Old Skandia Cemetery

ARMENA , ALBERTA
                       From the "Footprints Along the Stoney" History Book
When the early settlers settled in the Armena district in the 1890's there was no cemetery around, so some of the pioneers got together and organized a cemetery board of directors.  Their choice was 3 acres of land along the west side of the N.E. 1/4 of 2-48-21-w4 , donated for a burial ground by the Territorial Government in Regina. This cemetery has been discontinued as several churches in the district have their own cemeteries.  A survey was taken some years ago and it was decided there were about 50 graves in the cemetery . A few years ago a grant was given by the Provincial Government for the restoration and beautifying of old cemeteries . This money was used for building a new fence around it and erecting a cairn in memory of the pioneers that settled in this area before the turn of the century .
 An interesting and unusual episode in the history of the old Skandia cemetery is that it harbors a convicted murderer. His grave is located by itself in the northwest corner of the cemetery.
 In the late fall of 1901 a homesteader living a few miles west of Haylakes disappeared . Suspicion was directed to a neighbour and led to an R.C.M.P. investigation and court trial in Wetaskiwan . The trial was dismissed for lack of evidence as the victom's body hadn't been found. After the trial the accused went home , and while fixing on his stovepipe was overcome by fumes and died . Shortly after this, in the late spring of 1902, the victim's body was found and investigation proved that the victom had been murdered . So fate cheated the law of the gallows.
                           From the "Each Step Left It's Mark" History Book.

When the early settlers arrived in the Hay Lakes , Armena area in the 1890's there were no cemeteries , so in 1896 the Territorial Government donated three acres of land on a hill along the west side of N.E.  2-48-21 as a burial ground .
 In April 1904 a church was built on the south side of the cemetery with Cornelius Grue as the carpenter and volunteer help from the congregation . This church was later moved and the cemetery is no longer in use. It is estimated there are about 50 people buried there.
 In 1977 a Government grant of $15,000 was received for improving the cemetery , so a new fence was built and a monument was erected in memory of the early settlers. The plan of the old cemetery cannot be located , so trusting to the memory of several people and visits to the cemetery this list has been compiled.
 
NAME BIRTH / AGE  DIED
Almber; Brit  ------ 1906
Anderson; John 1843 ------
Blakely; Alvina  83  1923
Blakely; Azro (Bud)  60  1935
Blakely; George  60  1931
Blakely; Newton  62  1935
Blakely; Will  69  1934
Boe; Mina  1888  1898
Broen; Eric  ------  ------
Broen; Ingvald  ------ 1933
Broen; John  70  1933
Broen; Mary  87  1961
Brown; Nancy  93  1907
Erickson; Carrie  1832  1903
Grue; Josephine  1899  1906
Grue; Nels Edward  1907  1907
Grue; Olava  1823  1919
Grue; Simon Thorson  1823  1903
Grue; Selmer  1901  1919
Hendrickson; Martin G.  ------  ------
Johnson; Amanda  1894  1943
Johnson ; Nester  ------  ------
Kelstad; Clara  ------ 1904
Kelstad; Mrs. Christ.  ------  ------
Lyseng; Anna  ------  ------
Lyseng; Henry  1895  1908
Lyseng; Mabel  ------  ------
Lyseng; Richard  1901  1902
McPhee; Tilda  27  1918
Moe; Earle  1924  1926
Moe; Gina  1891  ------
Moe; Ida  1894  1920
Moe; Maret  1856  1940
Moe; John  1854  1928
Moe; Johan  1889  1900
Moe; Orvil  1918  1918
Movald; Gea  1863  1945
Movald; Ingwald  1886  1902
Movald; Ole  1848  1922
Munroe; Matilda  1875  1924
Nelson; Pete  ------  ------
Olson; Perry  1902  1904
Skalin; Betsy  1856  1913
Skalin; Robert  1897  1903
Strand; Anna  1831  1910
Strand; Johan Peterson  1827  1912
Welda; Anna (Strand)  1877  1931
        Since the writing of these history books there has been some grave sites added to the cemetery. I will add the people that i'm aware of below.
NAME  BIRTH   DIED
McLean; Alpha Estelle (Welda)  1909  1998
Welda; Norman Bernard  1913  1993
Welda; Rolf Harvey  1907  1987