Beyond the gravestones: Stories wanted about those interred at historic Kamloops cemetery

Anyone with connections to the Pleasant Street Cemetery in Kamloops is invited to contribute stories of their loved ones buried there or of the cemetery itself as part of a commemoration of the cemetery’s 125 years.

Roughly 1,000 gravestones sit at the cemetery located at 955 Pleasant Street in the city and the Sagebrush Neighbourhood Association is hoping to learn more about the people buried there, their families and the history of Kamloops.

Board member Catrina Crowe said all stories are welcome along with any relevant images. 

“The cemetery reflects the history of the city, and we’re hoping this will allow people to find stories they’ve forgotten or didn’t know about,” she said. “There are people buried there who were in the newspapers so we might have a bit of history about them, but there are many that have contributed greatly that we don’t know much about.”

The cemetery is large and well maintained with a central location in the city. It’s still an active graveyard where those with family connections to it can still get plots.

Buried there are war veterans and influential residents of Kamloops that local schools and streets are named after.

Roughly 25 years ago, the Kamloops Heritage Society copied the information off the gravestones. The Kamloops Museum and Archives has a great deal of information and are involved in the project.

A 1914 photo of Pleasant Street Cemetery in Kamloops. iNFOnews.ca/ Kamloops Archives with permission

“It’s quite a lot of information but it’s surprising how many people we’ve lost track of over the years,” she said.

“There was the first fellow to be buried there on May 28, 1900. On May 26, he’d been thrown from a horse and that’s how he died, but I don’t know any more history about him.”

Crowe doesn’t have family buried in the cemetery but said the project will help her get to know more about the town through the people, and shed more light on the importance of it.

“We’re hoping if we bring focus to the cemetery we can do a bit of revitalizing,” she said. “You can see one area that must have had flower gardens in it and seats, a bit of quiet space for people.

“When I look at urban planning, graveyards do give that green space for cities.”

READ MORE: iN VIDEO: A brief history of the Old Men’s cemetery in Kamloops

The neighbourhood association is a volunteer group that works on projects in the community such as revitalizing cemeteries and local trails and collecting neighbourhood history.

The story project was announced this week and is still in its early stages. No stories have been submitted yet and the possibility of combining the stories into a book or other future plans for them have not been discussed.

The commemoration event is set to take place at the cemetery on May 25 with several other local organizations attending and contributing including the Royal Canadian Legion, the City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Heritage Society.

Time and details of the event will be announced closer to the date.

To submit a story about the Pleasant Street Cemetery, email the Sagebrush Neighbourhood Association here.