Andy McCracken, a septuagenarian, takes a moment before dialing his late father’s number on an old-fashioned rotary telephone on a sunny day in late July. Speaking into the disconnected landline within a small wooden structure next to a graveyard in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain foothills, he engages with what is known as a “wind phone” – a symbolic link between the living and the departed, enabling visitors to converse one-way with their deceased loved ones.
Positioned at Mountain Park Cemetery in Yellowhead County, the highest elevation burial ground in Canada, the wind phone stands close to 1,900 meters above sea level, making it the loftiest wind phone site in North America. Installed by Yellowhead County in July, the wind phone holds sentimental value for Andy McCracken and his wife Anne McCracken, who plan to have their ashes laid to rest at Mountain Park upon their passing. Andy’s eligibility for a plot stems from his birth in a Coal Branch town near Mountain Park, where his father served as the mine doctor.
Expressing gratitude to his father for his birth in Luscar, Alberta, in 1953 and for the joy of mountain life, Andy McCracken bids farewell through the wind phone, signing off with a message to his mother.
Established in 1911 as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line, Mountain Park thrived until the coal mine’s closure in 1950. At its height, the community housed around 1,000 residents in approximately 100 homes. Today, only the cemetery remains, hosting 269 documented burials dating back to 1913.
During an interview at the cemetery, Madison Sharman, the heritage co-ordinator for Yellowhead County, pointed out remnants of the town’s railway system, emphasizing its vital role as the sole connection to the outside world when road access was absent. The community fostered a sense of camaraderie through various activities such as foot races and dances, showcasing the residents’ resilience in a remote setting.
While the allure of a secluded life in the subalpine may seem appealing, the Mountain Park Cemetery paints a stark picture of frontier hardships. The burial ground bears witness to the challenges faced by early settlers, including infant mortalities and tragic incidents like the Spanish flu pandemic and mining accidents.
Visitors like Pat Rausch, whose family owned a cabin nearby, acknowledge the cemetery’s somber history, reflecting on the difficulties of the past. Efforts by former residents like Mary Salzsauler and dedicated volunteers have helped preserve and restore the cemetery, ensuring that the stories of those laid to rest endure.
For the McCrackens, choosing a burial plot with a view of Cheviot Mountain symbolizes a peaceful resting place that evokes memories of Andy’s upbringing and his father’s explorations. Yellowhead County’s oversight of Mountain Park Cemetery underscores its commitment to honoring the area’s heritage while accommodating new cremation interments for local residents.
Recent burials at the cemetery include Frank and Agnes Lovsin, founders of Freson Bros., an Alberta grocery chain, and John Mitchell, a decorated war veteran. Sharman emphasizes the welcoming spirit of the cemetery’s residents, inviting visitors to pay their respects and celebrate the lives once lived in the community.
As the wind phone stands as a poignant reminder of enduring love and cherished memories, every spoken story resonates within the landscape, connecting past and present generations.