John Glenn (Alberta)
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John Glenn (1833 in
County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
– January 9, 1886 in
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
) was the first documented European to settle in the Calgary, Alberta, Canada area. Glenn was an Irish immigrant who first settled in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1849 and served in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. He would then travel to
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
before settling in
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
in 1873 with his wife Adelaide (née Belcourt), and built a small log cabin near the confluence of Fish Creek and the Bow River - in today's
Fish Creek Provincial Park Fish Creek Park is an urban provincial park that preserves the valley of Fish Creek in the southern part of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is bordered on three sides by the city, and on the west by the territory of the Tsuu T’ina Nation (Sarcee) ...
.


Early life

John Glenn was born in Mayo County,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1833. As a young man he left Ireland and travelled to England. He was homesick for his native country so started to travel back home, however he changed his mind just a few miles from his Father's home and turned around and travelled back to England. From
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
he took a ship to New York, he was 16 years old. Upon arriving in the United States he decided to travel to
Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
where he took employment on a ranch. In 1861 he was drafted into the Confederate Army, however, as he did not believe in slavery, he deserted and joined the Northern Federal Army. He served during this period under
General William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
until the end of the Civil war in 1865. He then travelled around the United States, working in mines and in 1867 he moved to
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and then on to Barkerville (along with James Votier and
Sam Livingston Samuel Henry Harkwood Livingston (4 February 1831 – 4 October 1897) born in Ireland, he came to Canada following an unsuccessful venture in the Californian gold rush of 1849, and eventually found his way to Jumping Pound, North-West Territories, ...
- who would later become his neighbours in the Calgary area). At the age of 40 he decided, in 1873, to settle down and married Adelaide Belcourt of Lac Ste. Anne. The marriage took place in the mission in St. Albert (built by
Father Lacombe Albert Lacombe (28 February 1827 – 12 December 1916), commonly known in Alberta simply as Father Lacombe, was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic missionary who travelled among and evangelized the Cree and also visited the Blackfoot First Nations ...
twenty years earlier) and the ceremony was performed by Father Leduc. They then headed out to find good land to settle on. When they reached Fish Creek, they were impressed by the rich soil and decided to make their home there. They built a log cabin in 1873, becoming the first settlers in what is now Calgary. Later he said "I like the climate better than any I have found between the Atlantic and the Pacific; the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...
and the
Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
, over all of which Territory I have travelled. There is everything in the country a settler can desire".


Trading post

Regular trips by Glenn were made to Fort Benton, to obtain goods to trade, he made one or two trips a year in the latter part of the 1870s to this end. A crew of men erected a large dwelling, barn and other buildings, which were completed in 1878–79. This trading post became an established stopping place. Meals were priced at 50 cents each and everyone had to bring their own bed. During this time Glenn started raising cattle and growing grain. After three years the farm constituted sown with oats and barley, a garden, and a hay meadow.


John Glenn's irrigation system

Glenn sold his original farm and trading post to the government on August 1, 1879; their first property became Indian Supply Farm number 24. Once sold, the Glenn's moved up the creek to set up another farmstead - near the banks of Fish Creek, just east of Macleod Trail in what is now
Midnapore, Calgary Midnapore is a community within the City of Calgary in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is bounded to the north and east by Fish Creek Provincial Park, to the south by Sun Valley Boulevard and to the west by Macleod Trail. History Midnapore ...
. There John Glenn started the construction of his historic irrigation system
- John Glenn irrigation scheme — this was 19 years before the Alberta Irrigation Company started their first project near
Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...
,
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. Glenn built an earth and rock dam about a half a mile west of Macleod Trail and diverted water from the creek into a ditch which diverted the water to irrigate his fields east of the Trail. This irrigation scheme also worked to supply water for Glenn's nearest neighbour, William Shaw, who arrived from England in 1883 as well as water for the Shaw's woollen mills.


John Glenn's family

Adelaide and John had eight children, Patrick, John, Alfred, William, Edward, Margaret, Eliza, and Mathilde, (Eliza and Mathilde both died in childhood). Patrick was the only one to marry and have children. He married Filomene Hodgson, daughter of George Hodgson, Indian Agent at Sarcee Indian Reserve; they had six children. The story of John Glenn has an unfortunate ending. It is unclear what happened in late December 1885, shortly after the
North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...
. One story goes that John Glenn's horses may have been spooked, which resulted in him being thrown from his wagon, which resulted in injury (this is the story reported in the Calgary Herald). Another story goes that he and one of his drivers had a difference of opinion which resulted in a fist fight. Regardless of which is true, he never fully recovered and died of pneumonia on January 9, 1886. John Glenn is buried in the pioneer section of St. Mary's Cemetery in Calgary. Adelaide died in her 88th year. In 1999 the original Glenn home was dismantled by the Archeology Field Studies Team of the
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
they intended to reconstruct the building in its original site, to date it has not been done and there is no indication when or if this will be done (funding is not currently available).


References


External links


John Glenn.ca
- The story of John Glenn
Alberta Government
- Glenn's short history
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, John 1833 births 1886 deaths Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada History of Calgary People from County Mayo Immigrants to pre-Confederation Alberta Deaths from pneumonia in Alberta