A man named Andy McCracken, aged in his 70s, takes a moment before dialing his father’s old number on a vintage rotary phone on a bright day in late July. Speaking into the disconnected landline located in a small wooden structure next to a graveyard in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta, he utilizes a “wind phone” designed for one-way conversations with departed loved ones. Positioned at Mountain Park Cemetery in Yellowhead County, the highest elevation burial ground in Canada, the wind phone stands at nearly 1,900 meters above sea level, making it the highest in North America. Yellowhead County recently installed this unique communication tool at Mountain Park.
Upon their passing, Andy McCracken and his wife, Anne McCracken, residents of Edson, Alta., are set to have their ashes interred at Mountain Park. Andy, born in a town near Mountain Park where his father served as the mine doctor, and Anne have chosen their final resting place overlooking Cheviot Mountain at the cemetery.
Established in 1911 as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line, Mountain Park thrived until the closure of the coal mine in 1950. At its peak, the community housed around 1,000 residents in 100 homes. Presently, only the cemetery remains, hosting 269 documented burials dating back to 1913.
Madison Sharman, the heritage coordinator for Yellowhead County, highlighted the town’s past during an interview at the cemetery. She pointed out remnants of the former railway tracks, emphasizing the integral role the train played in connecting Mountain Park to the outside world when road access was lacking.
Despite the allure of a secluded life in the subalpine, Mountain Park Cemetery’s gravestones narrate tales of frontier challenges. Pat Rausch, a frequent visitor since 1963, reflected on the hardships faced by the early residents, particularly poignant in the infant burial sites and tragedies like the Spanish flu pandemic deaths and mining accidents.
Over the years, efforts led by former resident Mary Salzsauler and a team of volunteers have restored and maintained the cemetery. The McCrackens, among those contributing to the restoration, find solace in preparing their final resting place with a view of the mountains.
Anne McCracken expressed a sense of contentment at the thought of resting in such a serene location, while Andy McCracken, with his deep ties to the mountains, sees it as a completion of his life’s journey. Yellowhead County now oversees Mountain Park Cemetery, preserving its history and managing new cremation burials for local residents.
The cemetery’s recent interments include notable figures like Frank and Agnes Lovsin, founders of Freson Bros. grocery chain, and John Mitchell, a D-Day veteran honored by France. Madison Sharman envisions each cemetery in her jurisdiction featuring a wind phone, emphasizing the enduring nature of love, memories, and stories shared through the wind.
