Cemetery tours offer new insight into city’s history
By Lethbridge Herald on July 25, 2025.
William Stafford was a coal mining engineer and mine superintendent for the North Western Coal and Navigation Company, who was responsible for determining the location of the City of Lethbridge. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery. Stafford Drive is named after him.Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
History is literally all around us, and Lethbridge residents often walk or drive by historical buildings and places not knowing their historical significance.
The Lethbridge Historical Society (LHS) is hosting a Summer Tour Series, offering various walking tours throughout the city to explore this history.
These tours, led by local historian Belinda Crowson, delve into the stories of the people, places and events that shaped Lethbridge. Mountain View Cemetery along Scenic Drive South is one of those places, where Lethbridge history of more than a century is literally “written in stone.”
“Cemeteries are incredibly important places that provide insight and information on how Lethbridge and southern Alberta developed and the stories of those who have been part of our community and helped build our community,” says Crowson, immediate past president of the LHS. “Every headstone is a document that shares information on the life of a person. Additionally, the symbolism.”
Mountain View Cemetery originated from multiple smaller cemeteries established between 1901 and 1909. The Anglican Church started a private cemetery in 1901 (Block 1). A second private cemetery was established by B.C. Moore in 1905, and was purchased by the city in 1909.
Additionally, a cemetery for the Jewish community was established in 1909. These were all eventually consolidated and became Mountain View Cemetery. The name “Mountain View Cemetery” was officially adopted in 1946.
“It would be impossible on any one tour to delve into the stories of everyone buried in Mountain View,” says Crowson. “Two brigadier-generals (Stewart and Huckvale) reside in Mountain View as well as several Lethbridge mayors such as George Rogers the mayor who helped Lethbridge transition from town to city in 1906. W.D.L. Hardie, who led Lethbridge through the turbulent times of the First World War and prohibition, and mayors Galbraith, Bentley and more.”
The markers and monuments at Mountain View Cemetery serve as tangible records of Lethbridge’s past, preserving the names, dates, and stories of individuals who shaped the city’s history.
“There are also many people there who devoted their life to this community, such as Mildred Dobbs, the nurse who ran the Isolation Hospital for decades. Or teachers such as Susie Bawden and Agnes Davidson,” says Crowson.
The tour offers the opportunity for participants to attach names and stories to the names on many Lethbridge streets and buildings. The next Mountain View Cemetery tour is scheduled for August 7.
The Whispers from the Alleys tour, scheduled for this Sunday, takes place in Festival Square on 6 Street South, and explores the city’s hidden historic corners.
Many historic downtown buildings bear plaques describing their historical importance like the Hick-Sehl Building/Catwalk (618 3 Avenue S); the Oddfellows Building (505 4 Avenue South); the CP Telegraph Office (310 6 Street S); and the Cleary House (420 7 Street S).
“The LHS is incredibly proud of the historic plaque program that has been developed in partnership with the City of Lethbridge and building owners,” says Crowson.
Other upcoming summer tours include: Strolling Through London Road; Shadows of Lethbridge – Historic Murders and Crime Walking Tour; Stepping Into The Past – Downtown Lethbridge Tour; and Echoes of Defiance and Protest. Dates and times for these tours can be found on the LHS website (www.lethbridgehistory.org).
The tours are typically 90 minutes long. The cost is $10 per person, with free admission for members of the Historical Society of Alberta and the LHS.
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