Andy McCracken, a septuagenarian, takes a moment before dialing his late father’s number on an old rotary telephone in a quaint wooden structure adjacent to a cemetery in the foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. This telephone, known as a “wind phone,” serves as a symbolic link between the living and the departed, enabling visitors to converse unilaterally with their deceased loved ones. Situated at Mountain Park Cemetery in Yellowhead County, the highest-altitude cemetery in Canada, this site now boasts the highest-elevation wind phone in North America, standing at nearly 1,900 meters above sea level.
Yellowhead County recently installed the wind phone at Mountain Park in late July. Andy McCracken, along with his wife Anne, who currently reside in Edson, Alberta, have selected a spot at Mountain Park for their final resting place. 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, Andy McCracken communicates with his father through the wind phone, reminiscing about his birth in Luscar, Alberta, in 1953 and their shared love for the mountains. Looking ahead to the day of their interment, the McCrackens anticipate a serene view of Cheviot Mountain from their chosen plot at Mountain Park Cemetery.
Founded in 1911 as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line, Mountain Park thrived until the closure of its coal mine in 1950. The once-vibrant community, housing around 1,000 inhabitants in 100 residences at its peak, now only showcases the cemetery, hosting 269 documented burials since 1913.
During an interview at the cemetery, Madison Sharman, the heritage co-ordinator for Yellowhead County, pointed out remnants of the town’s former vitality, such as the now overgrown railway tracks that formerly connected Mountain Park to the outside world. She highlighted the town’s reliance on the railway as its lifeline, with residents eagerly gathering at the station upon the train’s arrival. In this remote setting, community members engaged in homegrown entertainment, including foot races up Mount Baldy and treks to neighboring settlements for communal dances.
While the picturesque setting of Mountain Park may evoke romantic notions of a secluded life, the cemetery tells a tale of frontier hardships. Pat Rausch, a long-time visitor to the cemetery, reflects on the poignant sight of infant burial plots, underscoring the challenges faced by early settlers in the region. Tragic episodes, such as the three miners who succumbed to wood alcohol during the Spanish flu pandemic, and the mining-related fatalities, further illustrate the harsh realities endured by Mountain Park’s inhabitants.
Over the years, efforts led by volunteers like Mary Salzsauler have revitalized the cemetery, preserving its historical significance. Today, the McCrackens and other volunteers contribute to the maintenance of the cemetery, ensuring that the legacy of Mountain Park endures. As Yellowhead County assumes responsibility for the cemetery’s upkeep, the site continues to be a resting place for those with ties to the region, including notable figures like Frank and Agnes Lovsin and John Mitchell.
Inscribed with a poignant poem by Sharman, the wind phone at Mountain Park stands as a poignant reminder that memories persist, and every story shared into the wind becomes part of the landscape anew. The McCrackens find solace in the prospect of their final repose amidst the mountains where their journey began, embodying a sense of closure and continuity in their lives.
