Auld Lang Syne

At the close of 1909, the people who lived at Glenbow Quarry (located in today’s Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park) marked the New Year with a luscious turkey dinner and lively entertainment, concluding with Auld Lang Syne. More than just a traditional New Year’s Eve anthem, this song is a clue to the lives of the… Continue reading Auld Lang Syne

Evelyn Edwards

Just as in the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, each of us impacts the lives of others in vital (but sometimes forgotten) ways. Like the film’s hero George Bailey, Evelyn Edwards performed a crucial act of bravery one winter during her childhood. Evelyn was born at Glenbow in April 1912, the first child… Continue reading Evelyn Edwards

Christmas Cards of Hope

Several years ago, just before Christmas, I was charged with forwarding the personal possessions of a pioneering Albertan doctor and his family to the Royal Alberta Museum. Although Dr. Andrew Walter Park and his wife Amelia resided in Cochrane, their adopted daughter Lorna had been born to the Wall family of Glenbow (located in today’s… Continue reading Christmas Cards of Hope

Event at Calgary!

Join Shari on Monday, November 14 at 7:00 PM at the Bow Cliff Seniors Centre (located at 3375 Spruce Drive SW) for a presentation about her new book Alberta’s Cornerstone: Archaeological Adventures in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, published by Heritage House Publishing. This event hosted by the Alberta Family Histories Society is also being broadcast over Zoom (contact AFHS… Continue reading Event at Calgary!

Travellers

The vagaries of modern travel are nothing new. People a century ago would have empathized with today’s long lineups, last minute delays and lost baggage. Many of Glenbow’s former residents encountered challenges while travelling. One of the most frightening incidents was endured by the Fitzgerald family, residents of Glenbow from 1905 to 1908. In October… Continue reading Travellers

Arthur Bottom

Prior to the invention of commercial passenger planes, the only option for intercontinental travel was by ship. For many of Glenbow’s former residents, their ocean crossing to Canada was a rare, perhaps unique, event. However, Arthur Bottom sailed the world for nine years before he gave up his seafaring lifestyle and came to Glenbow. At… Continue reading Arthur Bottom

Cochrane Culture Days Event!

Come on out to Cochrane this weekend for Cochrane Culture Days, organized by the Cochrane Integrated Arts Society! There are lots of interesting things to do and performances to see. You’ll find music, dancing, cultural events like a tipi-raising and drumming circle, classic cars, and kid-friendly fun like face painting and balloon animals. New this… Continue reading Cochrane Culture Days Event!

Ukrainian Immigrants: John & Anna Charyk

Today, Ukrainian refugees are fleeing their war-torn country and seeking asylum in Canada. Immigration from this region is not new. More than a hundred years ago, the community in today’s Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park welcomed Ukrainian immigrants, John and Anna Charyk.  In 1880, John was born in the Ukrainian village of Bila, in the vicinity… Continue reading Ukrainian Immigrants: John & Anna Charyk

The Wall Family: Loss & Legacy

Although historians and archaeologists study all aspects of life in the past, grief and loss are not common research topics. However, we can benefit from understanding how others coped with tragedy, since we all eventually suffer the heartache of losing someone close to us. The Wall family once lived in what is today Glenbow Ranch… Continue reading The Wall Family: Loss & Legacy