Ibbestad Cemetery (MD of Taber)

From a plaque mounted at Ibbestad Evangelical Lutheran Church:

Many of the Norwegians in this are immigrated from Norway to the Dakotas, then to Canada. Canada was advertised as a land of opportunity, and many filed for their homesteads in this area because land was cheap and available.

In July 1910, a Norwegian Lutheran Congregation was organized near Enchant, Alberta. The first officers were:
Secretary – Mr. Soren Ellefson
Treasurer – Mr. Nakor Hanson
Trustees – Mr. Peter Brandon, Mr. Albert Hanson, Mr. Bernard Eliason
Deacons – Mr. Peder Johnson, Mr. Swan Orsten, Mr. Hans Otteson

Because a cemetery was needed, Nakor Hanson donated two acres from Section 23 for a church site and cemetery. The name Ibbestad was chosen, named after a congregation in Norway, from where many of the members came.

On March 21, 1917, it was decided to build the church, based on the style of the old Ibbestad church in Norway. Money was raised through donations for the lumber and the labor was all volunteer. Many services, baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals were held in the church. At its peak, the congregation numbered approximately eighty.

In 1973, the church was torn down. The cemetery is still being used.