Gladys Union Cemetery (Foothills County)

During the 1880s, there were so few settlers that there was no post office in the what is now known as the Gladys area. The first settlers received their mail at the Dunbow Post Office in the Alexander Begg home, near the ‘dunes’ by the Bow River where the Highwood River flowed into it. It was believed that the Begg’s family named this post office, which was discontinued before 1900.

In those early days, mail for the Gladys district was delivered to High River and was usually picked up by some settler who would be driving up to town for supplies. One couple who frequently performed this service were Charles and Gladys Harkness. As people said, “Let’s go to Gladys’ for the mail.” That seemed to be the logical suggestion for a name for the proposed post office. So it came about that the Postal Department gave the name ‘Gladys’ to a new post office at the home of Charles Harkness: S.W. 14, 20-29-W4 on January 1, 1890. This family moved away from the district in 1894, and the post office was transferred to Alex Thompson’s home, a short distance north. He made the weekly trip to High River for the mail for several years.

Cemetery History

On January 15, 1910, a meeting was held in the Ridgeview school for the purpose of selecting and taking steps to procure land for a union cemetery for general use in the Ridgeview district. The land chosen was one acre donated by Mr. A. Gillsanders. A board of five trustees was set up to manage all details such as fencing, surveying, and pricing the lots. Materials with which to fence the property was purchased during the summer. In September a bee was held when the fence was built and the land surveyed west of the gate. The lots were to sell at a rate of $5 for a double lot and $3 for a single lot. A number of lots were sold right then and there.

There have been nearly two hundred interments in this neat and well-kept cemetery. It is a lovely, park-like place with a hedge, a few larger trees and many flowering plants and shrubs.