Gleichen in Wheatland County, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Gleichen's Count Albert Gleichen
1863-1937
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2022
1. Gleichen's Count Albert Gleichen Marker
According to legend, when the first CPR train pulled in at the 12th siding west of Medicine Hat in 1883, a group of VIP passengers got off the train to see the Blackfoot Reserve. One of these men was Count Gleichen (pronounced Glaiken), an investor with the CPR. He was taken by the area's beauty. The CPR named the village after him. Around WWI, the pronunciation of the village's name became Gleeshen, because Canada was at war with Germany.
A main commercial thoroughfare was developed along the railroad line and named Crowfoot Street. Fires wiped out the hotels and stores in 1906, 1916 & 1923.
Gleichen became a village in 1899 and was once considered to become the capital of Alberta.
Sponsored by Maureen Wright Real Estate Professionals – 2006
Erected 2006.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the Believe It or Not series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
Location. 50° 51.921′ N, 113° 3.163′ W. Marker is in Gleichen, Alberta, in Wheatland County. Marker is on 5 Avenue just north of Main Street, on the
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Gleichen, Alberta.
It was named after Lord Edward Gleichen in 1884. After nearly 100 years as a municipality, Gleichen dissolved to hamlet status under the jurisdiction of Wheatland County on March 31, 1998. During the formation of the province, Gleichen was large enough to have its own seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.(Submitted on July 18, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Setting the Record Straight.
It is supposedly for Lord Edward Gleichen that the Community of Gleichen is named. He was according to local history a financial backer of the CPR and supposedly he traveled to the area in 1883 and was shown the site by the CPR and they told him they would build a town and name it after him. There are a few irregularities with the story, first Lord Gleichen was not Count Gleichen until his mothers title was passed to him in 1912, second he was only 20 years old at the time of the story and lastly he was fighting in the Sudan war till 1885. The Government immigration register for the year 1883 shows that it was his father Count Victor Gleichen who toured the area with Lord Castletown in 1883. It(Submitted on July 19, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)was the father who the town was named after.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 20222. Gleichen's Count Albert Gleichen Marker(marker is mounted above eye-level on the left/north corner)
3. The Story of Gleichen.
For a brief period in the early 20th Century Gleichen was a busy railway town of over 2,000 people that had big city dreams. Looking around today it's obvious those dreams haven't been realized: Today the population is less than a fifth of what it once was. What happened? In this tour we'll examine Gleichen boomtown history, how it grew from a hub of ranching activity and home of the Blackfoot reserve in the late 1800s, to a major farming community. Then we'll see how the successive blows of world war, drought, economic depression and technological change caused people to float away to greener pastures.(Submitted on July 19, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2022
3. Gleichen, Alberta Post Office (west/front elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 18, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
