Former Morleyville Methodist Mission - Morley, AB - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

Morleyville Historic Mission

The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta.

The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history.

We invite you to spend 20 minutes to discover the story of this church, the people who built it and what their lives were like. A series of signs around the site will share this story with you.
Learn more about the McDougall Memorial United Church

McDougall Memorial United Church

DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The McDougall Memorial United Church is a one-storey building located on the north bank of the Bow River, roughly two kilometres east of Morley. The church was constructed in 1875 in the Carpenter's Gothic style and features pointed arch windows and front door, shingled front-gabled roof, and a central steeple crowned by a pinnacle. The designation also includes the archaeological remains of mission structures at the site.

HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of the McDougall Memorial United Church lies in its association with early missionary efforts and pioneering settlement in southern Alberta at the Morleyville Mission, its association with the famed McDougall family, and its architectural significance as the first Carpenter's Gothic building still standing in Alberta on its original site.

The Morleyville Mission was established in 1873 and relocated several kilometres to its present site in 1875, when construction on several mission buildings - including the McDougall Memorial United (formerly Methodist) Church - began in earnest. The mission was at the vanguard of Methodist evangelical efforts in southern Alberta, representing the first permanent Protestant mission in the region and serving the Native tribes in the area, particularly the Mountain Stoney peoples living along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains.

It was also a pioneering settlement, featuring southern Alberta's first permanent homestead, first herd of breeding cattle, and first Protestant church, as well as one of the province's first trained teachers - Andrew Sibbald. Buildings at the early mission included a house, orphanage, teacherage, barns, corrals, and other structures. For a brief period during its early years, the Morleyville Mission was a hub for area settlers, though its influence diminished after the Canadian Pacific Railway built its line south of the Bow River, bypassing the mission and establishing right-of-way communities like Cochrane and Mitford as the nuclei of rural growth in the region.

The Reverend George McDougall and his son John, renowned for their missionary endeavours, pioneering settlement activities, and role in Canadian nation-building, were essential in the establishment of the mission at Morleyville. They collaborated to found the mission and John resided on the site and supervised mission operations for many years. From the early 1860s until his death in 1876, George McDougall served as superintendent of the Methodist missions in western Canada, establishing and overseeing missionary work across the vast region. John actively participated in his father's missionary efforts as a teacher and interpreter and carried the torch of Methodist mission work in the province after his father's death. With their wives and families, the McDougalls also laid the foundations for some of the earliest settlement in Alberta.

As pioneer settlers and missionaries, the McDougalls were uniquely positioned to form relationships with the Native communities in the province during a difficult transitional period. George and John served the Native peoples during smallpox epidemics, sought to end the destruction to their communities caused by the liquor trade, and acted as peacemakers and intermediaries between Euro-Canadian settlers and politicians and the province's Native communities. As missionaries, settlers, and negotiators, the McDougalls established some of the early civil institutions in the province and helped prepare the way for the waves of homesteaders who arrived in Alberta in the following decades. Following George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest.

The McDougall Memorial United Church is the earliest example of the Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture still standing in its original location. This particular style of building construction uses wood to emulate the traditionally stone structures of Old World Gothic architecture, creating a vernacular style unique to North America. The style is evident in the central steeple with pinnacle as well as the pointed arches over the front entryway and the windows. The church was restored in the 1950s.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Site:
- George McDougall's headstone;
- gate and path to church;
- archaeological remains of mission structures.

Church:
- wood siding;
- shingled, front-gabled roof;
- fenestration pattern and style, including pointed arch windows;
- pointed arch front entryway;
- projecting central steeple with four square openings in upper shaft and crowned by a shingled, pyramidal roof with a pinnacle;
- original bell;
- stained glass windows;
- original artifacts.
From HeRMIS Alberta