{{Infobox person | name = Caroline Fulham | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date text|1852}} | birth_place = Ireland | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}
'''Caroline''' "'''Mother'''" '''Fulham''' (1852–unknown)<ref name="Kupecek" /> was an Irish-born Canadian known for raising pigs in Calgary, Alberta, and impacting city bylaws regarding the care of animals within city limits.
Fulham was born in Ireland<ref name="CarterC2" />{{rp|39}} and moved to Calgary in 1889.<ref name="Kupecek">{{cite book |last1=Kupecek |first1=Linda |title=Rebel Women : Achievements Beyond the Ordinary : History/Biography |date=2003 |publisher=Altitude Pub. |location=Canmore, Alberta |isbn=978-1-55153-991-1 |pages=55–61 |url=https://archive.org/details/rebelwomenachiev0000kupe_x4r0/page/54/mode/2up |access-date=23 September 2022 |chapter=Caroline Fulham (1852-unknown)}}</ref> Her husband John Fulham was a rancher.<ref name="Thomson">{{cite news |last1=Thomson |first1=Georgina |title=Another Link Gone |work=Calgary Herald |date=14 April 1962 |page=5}}</ref> He spent much of his time living and working outside of town and only occasionally visited the city.<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|56}} As a resident in the city she was known for disorderly behaviour and run-ins with the police.<ref name="CarterC3" /><ref name="Brennan">{{cite book |last1=Brennan |first1=Brian |title=Scoundrels and scallywags : characters from Alberta's past |date=2002 |publisher=Fifth House |location=Calgary |isbn=978-1-894004-92-3 |pages=32–38 |url=https://archive.org/details/scoundrelsscally0000bren/page/32/mode/2up?q=fulham |access-date=23 September 2022 |chapter=Paddy Nolan and Caroline "Mother" Fulham}}</ref> She was known the only woman to drink at the Alberta Hotel, which otherwise had an all-male clientele, and for frequent arrests while under the influence of alcohol.<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|57–58}}
Fulham lived at 612-6th Avenue SW.<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|56}} She raised pigs and other animals in her backyard. Her pigs were fed using waste from local hotels and restaurants.<ref name="CarterC2">{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=Sarah |title=The Importance of Being Monogamous: Marriage and Nation Building in Western Canada to 1915 |publisher=University of Alberta Press |isbn=9780888644909 |url=https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120144_99Z_Carter_2008-Importance_of_being_Monogamous.pdf |access-date=23 September 2022 |chapter=Customs Not in Common |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209161644/https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120144_99Z_Carter_2008-Importance_of_being_Monogamous.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|39}} She collected waste in a swill barrel, traveling around town on a horse-drawn cart.<ref name="Smith">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Donald B. |title=Calgary's grand story : the making of a prairie metropolis from the viewpoint of two heritage buildings |date=2005 |publisher=University of Calgary Press |location=Calgary, Alta. |isbn=9781552381748 |pages=65–80 |chapter=Neighbours Alfred Terrill and Paddy Nolan}}</ref>{{rp|70}}<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|56}} At the time, there were no laws against raising livestock within city limits.<ref name="MacEwan">{{cite book |last1=MacEwan |first1=Grant |title=And mighty women too : stories of notable western Canadian women |date=1975 |publisher=Saskatoon, Sask. : Western Producer Prairie Books |isbn=978-0-919306-65-3 |pages=119–126 |url=https://archive.org/details/andmightywomento00mace/page/118/mode/2up?q=fulham |access-date=23 September 2022 |chapter=Caroline "Mother" Fulham: The Lady Kept Pigs}}</ref>{{rp|120}} James Alexander Lougheed complained to the city that the value of land he owned was negatively impacted by Fulham's pig raising activities.<ref name="HeraldCitizen">{{cite news |title=A Citizen for All Centuries |work=Calgary Herald |date=21 January 1975 |page=6}}</ref><ref name="MacEwan" />{{rp|125}} In response, city council introduced the first set of building restrictions in Calgary's history.<ref name="HeraldCitizen" /><ref name="MacEwan" />{{rp|125}}
Fulham was frequently represented in court by fellow Irish-Canadian, Paddy Nolan, and was known for theatrics in the courtroom.<ref name="Brennan" /><ref name="Smith" /> Following the death of a cow following a collision with a Canadian Pacific Railway vehicle, she had Nolan sue the company for damages. The company argued it was not responsible due to the posting of "No Trespassing" signs along the rail line.<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|58}}<ref name="Brennan" />{{rp|36}} In response Fulham yelled "You fools! What made you think my cow could read?".<ref name="Brennan" />{{rp|36}}
Fulham left Calgary in 1904.<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|61}} She sold her property following the death of her husband in 1903.<ref name="Brennan" />{{rp|37}} Fulham lived briefly for a time in Vancouver before returning to Calgary in 1905.<ref name="Brennan" />{{rp|37}} Her whereabouts after that time are unknown.<ref name="Brennan" />{{rp|37}}<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|61}} The building where she lived was eventually torn down to accommodate development in the city.<ref name="Thomson" />
Sarah Carter has argued that Fulham's behaviour was noteworthy because it went against and tested social norms related to the behaviour of women.<ref name="CarterC3">{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=Sarah |title=The Importance of Being Monogamous: Marriage and Nation Building in Western Canada to 1915 |publisher=University of Alberta Press |isbn=9780888644909 |url=https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120144_99Z_Carter_2008-Importance_of_being_Monogamous.pdf |access-date=23 September 2022 |chapter=Making Newcomers in Western Canada Monogamous |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209161644/https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120144_99Z_Carter_2008-Importance_of_being_Monogamous.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|79–80}} Linda Kupececk echoed the assessment stating that Fulham "pushed the boundaries of what women could be in frontier Calgary."<ref name="Kupecek" />{{rp|61}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulham, Caroline}} Category:1852 births Category:19th-century Canadian farmers Category:Irish emigrants to Canada Category:Year of death unknown Category:Farmers from Alberta