Irricana United Church

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.

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.

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.

Know more (new tabs): Irricana United Church and Catalogue Homes in Canada.

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More like this…
Christ Church Millarville – In cowboy country.
St Nicholas – In the Eastern Orthodox style.
St Peter and Paul – Nothing around for miles.

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.

…a most peaceful time of day.

Little George only lasted a few months.

Setting up for another shot, then looking up.

The little things.

Bathed in soft light.

Wedding in the country.

The gallery view.

There’s a late night service happening.

When built it was First Irricana Church of the Brethren…

…but since 1969 has been Irricana United.

Designed by United Grain Growers…

…catalogue homes yes, but a catalogue church?