Three historians will reveal spine-chilling facts about Okotoks’ dark side at two eerie events this weekend. An after-dark tour through downtown will expose ghost stories, deaths and even a murder in the Full Moon Ghost Walk on July 27 while a stroll through the older sections of the cemetery will uncover the cause of deaths in the early pioneering days from disease to childbirth in the Okotoks Cemetery Tour on July 28 at 2 p.m. “It’s about how life changed in the last 150 years with how people died,” Karen Peters, with the Okotoks and District Historical Society, said of the cemetery tour. “I touch on things like tuberculosis, childhood diseases, family violence, farm accidents, because we have all of that in the cemetery.” Peters researched the stories behind deaths in the older part of the cemetery from 1892 to the 1950s. “We have several young mothers who never survived childbirth because of the difference in health care,” she said. “Sometimes it was dangerous to have a baby.” Peters dug up an interesting story about a couple whose son was born with brain damage, believed to be caused by complications during childbirth. “The social norm in those days was if you had a handicapped child you either hid them or sent them to the mental hospital,” she said. “He stayed with the family and helped look after the farm.” Peters said the father died and several years later when the mother got ill she sent her son to an institution, unable to care for him. He died two weeks later and the mother died a week after that of a broken heart, Peters said. She was 89. Peters has been digging up stories of the deceased and offering tours in the cemetery for more than 10 years. “You’ve got to look up the information and start looking into their lives and see what you can do to honour their stories,” she said. “A lot of the stories I do because I think they should be honoured because they were either settlers, pioneers or leaders in the community. I love people’s stories.” Under the light of the full moon, three historians will lead hour-long tours with a spookier theme in the Full Moon Ghost Walk July 27. Among them is Kathy Coutts, Okotoks Museum and Archives specialist, who will give an eerie look into Okotoks’ ghostly past. The most popular stories are that of the ghosts in the museum, Okotoks Art Gallery and Okotoks Junior High School. “There’s ghost stories, as well as some dark history like deaths that have occurred and murder,” said Coutts. “Often times people will share their own experiences. We’ve had custodians, students and teachers who have participated in the ghost walks before and they have all shared their own experiences of the ghost at the junior high.” Among the more unusual stories is of H.C. Seymour who enjoyed a night of drinking at the Alberta Hotel and staggered across the street to sleep it off in the waiting room at the train station. He was found dead the next morning. The popularity of the tour continues to grow, with tickets selling out in recent years, said Coutts. “It’s a nice stroll down the downtown area to hear some history sprinkled in with some ghost stories,” she said. “It’s just a fun night out.” Coutts finds that many people are fascinated with ghost stories, but she can’t guarantee they will experience any ghosts on the walk. “Sometimes the scariest part of the ghost tour is a deer that might jump out of a lilac bush,” she said, with a laugh. “It’s just a fun entertaining way to share some history and ghost stories. There are those who believe and those who are skeptical and that’s all right.” Tickets to attend the Full Moon Ghost Walk cost $5 and are available at the Okotoks Art Gallery or by calling 403-938-3204. The Okotoks Cemetery Tour is free with another tour scheduled for Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.
