A little known story about the oldest church in Alberta, Canada

The historic McDougall Memorial United Church is located a short drive west from Calgary. In summer, I love to enjoy these country roads on my motorcycle and avoid the busy highway on my way to Canmore, Banff or beyond.
Built in 1875, this church southern Alberta’s oldest surviving Protestant church and the oldest remaining structure in the Bow Valley. It was once a part of Morleyville, the oldest pioneer settlement in southern Alberta and home to its first herd of breeding cattle. The church was founded by Methodist missionary George McDougall and his sons John and David. The old church is now a provincial historic site.
The site was originally called Ghost River, but he renamed it Morleyville in honour of his friend Morley Punshon, a doctor from Ontario. John McDougall and his wife began their work by constructing a two room log shack with a sod roof for themselves and a small church. David McDougall later joined his brother John at Morleyville and helped to found the Indian Trading P…
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