Prior to 1883 Gleichen had for millennia been a favourite hunting and camping site for the Blackfoot First Nations people who lived off the gigantic herds of buffalo that roamed the prairies. In 1883 the Canadian Pacific's (CPR) transcontinental railway reached Gleichen, creating yet another railway boom town. Stops, or sidings, where trains could be refueled and parked on a secondary track, were built at regular intervals and the siding that would become Gleichen was the 12th siding west of Medicine Hat., giving Gleichen its original moniker of "Twelfth Siding". To the townspeople such a name would not do, so in short order the name Gleichen was chosen, named for a 20-year-old financier of the CPR, Count Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen. Interestingly, the original pronunciation was 'Glaikhen', with the 'kh' sounding like the 'ch' in 'loch'.
Gleichen quickly became a trading hub, first for cattle ranchers, then for farmers, growing steadily in size. After 1906 and the completion of construction of a large CPR sponsored irrigation project, Gleichen grew much faster as farmers flooded in and supplanted the ranchers. Incorporated as a village on Jan. 24, 1899 and then as a town on May 5, 1910, Gleichen's population has since shrunk from a high of over 2,000 in 1912 to just 50 in the 1960s, since rebounding to less than 350 today. Gleichen had operated as a municipality for nearly 100 years, until dissolving to hamlet status under the jurisdiction of Wheatland County on March 31, 1998.
While the CPR's irrigation project covered much of Southern Alberta, including lands surrounding Gleichen, the town itself was not benefited by it. As a result, Gleichen, not possessed of a reliable water source, was forced to build a water tower and associated water supply system to service the town, and the Siksika Nation immediately south of the town. The town's water tower still stands, though unused since 1964. Probably the only remaining shingle clad water tower in the province, it remains
the tallest and oldest water tower in Southern Alberta.
Falling into disrepair following its retirement, the water tower was restored around 2011 following receipt of initial funding of $80,000, secured through the
Alberta Historic Resource Foundation. At the time it was estimated that $700,000 would be needed to complete the project. On July 2, 2008 the water tower was entered in the National Register, declaring it a provincial landmark and historical site.
A news article concerning the funding and planning for the tower's restoration, from the Strathmore Times, follows.
Gleichen Water Tower
Looming over the hamlet is the 150-foot-tall Gleichen Water Tower, which was constructed in 1911 by Des Moines Bridge and Iron Company of Pittsburg, Pa. The structure was built to supply Siksika Nation with water and also provide insurance against fire at the grain elevator.
The tower, which was in use until 1964, is the oldest and highest in southern Alberta. After advocacy work by the community, the tower was declared a provincial landmark and historical site in 2008.
From the Strathmore Times
Update of Gleichen Water Tower ...
Amy Gregson | February 27, 2010
The Gleichen Water Tower is on its way to being preserved and restored as initial funding has been secured.
The structure is very old and a committee has stepped up to make sure it is restored properly and doesn’t come tumbling down.
"We are hoping to have all the funding secure and work done by 2011 so we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of the structure,” said Jennifer Brooks of Community Futures Wildrose, who is working with Wheatland County and the Gleichen Water Tower committee to try to secure funding.
The water tower has been designated as a provincial historic resource and is one of the few of its type of infrastructures left in the province.
Initial funding of $80,000 has been secured through the Alberta Historic Resource Foundation and they are looking at other options to secure more.
“With any luck, we’ll get there, slowly but surely,” said Brooks.
The committee estimates more than $700,000 will be needed to complete the project.
A lot of this depends on whether scaffolding will be needed to repair the shingling on the roof. The scaffolding is estimated at $250,000.
“Because it’s a very tall structure and it’s a very unique type of restoration it has to fall within health and safety standards as well as national historic preservation guidelines,” said Brooks. “We just have to make sure what the workers are using to get up there is basically safe.”
It is still being determined whether a crane could be used to complete the roof.
The initial analysis of the structure along with foundation and structural repair is set to begin in the spring.
The second phase will be the re-shingling, sandblasting and painting, and this will all happen later.
“[It’s] to make sure it’s retained for future generations to come and look at it and learn the importance of it,” said Brooks.
From the Strathmore Times