While I don't want this seldom-updated webpage to become little more than an accumulation of obituaries, I felt the need to include the one below.
The book "Denny's Trek: A Mountie's Memoir of the March West" became available (on Amazon) at a very good price recently so I ordered it immediately. Only 20 pages in, it appears that it will be a captivating read.
Locating Sir Denny's obituary proved to be somewhat challenging due to an unexpected discrepancy in what seems, on the surface, as easily-verified information. Heritage House's "About The Author" section states that Denny died in October of 1928 but that is incorrect. He died on July 24th of that year.
As evidence, the article below is from the Wednesday, July 25th, 1928, Edmonton Journal. Apologies for the page breaks but it does read as left column first.
In looking for additional information about Denny's date of death, I found a Canadian Encyclopedia entry that stated he passed on August 24th of 1928. Obviously that is incorrect as well.
So what's the deal? Why is it so hard to pin down?
This page provides a partial answer.
Sir Cecil's monument was erected about 10 years after his death. A great irony is that the memorial marking the grave of Alberta's Chief Archivist is inscribed with an incorrect date of death; it is out by one month. However, if it is one thing I have learned about the men of the original NWMP, including Sir Cecil, it is that they had a good sense of humour. The story is often told of how Sir Cecil would tease Col. Macleod over the translation of the name "Calgary", saying that it actually meant "Cabbage Patch".Fair enough then. Can't fault anyone for basing themselves on the man's actual gravestone. The August date error is quite understandable under those circumstances. The October one is still a little puzzling, however.
