The forgotten story of Axel Grundstrom in Retlaw

By Ahmed Kanjoo
Southern Alberta Newspapers

A couple weeks ago, I visited Retlaw, a place that many people today would simply call a ghost town. I would absolutely not recommend going there on a motorcycle, but if you drive there, you might think there is almost nothing left. A few old buildings, quiet gravel roads, and endless prairie. At first, it may not look like a place that has many stories to tell. But I  was completely wrong. I would never have known these stories if I had not become friends on Facebook with a wonderful woman, Terry Franz. Before my visit, Terry told me, “Retlaw is much more than a ghost town.” 

After spending a day there, I under-stood exactly what she meant. Just like the story of 14-year-old Swedish boy Waldemar, Terry shared another incredible story with me. This one was about a family also from Sweden who spent many years searching for the missing part of their grandfather’s life, whose name was Axel Grundstrom. Around 1906, he left Sweden and came to Canada. He lived in the Lethbridge and Retlaw area for more than 20 years before returning to Sweden. But when he went back home, he never spoke about his years in Canada. His family knew almost nothing about where he had lived or what he had done. More than one hundred years later, his grandchildren decided to search for the missing chapter of his life. I want to say something here. 

The way Terry told this story was amazing. It felt as if she had cast a magical spell on me, taking me back in time from 1906 to 2012. I could almost see everything happening in front of my eyes. She told me the family’s search was not easy. There were very few records. Only two old photographs with no names or dates written on them. Then, by pure chance, they found a collection of old letters written by another Swedish family living in Retlaw. Those letters mentioned Axel several times and slowly helped them put the pieces together, using old records, family history websites, local museums, and the help of the Retlaw Historical Society, they discovered that Axel had built houses in Lethbridge and owned a homestead near Retlaw. In 2012, the family finally decided to travel from Sweden to Alberta. Terry told me that when they arrived in Retlaw, she welcomed them with a big hug and simply said, “Welcome home.” Even though there was almost nothing left on their grandfather’s old homestead, they stood on the same land where he had worked more than a hundred years earlier. The family later returned for Retlaw’s Centennial celebration. They dressed in clothes from 1913, met descendants of other Swedish settlers, and made new friends who are still part of their lives today.  

As Terry walked me through that old cemetery and listened to these stories, I realized something. Retlaw may look like a ghost town, but thanks to Terry, I discovered that it is still very much alive through the memories of the people who once lived there, and through those who continue to keep its history alive today. I left Retlaw with more than photographs. I left with stories, which even erased my fear of getting slipped on that dangerous gravel road for motorcycles. During my ride all the way back to Lethbridge, I was thinking that this little ghost town still might have many more stories waiting to be told.

Follow my page on Facebook.com/TheBridgeCity for photographs and more adventures.