Community News – Christopher Northcott

Presentations from Local History Night

Christopher Northcott on April 11, 2024

The Friends of the Milo Library hosted a very enjoyable Local History Night at the Milo Community Hall on the evening of April 5th. The event was well-attended and various displays from the Milo Library Archives were available for viewing.

Additionally, the following two presentations were offered:
1.) Project Overview of the Furrows of Time, Volume 2, community history book project for Arrowwood and Shouldice, Mossleigh and Farrow. The material was written-up by Linda Gooch and presented by Christopher Northcott.

Furrows-of-Time-Vol-2 Download

2.) Vulcan County Missing Graves Project, as prepared and presented by Dr. Craig Coburn of the Dept. of Geography and Environment at University of Lethbridge.

Missing-Graves-Coburn-2024-reduced Download

April 5th, 2024, Local History Night

Christopher Northcott on March 4, 2024

2024-04-05-MILO-LIBRARY-Local-History-Night Download

Update on MITACs Locating Missing Graves Cemetery Project

Christopher Northcott on December 1, 2023

The following update is provided on behalf of Councillor Laurie Lyckman and myself, with gratitude to the university researchers for the detailed overview, as well as our local volunteers for their ongoing work on this project.

Global New Lethbridge news story from November 23, 2023, can be found, HERE.

Calgary Herald Article from November 12, 2023 can be found, HERE.

Alternate link to Calgary Herald article as distributed in the Ottawa Citizen, with comments, can be found, HERE.

The University of Lethbridge Press Release from November 6, 2023:

collaborative_research_project_utilizes_geospatial_technology_to_locate_lost_graves_sites_in_vulcan_countynov0623 Download

The November 2023 Project Update:

Missing-Graves_November_2023_Update Download

Additional photos from September with some description. The first two are from Carmangay Cemetery and the third shows the outline of a church foundation in the Marquis Municipal (Milo East) Cemetery:

Locating Unmarked Graves in Vulcan County: The Frontiers of Remote Sensing Technologies

Christopher Northcott on October 8, 2023

Earlier this year, the Department of Geography at the University of Lethbridge and Vulcan County successfully applied for a MITACS research grant, funding for a project that pushes the limits of remote sensing technologies in looking for unmarked graves in Vulcan County.

To make this project happen, MITACS provided 50% of the funding or $15,000. Vulcan County has funded 25% of the project or $7,500. The remaining 25% of the funding came from the communities of Carmangay, Lomond and Milo, with each village contributing $500 and each community contributing $2,000. The sponsoring community groups are the Carmangay Historical Society, the Carmangay Agricultural Society, the Lions Club of Lomond, and the Lions Club of Milo.

This project will help resolve a longstanding problem of “lost” graves, enhancing our awareness of local history while contributing to the respectful management of our cemeteries. The data generated will have significant practical applications, especially as it concerns creating and updating cemetery profiles to local geographic information system (GIS) profiles that then identify unmark graves.

In this effort, we are fortunate to be working with Dr. Craig Coburn of the University of Lethbridge, benefiting from his expertise as well as the additional resources that he has at his disposal. Supporting his research and field work is research intern Paul Novoseltzev.

CDTSA’s Lobbying Efforts on Bill C-21

Christopher Northcott on September 2, 2023

There is a page on the website of the Calgary and District Target Shooters Association regarding their perspective and response towards forthcoming gun control legislation.

With the opening of the Milo Range, the CDTSA has been keen to support and be part of the local community. This facility is an attraction that draws people to our area and generates economic activity.

Berrywater

Christopher Northcott on September 2, 2023

Division 6 is a dynamic division in the middle of Vulcan County, hedged to the north by the Milo highway (542) and the Buffalo Hills, and to the south by the Little Bow River and Travers Reservoir. The division includes community members of Milo, Berrywater, Vulcan, Lake McGregor Country Estates, Champion, and even a few from Lomond. It includes the western shore of Lake McGregor Reservoir, being the western side of what is historically known as Snake Valley. It includes Little Bow Provincial Park and more recent seasonal development adjacent to it. The division also includes the Lake McGregor Provincial Recreation Area, as well as the Calgary and District Target Shooters‘ Milo Range. Other historic landmarks include Reid Hill and the Coal Mine Road. For any that I have missed, please mention them in the comments below.

The following video was done a few years back on the Berrywater Community Association. It provides some insight for those who may not otherwise know much about Berrywater and the historic roots of this community.