We’re visiting a charming county church built just over a century ago. Not all that far from Calgary, perhaps you’ve seen it beside highway while on your way to some weekend fun out in the badlands. It’s located a bit outside its namesake town, just before a dip down into a little valley and sits on the south side of the road. Trees sort of block it from view if approaching from the west but it’ll be clear as day in your rear view on passing or from the other angle. We’re speaking of today’s subject, Irricana United and we’ll take on a little tour.
You’ve heard of catalogue homes, right? You know, sold by Eaton’s or other firms, that you’d assemble yourself from pre-cut lumber? By all appearances, this is a kit-church, and the building plans shown us display United Grain Growers markings. This was a firm that not only dealt in wheat and barley but also in the kit-home business for a time. UGG is a name once familiar to farmers but it too has been relegated to history.
Irricana United Church: out in the country and loving it. More Pop-History with Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Join with us in saying thanks to our own ”Johanna (Connie) Biggart” for sponsoring this and many other posts at BIGDoer.com. Do the same…
In the soft light of evening (our time of day) we’ve come to explore and be sure and check out the photos below that came from this adventure. They turned out nice…but first, a little history.
We’re at Irricana United Church.
The building we see today dates back to 1919 and replaced an earlier church in use since about 1910. It’s not made clear if the original was located on this plot of land or elsewhere but that some burials in the attached cemetery predate the current structure, suggests it might have been located here. For a time they also had a church in Irricana itself, with this one catering to the rural folks, but that’s another story.
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When constructed the congregation had affiliations with the Church of the Brethren and the building in service of settlers mostly of German (speaking) heritage. This earlier group had the nickname “Dunkards” for their practise of full-body baptisms, and while the tank hearkening back to this is still in place, it’s now covered up. In 1969 they chose to join the United Church.
The structure sits on a concrete foundation and has a full basement with kitchen and gathering room. There’s an upper gallery with overflow seating for time’s when it gets busy, and on two sides, main level, there several (former) class rooms once used for Sunday School and the like. Windows are simple frosted glass and cast a soft glow within the interior. It’s quiet, peaceful and serene.
The building, price adjusted for today, cost about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, start to finish. In the present real estate market that might get you a Barbie playhouse on a square yard plot of land, under a train bridge and in view of a garbage dump, but that’s about it. Maybe.
The original building plans are still on file. Recall, these were prepared by United Grain Growers, a firm that supplied catalogue homes, but also certain institutional buildings. Little is known of the latter and given the paucity of information suggests churches and schools (which they also offered) were uncommon. Catalogue homes we’ve seen, but a catalogue church? It’s a first for us and here we thought we’ve seen it all.
Ongoing research hints that at least one more church was built to this design, somewhere else in the area, and now said to be gone, and perhaps others of a different designs elsewhere in Western Canada. Info is spotty at best.
UGG traditionally was one of the larger kit/catalogue home suppliers out this way (along with Eaton’s and Aladdin) and in this business from 1912-1926. Sears really did not have a presence in this country for such structures.
The church is partly surrounded by tall evergreens and they’re not just decorative but a good wind-break. The attached cemetery (common with country churches) has burials going back to 1914 and still in use.
A sad discovery: little George passed on far too soon and managed to live five months before going to the great beyond. There’s a common thread in old cemeteries we see all the time and that’s graves of little kids – there’s far too many. Just making it to adulthood seemed like a big challenge back then.
Country Churches like Irricana United were once common across the plains and while today, that’s less true, we still find the occasional one in use, like here. This one has an active congregation and so well cared for and loved. The building received Provincial historical designation about ten years ago.
The Church of the Brethren was one of the more obscure Christian denominations in Canada and seems to have faded into history here. The United Church, on the other hand, is one of the largest Christian bodies in the country and formed through the amalgamation of many smaller church groups.
With the building all lit in the twilight, it appears as thought there’s a late night service happening at Irricana United. That’s the effect we hoped for and more than a few people in cars passing by on the highway gave us a double take and slowed down to check out what was going on. I guess seeing the lights on might seem a bit odd to locals especially. It’s usually all quiet here come nightfall, but this evening brought alive, if only briefly for our camera.
Waiting for dusk…
This piece was shot during the height of Covid and as such in-person services at Irricana United were on hold at the time. With the pandemic easing, they’re again open and people can now again congregate and not have to do those horribly impersonal zoom meetings. We were the first visitors to drop by in a long time. A long, long time…
A sign of times seen out front: “Jesus can wash away sin, but you have to wash your hands.” They forgot to add: keep two metres apart. And the masks…don’t forget the masks.
Don’t go away as there’s lots of fresh content being posted regularly @ BIGDoer.com and it’s awesome!
They’re saying…
“Chris and Connie delve into the nooks and crannies of the Canadian Prairies (ed: we do mountains too!). They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos. A lot of information and work and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak.
If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!
Date: June, 2021. Location: Irricana, AB. Article references and thanks: Annette at Irricana United Church, The Canadian Register of Historic Places, catalogue home expert Les Henry and Byron Robb for help in shooting this piece.
We heard they may have supplied a few but had yet to see one until this visit. We didn’t know going into it and only found out during the shoot. Glad you enjoyed the piece and it was an enjoyable one to make!
(A long read) After twelve years it's time to put a face to the name and come clean on something. That's rarely-seen Chris in the photo, one half of Team BIGDoer, my best friend for almost thirty years and orchestrator of everything you see here. For his entire adult life, he's battled a deep depression.
Mostly it's manageable, but there are extended bouts where it's crippling and his life comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes there are days or weeks where he's lost. Sleep does not come easy at this time and further aggravates the issue. As he ages, it's worsening and seems intent on destroying him from the inside.
If you see a lack of posts here, or ones poorly worded, confusing or simply off, it's from one of these periods.
Through all this, he remains as kind, thoughtful and loving as ever, but is somewhere else. To the family, it's just Chris and accepted as it should be. The kids and grandkids adore him no less. Until today, however, this has been hidden from the outside world, although closer friends and some readers were probably already suspect of his condition. I hope admitting this does not break the site.
He finds clarity when we're out and doing things, hiking or documenting something historic and it's only THE reason this page and our website exists. It's therapy. Then he's a new and passionate person, but the monster as he calls it always returns. The Beer Parlour Project has brought out a side I've never seen and when out in the field he's never been so on point and confident.
This post is not for sympathy but to inform. Just so you know where he is and here's what you can do to help (a last ditch request)...
If you see a missed comma or oddly worded sentence in a post, please be kind. You'll probably see his uncertainty when he's off and be nice there too. But if you like what you see, even if the write up could be presented better, post your encouragement. Say something and say it loud...it's important and will keep him sharing. Help Chris get better by cheering him on.
Other than some photos that are mine, everything else comes from him. All the tiring research and the writing (he admits he's NOT a writer), are his.
Chris puts every dollar he makes into this "project of a lifetime", and it's supplemented by donations from readers who enjoy the content. If you want to help...
Admittedly he was not thrilled with the idea of posting this but agrees it probably should be said, even if it makes him uneasy. He doesn't like appearing in photos either. He's so shy, thinks he looks goofy and hates his husky eyes. I love them and they're windows into a wonderful, complex and quiet, but tortured soul. It breaks my heart when he's in a bad space.
This image comes thanks to photographer Arturo Pianzola and was captured while exploring the historic Riverview Mental Hospital in Coquitlam BC. Chris thought since he was in the area last year, he'd stop by to visit with a grandfather he never really knew, who spent his last years at the facility and is buried on the grounds.
Thanks for listening and your understanding. Hopefully we'll see you next week. Johanna (Connie).
Journey of Natty Gann (Disney 1985) and the same location in the Crowsnest Pass 2014. We're visiting the Pass over the new year, as we often do, and this time we'll be staying at a house that appears (briefly) in the film. How cool, eh? Chris has decided it's time on this visit to reshoot this and other Natty Gann comparison shots we did from ten years ago. Stay tuned!
This scene was shot in historic downtown Coleman and shows the former Holyk's Grocery. It was built in the early 1900s and the store closed in the '60s. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
From 2015. Rob Pohl and his strange old-style view camera joined us in documenting the Laing House (with permission). Head down to the comments to see an amazing coincidence with something I found inside.
From the Crossley slides, it's an undated view of Towers School, out near Cluny Alberta. It was originally called Swastika School but that's before the word and symbol were ruined by negative connotations. Built 1922. Gone? _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
The same alley in downtown Calgary's west end, in the 1970s & today. You have to look hard to see the connection! The area was quite run down back then and is in stark contrast to all the shiny condo towers seen present day. Calgary Place West, an apartment block, appears in both images although it's barely a sliver in ours. Check the comments for more info.
Photo credit: James Tworow collection. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
Lost highways (2022): a section of old #93 in Southeastern BC. That BIGDoer-mobile is gone now but quite famous and had a following of its own. Old mine roads, cow paths, 4x4ing across fields - no problem and people would recognize us out in remote areas just by this car. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
That’s so interesting that the UGG got into building churches. Great blog post and photos!
We heard they may have supplied a few but had yet to see one until this visit. We didn’t know going into it and only found out during the shoot. Glad you enjoyed the piece and it was an enjoyable one to make!