|
Alberta
Graveyards - Continued
On the banks
of the Peace River near Dunvegan in northern Alberta is a little
grave surrounded by a white picket fence. It's all by itself and
if you'll excuse a bit of mushiness from an Albertan, it is the
loveliest thing - a little white box alone among the northern
poplars, no houses nearby, no people, only a river running by.
Inside the box is a hand painted sign that says:
"In
loving memory of Caroline
Infant
daughter of Alfred and Agnes Garrioch
Who died April 20, 1888, aged 2 days
Forever with the Lord."
The
marker for two-day-old
Caroline near Dunvegan
Once I read
the sign, I put the words together with the setting and decided
the Garriochs were likely missionaries. Likely there were no doctors
around in this remote spot in 1888. Likely the family soon left
the north. All true. When I researched deeper, I found out the
the Garriochs had been one of three families in that valley, the
other two being the Hudson's Bay trader and the Catholic priest.
Neither was able to help Agnes nor new baby Caroline. All Rev.
Garrioch could do when he and his wife left the north was build
a fence around Caroline's last resting place to keep her safe
from wild animals.
And there
she remains, a heart stopping reminder of another time, another
story.
  
Nancy
Millar's books about graveyards include Remember Me As You Pass
By, (stories from Alberta graveyards) and Once Upon A Tomb (stories
from Canadian graveyards.) Both are a combination of history,
story and travel. They are available from many bookstores, see
the Links provided, or from Deadwood Distribution, e-mail nemillar@telusplanet.net.
Her other books include Once Upon A Wedding - Canadian history
through actual weddings; The Famous Five: Emily Murphy and the
Case of the Missing Persons, and Once Upon An Outhouse. Also available
from Deadwood or link with www.nancymillar.com.
This story,
with permission from the author, Nancy Millar, was supplied to
us by Canadian Funeral News, a magazine dedicated to the advancement
of funeral service in Canada and is published 12 times per year
by OT Communications. Suite 1025, 101-6th Ave. SW Calgary, AB,
T2P 3P4 Tel: 403-264-3270 Fax: 403-264-3276
|
R.B.Bennett
Lady
MacDonald - The Mystery of Mary
A
Graveyard Tale Closer to Home
More
Graveyard Tales
The
REAL
Sam McGee
|
