St. Margaret's Church

(Click images for a larger view)

The church is located in Medicine Lodge Coulee in the last western valley of the Alberta Cypress Hills. This area was not covered by the last Ice Age and is unique in terms of plant and animal life. The cut bank to the north east of the site has formations which are 30-60 million years old. They show evidence of fossils representative of a vast inland ocean; most field stones have been rounded by water action. Fourteen different types of Orchids occur in these hills. Wildlife abounds including deer, elk, moose, cougars, coyotes, rabbits, weasels, porcupine, antelope. The hills host many types of birds notably the Rocky Mountain Bluebirds, Turkey Buzzards and migratory Eagles.

The Cypress Hills form part of a series of watering/resting places for Aboriginal peoples. Other sites are the Sweet Grass Hills (90 miles south west) and the Bear’s Paw Mountains (75 miles south of Havre, Montana). This church is located 1 mile south of the ‘Divide’; water below this site runs into Medicine Lodge Creek thence into the Milk River and onward to the Missouri, Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. Water to the north of Eagle Butte empties into the South Saskatchewan River, Hudson Bay to the Atlantic. Summer ‘weather’ comes mainly from the S.W.; winter weather from the N.W.

The three mountain formations were holy to the Aboriginals. The Cypress Hills are also known as the Thunder Breeding Hills. The following bands frequented this area; Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Cree, Crow and Sioux. This area was also a favourite resting/trading place for the Metis and White traders. It was part of the historic trade route from Fort Benton Montana (the head of steamboat travel on the upper Missouri) leading to Fort Battleford, North West Territories (now Saskatchewan) the then seat of Territorial government.

In 1873 American whiskey traders massacred 18 Assiniboine Aboriginals at Farwell’s trading post on Battle Creek about 40 kms east of here. This led to the formation of the North West Mounted Police and in 1874 the ‘Mounties’ marched across the southern plains and established Fort Macleod. In 1875 they built Fort Walsh near Farwell’s post. In 1877 Chief Sitting Bull and his Sioux warriors fled to the east Cypress Hills following the massacre of Col. George Custer and his men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn 1876.

Canon George McKay of the Church of England (now Anglican/Episcopal Church) held services at Fort Walsh in 1878. Regular church services were held in the Hills from 1883. Churches were built north of the Hills St. Anne, Josephburg (1897); St. Alban, Gros Ventre/Tothill (l904); St. George, Irvine (1907) and St. Margaret, Eagle Butte (1907). St Margaret’s was dedicated in June 1908.

Church services were held as regularly as possible given that travel was by horseback or buggy with clergy coming from Irvine. In later years Eagle Butte was served from St. Ambrose, Redcliff, Holy Trinity and later St. Barnabas, Medicine Hat. The last regular services were conducted by Archdeacon J.W. Carter in 1969. Following his retirement to Calgary in 1972 the church was left vacant with the cemetery under the care of Jim Last.

St. Margaret’s was originally within the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle as located in Regina; in 1968 this area was transferred to the Anglican Diocese of Calgary in Calgary city. In the early 1940’s the church was used as a school house after the district school burned down – not just once but twice! It must have been chilly in the church-school house as there was neither insulation nor electricity.

In 1976 the Anglican Diocese of Calgary sold the property to the Very Reverend David J. Carter. Work parties are held each July 1 weekend to maintain the church and cemetery. In 1976 the site was ‘raw prairie’ all trees and bushes have been planted since that time. An annual work-bee takes place the Saturday of the July long weekend. A group of volunteers also try to maintain 18 other abandoned pioneer cemeteries south and east of Medicine Hat. Volunteers are always welcomed!

In 1992 a complete renovation took place; insulation, electricity and natural gas heating were installed. St. Barnabas church, Medicine Hat kindly hosted the original candle sticks, flower vases and altar hangings for many years. The original silver baptismal bowl given by a church in Toronto has returned ‘home’. The large baptismal Font originated in the church of St. Michael and All Angels, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Altar is from the abandoned church at Coutts: the Altar Cross is from the abandoned church at Grassy Lake; the Lectern was used in the Orion area; the pot bellied stove came from Milk River.

Sue Feeney of Medicine Hat is the artist who created the four stained glass windows the last three were installed in 2005 as memorials but also to mark the Centennial of the formation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. The themes are of flowers and birds of the Cypress Hills – one window includes a representation of these special Hills.

St. Margaret’s church is an historic building; it is the oldest church building still in use, south and east of Medicine Hat. Regular church services are held at Easter Day, July first weekend, Harvest-Thanksgiving; and Christmas Carol and Readings the week prior to Christmas. Baptism and wedding services also take place. The cemetery is an ‘active’ grave yard in that burials continue to take place after appropriate arrangements have been made. Cremation is the recommended form of committal.

A not for profit society has been formed to administer the church and cemetery; funding is solely by donations from individuals of all faiths from Canada and around the world.

Phone 403-893-2222

Box 39 – Elkwater – Alberta – Canada – T0J 1C0

ST. MARGARET’S NEVER CLOSES!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT – PLEASE SIGN THE GUEST BOOK.