Masinasin Cemetery in Milk River, Alberta

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Get directions Milk River, Alberta, Canada

Coordinates: 49.13023, -111.65272
Cemetery ID:

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About these numbers These percentages indicate the number of Find a Grave memorials that have a grave photo or GPS coordinates. We don't know the total number of burials in a cemetery, so we cannot calculate a percentage of those with memorials, photos or GPS coordinates.

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Masinasin Cemetery was established with it's first burial, Amanda Bell (1845-1909). Land for the cemetery was donated by Isac Mills. A Presbyterian church was built next to the cemetery in 1918 on land donated by Fred Eigard. In 1925 the church was taken over by the United Church of Canada.

Many church denominations held services in the Masinasin Church. The church was eventually closed around 1931 due to a dwindling population in the congregation. Dorthy Penrose and Floyd Sasse were the last couple to be married in the church in July 1931.

With need for a community hall, the Masinasin church was bought for $200 in 1936. Reverend Thomas Taylor, the United Chuch Minister at Milk River, transacted the sale, and the steeple was removed so it could be used for dances.

When the school in Masinasin needed space for a gymnasium for it's large enrollment of students, parents and Foremost School Division had bought and moved the church from it's location next to the Masinasin Cemetery about 4km southeast of town, to it's new location across the road from the School in Masinasin.

The church severed as a the gymnasium and community hall, for dances, meetings, and sports events, until 1950 when a new four-roomed school was built, complete with it's own gymnasium at Masinasin.

Having no use the church fell into disrepair and was sold to Elmer Miller who dismantled it and used the lumber for buildings on his farm.

The cemetery eventually had been forgotten, the last known burial being, February 1931. Many of the 11 known burials remain unknown, only the names of those buried here remains. As of 2013-2014 a new wooden sign was placed, crosses placed for unknown graves, and the remaining headstones repaired.