Correspondences
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Glen Leslie Church
Preservation Group
July 1, 2012
Lois Harper
Manager of Culture &
Heritage
City of Grande
Prairie
PO Bag 4000
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 6V3
Dear Lois:
Following your conversation with Carol Sorensen, we are providing a
written request for support for the “Glen
Leslie Church Restoration Project".
In 2011, the Glen
Leslie Church, located east of Grande Prairie, was designated a
Provincial Historic
Resource by the
Minister of Culture & Community Development. As such, it will now
qualify for
matching funding through the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.
The grant application has a February 1st
and September 1st deadline for 2012 with the funding, if
approved, being available in 2013.
The Glen Leslie Church is steeped in tradition and community involvement
- an excerpt from the “Smoky
to Grande Prairie History Book" follows:
In November 1914,
the community of Glen Leslie held a meeting to consider building a
church on ten acres allotted for a church and cemetery
in a 1910 survey on the corner of SW 6 72 3. The project was mainly
volunteer-based, under the
supervision of a
qualified carpenter. The first service was held in the church on October
30, 1915 and continued until 1964. From 1918-1928, the church also
housed the Somme School District #3634. The first burial in the adjacent
cemetery was
In 1914 and today is the final resting place for many of our pioneers
and their descendants. The church,
with its original
hand-made pews, large church Bible plus an added organ has never been
locked.
Since that day, the church has withered the ravages of time and is in
need of repair. As well, it remains
one of the few pre 1920 structures left in the area.
Any monetary
assistance would be appreciated and will go a long ways towards ensuring
the Church is
preserved for
future generations to enjoy. You would receive a charitable donation
receipt from the
County of Grande
Prairie No.1 (donations to be made payable to the
County of Grande Prairie -
Glen Leslie
Restoration
Project)
and in
return for your generosity: your company name will appear
on any applicable
advertisements and or brochures. There have been specific categories
implemented
for sponsorship: details of which are available upon request.
Thank you for considering our request. If you have any questions or
require any further information,
please contact the undersigned at 780-538-2702. A picture of the Glen
Leslie Church is attached.
Yours truly.
Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group
Wanda Zenner - President |
Glen Leslie Church – Heritage Award |
| Good evening everyone. What a wonderful occasion this
is – and to hold the event at the historic McDougall Centre makes it
even more special. I am Wanda Zenner, President of the Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group. Our Group, consisting of 10 board members, was formed solely to act as a steering committee on behalf of the County of Grande Prairie with one goal in mind – the restoration of the little log building known as the Glen Leslie Church. I’ll just provide a brief history on the Church. In 1909, when land was surveyed in Northern Alberta and subsequently opened for homestead applications, droves of people from all across Canada and the Northern States packed up their families and headed north. One such family was the Leslie family from Ontario. Thomas, his wife Margaret and three adult sons settled in an area east of Grande Prairie in such close proximity to each other that the area become known as the “the Glen of the Leslies” which was shortened over the years to simply “Glen Leslie”. Once the settlers had built their homes and outbuildings, they determined that the Community needed a dedicated Church building. At that time, the Presbyterian Minister from Grande Prairie, Reverend Alexander Forbes, was holding worship services in the Leslie home. Reverend Forbes and Thomas Leslie acquired 10 acres on which to plot a cemetery and build a Church. A Community meeting was held in 1914 where a subscription list was drawn up with local residents pledging funds and or labor. On that list was the name of my grandfather and great uncle who each pledged $2.00. Work commenced in the spring of 1915 and the building held its first service on October 31. Total cost for the building was $468. In homestead days, a building had to be multi-functional. Not only did it provide church services until 1964, but it also served as the Community Centre and even operated as the school house for the Somme School District from 1918 – 1928. In later years, special events were held in the Church with the last being a wedding in 2008. Over the years, the building succumbed to the ravishes of time and was at the point of collapsing into itself. With generous donations from the Community and with the grants provided by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the County of Grande Prairie, we were able to restore the Church to its former glory just in time to hold a “Centennial Celebration” in 2015. Approximately 300 people attended the celebration which included a re-dedication of the Church with the Minister from the Forbes Presbyterian Church in Grande Prairie presiding, speeches by dignitaries including, Chris Warkentin, MP for Peace River; Gary Chen, Alberta Culture’s Heritage Conservation Advisor for the North Region; Leah Millar, AHRF board member and Harold Bulford, County Councillor. A logsawing competition utilizing period-specific 2-man saws was a high-light of the day as it put Leah Millar and others to work. Local historian, David Leonard provided valuable insight into the history of the area. A Cemetery Tour also ensued once the bar-be-que meal was finished. For my part, it has been an honour and a privilege to be involved in the restoration and preservation of the Glen Leslie Church. The building is a very important part of the Community – telling the story first-hand of what life was like in the early 20th Century. After the culmination of the work on the Church and the Celebration, a book was complied not only on the history of the Church but of the Glen Leslie area as well. I would like to present one of these books to the Foundation, as a remembrance of their part in the restoration of the little log building known as the Glen Leslie Church. Thank you everyone Written October 14, 2016 by Wanda Zenner |
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Glen Leslie Church Restoration Project NEWSLETTER “A YEAR IN REVIEW” September 1, 2012 |
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| It has been an interesting year for sure – year of planning, implementing, advertising, presentations, interviews, disappointments and enthusiasm. It was also a sad time as we lost one of our board members – Ray Boyer. Our sympathies go out to Ray’s family during this difficult time. The “plan” actually started in 2008 when Irene Gitzel & I were in contact with Walter Paszkowski, Economic Development Officer with the County of Grande Prairie in an effort to have the Glen Leslie Church designated a Municipal Historic Resource, which happened in May 2010 and a Provincial Historic Resource, which finally happened in October 2011. As such, we knew the Glen Leslie Church restoration project should qualify for matching funding. Little did we know at the time, that obtaining the designations would be the easy part. The advertising process moved forward at a steady pace, followed by obtaining quotes for the log restoration and cement for the new foundation. Finally it was time to fill out the grant application through the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation which ended up being an 18 page document complete with letters of support, financial statements, quotes for work etc. It was in the Provincial Government’s hands on August 31, 2011 with barely a minute to spare as the deadline was September 1, 2011. Then the waiting game began but we could not sit back too long as it was time to fill out the grant application for funding through the County of Grande Prairie – deadline September 30, 2011. OK so we will play the waiting game again . . . but the County wants to have a presentation before council!! Date was set for Nov 9, 2011. Presentation was well received as council members were interested in the project. Time for good news – January 16, 2012 received correspondence from the County and the Provincial Government (yes both letters were written on the same day) where approval was granted. The County would disperse their grant funds in May 2012 however with the Provincial grant, you have to pay the contractor first then send in the invoices, have the work approval and then the funds would be dispersed. Interesting how that works. Now spring is just around the corner and we as a Group are anxiously waiting for the contractor to sign the contract drawn up between Peace Country Log Builders and the County of Grande Prairie. The contact was ready for signing on April 4, 2012 however the log builder appeared to be so busy with his business that he did not have time to sign the contract and begin the work. Disappointed to say the least. In May 2012, Irene Gitzel was made aware of a log builder in Fort St John, BC. Contact was made |
with Chinook Log Homes - emails sent back and
forth with pictures of the Church. June 6, 2012 Ken Boon made the trip
to inspect the Church and provided a quote on June 29, 2012. Time to get
excited again as it looks like we could be moving forward. We held an
emergency board meeting on July 5, 2012 at which time the board decided
to enlist the services of Chinook Log Homes. A new contract was drawn up
between the County of Grande Prairie and Chinook Log Homes with a few
minor changes to be made and finally signed by both parties on August
13, 2012. Unfortunately for us, Chinook Log Homes had become entirely
booked for 2012. Disappointment again. However, they have stated they
plan on starting work in May/June 2013 just as soon as weather & ground
conditions permit. This will put us behind in applying for further
grants with the Provincial Government however we hope that we can apply
for the February 1, 2013 deadline. We as a group will forge ahead;
trying to secure funding sufficient to complete the restoration of the
little Church. Once the log work and foundation is finished, then comes
the task of a new roof, refinishing the floor, window and door frames
and eventually the pews. Needless to say there is long and difficult
road ahead of us yet – we must concentrate on the fact that it is a
work-in-progress and will be for quite some time. I am still hoping we
will have the restoration finished by 2015 in order to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the Church by means of a special event of some
sort. I am certain with a lot of hard work and dedication not only by
our board members but the community itself, we will see the project come
to fruition. Photo courtesy of Grande Prairie Public Library Date unknown but note the “stovepipe” – the chimney must have been built at a later date. Wanda Zenner |
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MEETINGS On May 30, 2011, a meeting was held at the Bezanson Seniors’ Centre to see if the Community was interested in the restoration of the Glen Leslie Church. There were 24 people in attendance along with Dr. David Leonard, representative from the Provincial Government, who opened the meeting with a brief description as to how the Alberta Historic Foundation was set-up whereby matching grants could be applied for. He then presented a quote from Peace Country Log Builders that had been requested by the Glen Leslie Cemetery Committee. A volunteer Board of Directors was formed. The next meeting was held on July 4, 2011 at the Glen Leslie Church at which time the name for the organization was chosen and an executive was elected. It was decided that all donations would flow through the County of Grande Prairie as they could issue charitable receipts. David Sorensen would produce advertising flyers/brochures and David Leonard would draw up a membership application form. Irene Gitzel agreed to set-up an informational booth at the Edson Trail Celebration at Evergreen Park on July 23, 2011. David Leonard would devise a press release. The following meeting on August 16, 2011 took place at the Glen Leslie Church. Prior to the business portion of the meeting, two structural Engineers from Bearisto, Lehners & Ketchum inspected the structure of the building and confirmed the recommendations provided by Larry Sanregret (who was in attendance) of Peace Country Log Builders would be an acceptable method of restoration.  Larry Sanregret (Peace Country Log Builders) John Lehners & Darren (engineers) Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer. |
 Bob Vetsch, Ross Moon, Irene Gitzel, Gayle Moon The next meeting was held on March 22, 2012 at the Bezanson Seniors’ Centre. The main focus of the meeting was the approval of the grants applied for from the County of Grande Prairie and the Provincial Government. A contract for the restoration work has been drawn up by the Preservation Group with the assistance of a lawyer. As well, Dorothea Bulford volunteered to make cards from pictures of the Church to be sold at the local Farmers’ Market. It was decided that the cards would make wonderful “Thank-you” cards to be sent to those who had made donations. Dorothea has also displayed a sample of the cards in the Bezanson Store.  Dr. David Leonard, Gary Chen, Bill Leslie, Gayle Moon, David & Carol Sorensen, Dorothea Bulford, Maxine Robertson, Ray Boyer, Elmer Bulford, Lorice Stark, Bob Vetsch, Neil Moon An emergency board meeting was held on July 5, 2012 at the Bezanson Seniors’ Centre to discuss the feasibility of continuing on with Peace Country Log Builders for the restoration work and to provide information on a new contractor, Chinook Log Homes located in Fort St. John. A quote for the work provided by Ken Boon of Chinook Log Homes, was distributed and the Board unanimously decided to proceed with the new contractor. |
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ADVERTISING In March 2011, Irene Gitzel and Wanda Zenner handed out flyers prepared by David Leonard at the Old Timers’ Supper at Five Mile Hall. In July 2011, David Sorensen and Wanda Zenner met to design a presentation board – specifically outlining the proposed restoration plan, history of Church, complete with pictures showing the various areas of the building showing the decay. The display was manned by Carol and David Sorensen at the Edson Trail Celebration in Grande Prairie on July 23, 2011. On August 8, 2011, Dr. David Leonard issued a press release from which two informative articles have appeared in the Daily Herald Tribune – September 5, 2011 and April 12, 2012 as well as two interviews by CJXX Big Country occurring around the same time frame.
 Advertising at Crystal Creek summer of 2011 and 2012 **********************************************
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| From the book "SMOKY RIVER TO GRANDE PRAIRIE" |
 p 439-440 |
 p 439-440 |
 p 439-440 |
