Southern Alberta The Ongoing Mission 8 DARREL NELSON The blessings of having a temple in southern Alberta for Alberta. He made a contrast with the Mormon settlements nearly a century are simply incalculable. From the moment in northern Mexico where some of his family had lived. it became operational in August 1923, the Alberta Temple These settlements were both founded at about the same has stood as the great symbol of local Latter-day Saint mem- time by people leaving Utah and surrounding states over bership. It remains a divine constant amid ever-changing the conflict with the US federal government and polyg- physical and social circumstances, the anchor of faith for amy. He noted that we had had a temple here in Canada Saints living in the area. in the vicinity for about seventy-five years at that time, Commenting on the temple’s significance at the time of its while the temple in Colonia Juárez had been dedicated only dedication, C. Frank Steele, a Church member and writer for the previous year in 1999. We talked at length about the the Lethbridge Herald, eulogized the early Mormon pioneers effect of the presence of a temple in the creation of a strong of southern Alberta: “Here was a crowning reward for their multigenerational church community.”3 faithfulness, a symbol of permanency in their new Canadian The concept of a “strong multigenerational church home, an evidence surest of all, perhaps, that this was destined community” is the subject of this chapter. It examines to be a favored gathering place for the Saints. The Temple the growth and development of the Church in southern brought unity to the Saints and fortified them for trials.”2 Alberta in the postsettlement period since the dedication From the vantage point of hindsight, the blessings have of the Cardston Alberta Temple. This chapter also examines become increasingly apparent. When Henry B. Eyring, the economic and world conditions that have had an impact then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, visited Ray- on the Church in the region and identifies how the Saints mond in October 2000, Terrence C. Smith, president of the have been blessed spiritually and fortified for their trials Raymond Alberta Stake, reported: by having a temple in their midst. This southern Albertan “During his visit [Elder Eyring] was very interested in nucleus of strength has been the seedbed for the growth the depth and commitment of the Church here in southern of the Church in Canada, from the original settlements to ◀ Darrel Nelson, a resident of Raymond, Alberta, is a retired schoolteacher with thirty-seven years of experience. His teaching career spanned five years at the high school level, teaching English, and thirty-two years at the elemen- tary school level, teaching all subjects. He has written articles, plays, and music and is a successful novelist, with three highly acclaimed titles, The Anniversary Waltz, The Return of Cassandra Todd, and Following Rain. He served a two-year mission to Japan in 1970–71, has served as a bishop, taught early-morning seminary, and served as a temple worker. He and his wife, Marsha Smith, are currently serving as full-time self-reliance service mission- aries. The couple are the parents of four children and grandparents of ten. (Darrel Nelson) CANADIAN MORMONS 211 212 CANADIAN MORMONS ◀ A radiant bride and hand- some groom (Emily and Ben Roberts) at the Cardston Alberta Temple, enjoying a happy moment with the bride’s grandparents (William and Margaret Drew). The temple, which was dedicated in 1923, has been the spiritual focus of the southern Alberta settlement. Sacred temple ordinances, with the promise of eternal family relationships, have been an ongoing source of strength to the Latter-day Saints in southern Alberta. (Tom Matkin) ▶ From humble beginnings the establishment of stakes, missions, and irrigation districts. In 1914, the govern- more than a century ago, temples across the entire country. ment of Alberta passed legislation allow- when Mormons experimented ing the formation of a local cooperative with irrigation in the Card- SOUTHERN ALBERTA CHURCH to organize irrigation districts.5 Originally ston area, irrigation projects IN THE 1920S AND 1930S belonging to the Galts and then to the had expanded by 2015 to Trials and challenges were a part of life Canadian Pacific Railway, the irrigation service more than six hundred during the early years of colonization in systems were expanded as local farmers thousand productive hectares southern Alberta and throughout the 1920s banded together, purchased the systems (nearly one and a half million and 1930s. At the same time, it should be from the railway company, and developed acres) of Alberta land, mostly remembered that the history of the Church and adapted them to meet their needs.6 For within the thirteen irrigation in southern Alberta is integrated with that example, the Southern Irrigation District, districts in southern Alberta. of the larger population, as Latter-day established in 1919, was divided to create Saints have been the core members of sev- the Magrath Irrigation District in 1922 and eral southern Alberta communities. the Raymond Irrigation District in 1924. As additional canal systems continued to net- An Arid Region work across southern Alberta, the number One daunting challenge was the ongoing of irrigation districts increased to eight by efforts to quench the thirst of the region’s the end of 1936. This allowed hundreds of semiarid soil, made even drier by the warm thousands of additional hectares of land to Chinook winds that frequent the area. As become productive.7 indicated in the Alberta settlement chapter, Although the land was irrigated, the the Palliser Triangle, in which the Saints system depended on river flow, which was settled, was deemed too arid for agricul- often low late in the growing season—so ture. One of the major contributions of even irrigated lands were often short of Mormons in Canada was the introduction water. That is why reservoirs were created of irrigation into that region to make it a later, to guarantee the supply of water in rich agricultural land.4 drier years. The St. Mary, Jensen, and Milk The extension of irrigation, as shown River Ridge Reservoirs were all built in the in the map, continued through the 1920s early 1950s with funding from senior levels and 1930s under the auspices of local of government.8 In this way irrigation SOUTHERN ALBERTA 213 opened up southern Alberta to settlement and allowed the creation of the Magrath Second Ward in 1922, the Wren- Church to flourish in the wilderness. In 2016 there were tham Branch in 1932, the Tyrrell’s Lake Branch in 1935, thirteen irrigation districts in southern Alberta supplying and the Warner Branch in 1939. And the Lethbridge Stake water to approximately a half million hectares of land. In expanded with the addition of the Diamond City Branch in addition, there were many private irrigation projects, which 1928 and the Picture Butte Branch in 1936.10 supplied water to another hundred thousand hectares.9 Initially, LDS settlers preferred to be centralized into As Latter-day Saint farmers moved northward from farming villages so they could attend meetings and partic- the original settlements in the early twentieth century, they ipate in the LDS community. The introduction of the auto- established settlements in many southern Alberta locations. mobile in the first decades of the twentieth century, however, Some settlements were made on lands serviced by irriga- allowed LDS farmers to live on their homesteads but travel tion districts, while some farmers opted for nonirrigated into towns to participate in the programs of the Church. lands (see map above). The prolonged drought during the Predominately LDS communities such as Barnwell, Taber, Great Depression of the 1930s caused several of the dry- and Rosemary grew as LDS members continued to disperse farm communities to disappear, including Frankburg and as new irrigation systems opened up additional farmland Starline, while those in irrigation districts survived. around southern Alberta. Expanding the irrigation systems The extension of irrigation and other settlements in the to meet the influx of settlers was a major ongoing effort, and 1920s and 1930s resulted in the creation of additional wards those who did not have land under irrigation were at the and branches in the three local stakes of Zion—Alberta, mercy of nature’s demanding and fickle disposition. Taylor, and Lethbridge. For example, the Hartley and Persh- During the early 1920s, several exceptionally dry years ing Branches were formed in the Alberta Stake in 1928 followed one another in succession. Many of the Saints in and 1933 respectively. The Taylor Stake increased with the southern Alberta were discouraged, and some returned to 214 CANADIAN MORMONS the United States. Melvin J. Ballard of the Stake boundaries, therefore, had to Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited be flexible, changing as units were added, the Taylor Stake conference in May 1922, transferred, or dissolved altogether. A where he counselled the Saints to plant snapshot of the Church in southern Alberta all the grain they could but not to go into during the 1920s and ’30s reveals that debt to do it. According to one account, many LDS settlers had moved northward, “Through the power of the Priesthood, he some to drylands and some to areas newly blessed the elements for our good and brought under irrigation. The widening rebuked the power of the destroyer. The circle of Latter-day Saint farming com- crops were sown and it was still dry. On munities (mainly as a result of expanding 28 June it started to rain and it continued irrigation), the reintroduction of the sugar to rain.