Rocky evidently enjoyed school life as well.

“Rocky would fly into the classroom and say Hi, and the children would say ‘hi’ back,” according to Sale’s assistant Brenda Hill. The crow also picked up some foul language, which he’d use at the school as well. Students who were in Grade 1 at Jasper Elementary school in 1958 will have remembered Rocky, Sales and Hill said.

The crow also enjoyed baseball, and would call out ‘play ball’ at the diamond.

Sales wants to find out more about Rocky and his life in Jasper, and is hoping more people will come forward with information about the bird. He said Rocky was a small crow, but he wasn’t low on courage. The bird would team up with the family dog to chase bears out of the yard. After the bear was treed, Rocky would dive bomb the bear from above.

As Rocky grew, pressure increased to find him a proper home in the wild. He was taken to Mount Robson, however according to Sales, he managed to find his way back to Jasper in three days, with quite an appetite. The bird stayed year-round in Jasper, and ended up settling down at Al Oeming’s  game farm near Edmonton.

Rocky is also thought to have inspired a character in John Mclay’s novel Once Upon a Time on Mountaintop Rock. Mclay’s book of life in Jasper also includes a talking crow.

Thus far, the only evidence of Rocky’s existence is oral record, and Sales is collecting and recording interviews with those who have stories or pictures about Rocky. Hill said there is a lot of disagreement about Rocky.

Those with information about Rocky, or a photo, are asked to contact the museum and leave a message for Sales at 780-852-3013.