Forgotten Coal Town Cemetery

All but a couple burials in this forgotten coal town cemetery date predate 1917 and many of the grave markers have been lost to time. Nature’s reclaiming the site and much of everything remaining is well hidden by the underbrush. Still, there’s old metal fences and more resilient grave markers of stone, but anything of wood is either going or completely gone.

The people interred here hailed from England, Scotland, Italy, Austria, Belarus and Russia, among others. They immigrated to Canada to work in the coal mine or lumber camps here in Hosmer BC and this little mountain community has become their final resting place. The journeyed from far away, left family behind and found their way here. It’s a serene location, and beautiful, but rather lonely.

There’s many kids buried here and most appear to be first generation. Back a century or more just surviving beyond childhood was a miracle in itself. All manner of maladies not understood at the time, or complications during childbirth took many.

It’s a parent’s heartbreak and even though it happened long ago, there’s a certain sadness in the air even today. Death is always a sombre occasion, but having it happen to a young one, especially your young one, must be an unimaginable hardship. Life back then was already challenge enough and to go through this hell must have broken the spirits of many parents.

Children’s graves are often marked with headstones depicting a lamb and there’s a couple examples here. Lambs represent the innocence and purity of childhood.

There’s some thirty-two known burials and it’s possible there may be unknown others where the information was lost. Record keeping was oftentimes hit and miss back then but over time papers can vanish and memories fade. It’s a big cemetery and that the monuments left today are well spread out suggests there might be more burials that are unaccounted for.

About a dozen graves are marked by stone monuments but the well-weathered remains of a few wood markers (or wood fences) can also be found. Any others now missing were presumably also of the latter material and long since rotted away.

The earliest burials here date to 1907 and the most recent took place in 2010. Outside this late example and one burial in the mid-1920s, all are from earlier.

This period of most heavy use roughly corresponds with the time the Hosmer Coal Mine was in production (1908-1914). When it closed, this once booming town suffered a great loss of population and not long after it flirted with ghost-town status. For a time anyway.

The town is still here, however, and home to perhaps a hundred folks today. That’s verses 1200 or so when the coal mine operated.

Let’s take a look at some of the headstones and see what they say. Each was photographed so the information could be correctly copied and everything
below is formatted as inscribed.

Eugenio Menzachi

Eugenio Menzachi (Italy) 1883 to July 30th 1909.

QUI GIACE
EUGENIO MENZACHI
NATO IL 19 MAGGIO
1883
A NOI CRUDELMENTE RAPITO
IL 30 LUGLIO
1909

From Italian (Google Translate):

HERE HE LIES
EUGENIO MENZACHI
BORN ON MAY 19
1883
CRUELLY KIDNAPPED FROM US
ON THE 30TH OF JULY
1909

The wording suggests an untimely death and but it doesn’t appears that it’s mine related. Working underground was incredibly dangerous and responsible for the demise of many, but Eugenio’s name does not show up in government mine death records. Interestingly, none of the many, many folks who died underground in the Hosmer Coal Mine seem to be buried here.

It’s possible they were sent home, where ever home is, and the employee rolls show most workers were from overseas.

Alex Sushko

Alex Shushko (Belarus) May 19th 1887 to February 23rd 1914.

ALEX SUSHKO
BORN MAY 19, 1887
DIED FEB 23, 1914
LEAVES WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN
A NATIVE OF HRODNO
CHERNEOVECH, RUSSIA
WE WILL MEET AGAIN

Charlie Fink

Charlie Fink 1920-2010 (metal momument).

In memory of
Charlie C Fink
Life long Hosmer
Resident & Mayor
You made us smile

This is the only memorial from modern times. According to locals we chatted with everyone gets a stab at being Mayor at least once. Even a dog won. Elections are often held at the Elk River Inn down on the highway (the Hoz or Hosmer Hilton) and interestingly that hotel was visited by the Beer Parlour Project, which Team BIGDoer is a part of. With the death of the owner, the hotel has since closed. Know more about the Hoz and this project: The Beer Parlour Project (It’s Happening).

Charles H Bomford

Charles H Bomford (England) 1878 to December 14th 1910.

CHAS. H. BOMFORD
DIED
DECEMBER 14 1910
AGED 32 YEARS 2 MOS
& 12 DAYS

Arthur James Storey

Arthur James Storey (born Cranbrook BC) November 29th 1909 to April 10th 1916.

OUR DEAR BABY
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Note the lamb, which is often seen on children’s headstones.

Charlotte Howard Pitblado & Violet Anderson

Charlotte (Lottie) Pitblado (Scotland) April 11th 1885 to September 29th 1912.

TO THE DEAR MEMORY OF
LOTTIE H.
PITBLADO
APRIL 11, 1885
SEPT. 29, 1912

Violet Anderson (USA) January 29th 1904 to December 14th 1912.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
VIOLET
DAUGHTER OF
R. & K. ANDERSON
BORN JANUARY 29th, 1904.
DIED DEC. 14th, 1912.
GONE TO BE AN ANGEL.
DARLING

Maurice Scott

Maurice Scott (Born Hosmer of English parents) March 21st 1912 – September 4th 1912.

Another Lamb headstone. It’s well worn and the inscription difficult to read – it appears to list the name along with the birth and death dates (which would be expected anyway). This grave is secreted away under a large spruce tree.

John Charles Kenneth Grant

John Charles Kenneth Grant Late 1911 to November 1st 1911

IN MEMORY OF
JOHN CHARLES
KENNETH,
INFANT SON OF
JOHN & ISABEL
GRANT.
DIED NOV. 1st, 1911.
AGED 8 WEEKS.
SLEEP ON, SWEET BABE, AND TAKE THY REST.
GOD CALLED THEE HOME. HE THOUGHT IT BEST.

Another young one taken too soon. This headstone and at least one other here have inscriptions that include full punctuation, which is often omitted to simplify things. You’ll note they’re usually all caps too and this is done to not only make the production process easier, but it also improves the readability.

Frederick Dunn Alderson

Frederick Dunn Alderson (England) October 28th 1874 to December 10th 1910.

IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MY DEAR BROTHER
FREDERICK D. ALDERSON
WHO DIED IN THE BELLEVUE
MINE DISASTER
DEC. 10, 1910
BORN OCT. 28, 1874
SUNDERLAND, DURHAM, ENGLAND
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS; THAT HE LAY
DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

Frederick worked on the newly formed safety crew of the Hosmer Mine and when hearing of the catastrophe playing out in Bellvue, he and his team rushed east (about 65km) to assist. He lost his life helping rescue those trapped underground and with that became “Hosmer’s Hero”. It would have been worse otherwise and there’s a link further below where you can learn more.

Mike Knezaky

Mike Knezaky (Austria) September 10th 1881 to February 11th 1914

TU SPOCIVA
MICHAEL KNEZAKY
JO NARODENI
ROKI 1881
ZOMREL V HOSMER BC
ROKI 1910
FEBRUARA 26

From Slavik (Google Translate):

HE IS SLEEPING HERE
MICHAEL KNEZAKY
BORN
THE YEAR 1881
DIED IN HOSMER BC
THE YEAR 1910
FEBRUARY 26

John Venechuk

John Venechuk (Austria) 1882 to August 5th 1909. His grave consists of the remains of a wood cross with a faded lettering and a collapsed fence. In the not too distant future, it’ll likely all be gone.

Unmarked and lost graves

(thanks to FindAGrave.com):

Annie Boassaly, June 1st 1914 to September 19th 1914 & Victoria Boassaly, June 1911 to August 22nd 1911. Siblings.

John Baptist Goulet, 1857 to November 17th 1914.

Robert Gourlay, February 19th 1858 to June 22nd 1912.

Francis Lewis Hoggeth, July 8th 1913 to February 8th 1914.

Harry Horbaczuk, 1892 to October 17th 1912.

Mary Kobosh, January 17th 1911 to June 6th 1912

Joseph Maternick, unknown to November 11th 1907. Killed in an explosion along with Enrico directly below and George Ongsko several entries down, together they became the first burials here.

Enrico Montalbetti, unknown to November 11th 1907.

Baby Boy Morris, September 1910 to December 16th 1910.

Baby Boy Murdoch, August 15th 1925 to August 15th 1925. The second last burial here. Either stillborn or the little one passed on very shortly after.

George Ongsko, unknown – November 11th 1907.

Jessie Swift Oversby, November 4th 1869 to July 5th 1912.

John Santa, December 27th 1909 to January 3rd 1910 and twin brother Paul Santa, December 27th 1909 to December 30th 1909.

Stanley Bertie Scase, August 2nd 1890 to January 11th 1910.

Fred Stepanow, 1896 to January 2nd 1914.

William Thomson, 1847 to June 25th 1914.

Frank Woods, December 1909 to March 10th 1910.

Plus one documented, but unknown grave. No name, no birth or death date. It is marked by a metal fence and we it seems we missed finding it.

You’ll note a high number of children here and that’s all too common in these old cemeteries. Being born was a death sentence. This adds to the sadness here, but the beautiful and serene surroundings help mask it somewhat.

Additional Reading: (new tab): Fred Alderson Hosmer Hero.

They’re saying…

“Thank you for all the engaging write ups and pictures…you two are a national treasure!” Bonnie & Gerald McDonald (we’re blushing).

Interesting stuff…
RCAF/CFS Alsask Radar Dome.
Blue Bridge to Nowhere.
Linclon, or is that Ƨeventh?.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of adventure: June, 2023.
Location: Hosmer, BC.
Reference and Thanks: FindAGrave.com, Historian John Kinnear and Dale for hosting us.

There’s over 30 people interred here.

Nature has reclaimed the cemetery