CALGARY- A series of stone-tippings at Calgary’s oldest cemetery this summer has some residents outraged over the apparent vandalism.
At least 28 stones have been tipped over at Union Cemetery in the past few months, according to city staff.
Lynne Colborne, who often takes part in the city’s weekly tours at the historic burial ground, said she’s seen as many as five or six stones pushed over in a row.
"It just makes me sick. There’s a lot of history in that cemetery," said Colborne, 58.
Several of the city’s most famed residents of the past are buried at Union Cemetery, including Col. James Macleod, who gave the city its name, pioneer black cowboy John Ware and outspoken newspaperman Bob Edwards.
"You’ve got everything from the Lougheed family plot to Potter’s field," said historian Harry Sanders, author of Calgary’s Historic Union Cemetery.
"This is as close as you can get to the authentic past of Calgary, to the people who made the city what it is," he said. "It (the vandalism) is wrong on so many levels."
While the city’s cemeteries generally see at least a handful acts of vandalism each year, the situation has worsened at Union this summer, said Archie Lang, the city’s cemeteries manager.
The cemetery staff has contacted the police to keep an eye out for vandals in the area, he said.
The headstones are the private property of family, but contractors and city staff right the stones on their behalf as soon as possible, once noticing they’re down, Lang said.
"It’s been kind of a continual thing . . . not a wholesale flurry of vandalism," he noted.
Still, the situation is a concern, he said.
If the headstones are cracked or damaged, the cemetery must try to contact family members. Since some of the gravesites date back more than a century, it’s often not possible to track down relatives. If no family members are found, the broken stones are placed as a flat marker on the grave, said Lang.
Other city cemeteries are also periodically targeted by vandals– acts that Lang describes as senseless.
"An act of vandalism in a cemetery to a family’s headstone is an assault, and insult to that family. It’s just not the right thing to do," he said.
The city is pursuing a historic and cultural designation for the city’s south cemeteries, including Union, Burnsland and St. Mary’s, said Lang.
If granted, the designation could mean additional provincial and federal funds for upkeep to the grounds, he said.
"We’re looking at it as a possibility," said Lang.
Colborne said the rich history of the grounds should make the cemetery a high priority for protection from vandals.
"I just don’t understand the gratification. It’s just ludicrous," she said.
jkomarnicki@theherald. canwest.com
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