The Little Cemetery Moyie BC

Moyie is a charming little town in the East Kootenays of British Columbia. Tied to mining for its first few decades – the St Eugene was a huge producer of lead and zinc, silver and gold – today it’s a sleepy little community with a retirement vibe, split by a busy highway. It’s home to a picturesque little church and an old time fire hall along with rows of rustic houses perched on steep slopes leading down to Moyie Lake. It’s a most quaint place with a population of about 450. Really? It looks less.

A click or two south of town is what we’ve come to document. There, beside the highway, a most peaceful setting if not for the noise from passing vehicles, is the Moyie Cemetery, with some eighty or so souls interred here. Look at those little white picket fences scattered there among the trees marking many of the plots. It’s quite beautiful.

Moyie dates from the 1890s with the cemetery land set aside soon after. There was one burial in 1898, the first year they took place, with a couple more, give or take being added most successive years. The year 1906 was the busiest with nine people being interred here. By the late 1920s, with the mine petering out, the town’s population shrunk and with that the frequency of burials trailed off. Many years there were none.

Still, they came. To spend all time and eternity. By the 1940s, the last casket burials took place here at Moyie. Afterwards only cremated remains were allowed. This was we suspect account of the rocky ground, and the many trees whose roots could get in the way. The most recent grave marker dates from 2012. It’s said the cemetery is now inactive – but it’s still lovingly maintained. Not sure if someone requested it, if they’d be allowed to inter someone here. Some couple’s grave markers reflect people still alive, however, so maybe yes.

On the north side of the property is the remains of a stone building. This was a tomb, in use circa 1890s-1940s(?), a place to keep bodies temporarily over winter till the ground thawed – cold storage for the dead. These buildings, while not seen much today, were frequently found next to pioneer cemeteries. Frozen earth is near impossible to dig.

There’s a mix of headstones here, the majority being stone. Wood ones mark a few, but most of their faces are blank from time. A few graves are marked with simple wood crosses. Many plots have fences, pickets or chains. Some are unmarked but shallow depressions hint where they are. No doubt many of these simpler graves belong to miners, who rarely had the money for anything but the most basic of burials.

All too common when looking in these old cemeteries is a proliferation of infant graves, children who had life stolen from them far too soon, account disease or illness. Many babies back then didn’t make it. Looking at the dates, some only survived a week or less (or perhaps were still born). Even those that manged to hold onto life for but a day…they have a name. Imagine the heartbreak the parents went through. These graves are often the most elaborate and touching in form.

Many family names are seen. Flowers, statues and ornamentation adorn many graves. Someone still cares – something we hope happens when we pass on. Some picket fences and wood markers show a fresh coat of paint.

If not for the roar of the highway, this would be one of the most wonderfully pastoral places to be buried one could ever imagine. Funny though, as we wandered about snapping pictures we got lost in the moment and the noise seemed to trail away. Perhaps the dead don’t notice it either.

The trains, the track right beside the highway there on the far side (everything here has to fit on a narrow shelf by the lake), well, they make a din too. But they don’t come that often, perhaps a half dozen or so passing each day. Anyway, thou shall not speak badly of trains. Ever!

There’s a pull off on the highway beside the Moyie Cemetery where you can park, if you wish to visit it. Careful though, it comes up on you fast and the road can be like the Indianapolis Speedway at times, especially come a summer weekend. It’s be easy to get rear ended here.

This is the first of a series of BC posts coming soon. We’ve been hitting up that province a lot the last couple months and saw so many amazing things which we’ll be sharing with you later. You’ll love the articles in the pipeline!

Just up the road…
Upper Workings of the St Eugene – Moyie’s mining remains.

More like this…
Badland’s Cemetery – known by few.
Sacred Heart – an amazing church and cemetery on the plains.
In Search of Mitford – Part 1 – forgotten but within sight of new developments.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: July, 2018.
Location: Moyie, BC.
Article references: FindAGrave.com, BC Government Burial Records.

Please be respectful when photographing the Moyie Cemetery.

The historic Moyie Tomb.

We’re at the pioneer cemetery in Moyie BC.

Picket fences are a charming touch.

A wood marker – many here are of stone.

Time and weathering has made this one blank.

The cemetery is a bit south of the little (former mining) town.

A most peaceful place if not for the noisy highway in back.

Died as an infant – so little time on this earth.

The cemetery dates back to 1898.

Rest in peace there friend.

A lovely place among the trees.

A touching final photo.