The Heritage Cemeteries Project is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their annual cemetery tour on June 15th. Those looking to attend are asked to arrive prior to 9 A.M. for the tour leaving from Smalltown Financial Services in Langenburg.
The tour is offered at no cost to the attendees. Goodwill offerings are appreciated as the group manages their finances through donations and they are able to provide taxable receipts.
People are invited to drive their own vehicles for the tour and guests will also be provided a free meal in MacNutt during lunch time before departing again for more touring.
The group is asking potential attendees to RSVP prior to June 10th so they can have numbers for the free lunch that will be available at the MacNutt Hotel.
Heritage Cemeteries Project President Bryan Watson spoke about the cemeteries and locations they have visited over the years including at the R.M. of Churchbridge, the R.M. of Fertile Belt, the R.M. of Langenburg and last year’s tour of the R.M. of Spy Hill.
Watson said, “This year we’re going to be specifically in the MacNutt area. We’re going to be focusing on cemeteries between Langenburg and Highway 10 north of MacNutt”.
The tour will visit cemeteries such as Hoffenthal (a district in Russia), Landestreu (a district in Austria), and Christ Lutheran (MacNutt). After lunch, the tour will view the Castleavery, Clova and Zorra cemeteries. The group is aiming to view historical churches along the way as well. Lunch will be provided at the MacNutt Hotel at no cost to those attending. This is the 20th anniversary for the Heritage Project and it is the group’s way of giving back to those interested in their work.
Speaking about the importance of these tours to him, Watson said, “I like genealogy. My wife Lori and I have been taking photographs of headstones in cemeteries for a number of years. I’ve uploaded almost 7000 photos to a website called Find a Grave that people use for genealogy purposes. It’s affiliated with ancestry.com. For me, it’s kind of a way of connecting with my own roots. My family on both sides, and Lori’s family as well, have been in this area for multiple generations. I have grandparents and great grandparents buried in most of these cemeteries that we’re going to be visiting”.
Watson mentioned the impressive work that the Heritage Cemeteries group has done with cemeteries such as the Logberg Cemetery located northwest of Churchbridge on the 381 road.
He clarified, “That cemetery, along with a lot of these other little pioneer cemeteries, no longer have congregations to look after them. The congregation has disbanded, the church building may have even been moved, families have moved away. These little cemeteries, as with anything that is left unattended, nature eventually takes it back. Eventually there’s no trace of any cemetery there anymore. The pioneers that are laid to rest there are then lost to history forever”. He added this ability to recover cemeteries is what fuels the group’s passion for the project.
There are many costs involved with the maintenance of these cemeteries and the Heritage Cemeteries committee appreciates all the support they have received from individuals and groups. He mentioned how thankful they are to the Churchbridge Credit Union, Braendle-Bruce Funeral Services and Family and Friends Foundation, as these three have contributed to their work over the years. These donations give legitimacy to the organization and they provide a spark of hope as donations are hard to come by.
Speaking about volunteers, he said there are approximately 15 volunteers of varying ages, but the group would appreciate any help if someone is interested in joining the Heritage Project.
People can find more information on their website and their Facebook page, heritagecemeteries.ca or facebook.com/heritage cemeteries.
President Bryan Watson relayed some of the history of the project saying, “This organization goes back 20 years now and it was started by a group of people who saw the need to save these historic cemeteries from nature. Probably the biggest testament to our work is what was recovered at Logberg Cemetery because that cemetery was really at that point where there were only rumours that it even existed. It’s about half a mile off the grid road, through a slew and into the bush. The group that went out there found headstones in the bush, and they did a lot of work clearing the bush to find the headstones. Today it’s a very nicely manicured cemetery in a very peaceful area”.
After lunch the attendees will see a few cemeteries north of MacNutt. Castleavery is a Manitoba historic site and its fence line is along the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border. Watson explained that back in 1889 there was a boiler explosion with a threshing machine and a number of people were killed in the accident. They were buried in a common grave in Castleavery. Another site to view is the Clova Cemetery, which is no longer in use; it is a small cemetery north of MacNutt. The group will end their tour at the church at Zorra Cemetery which is on the corner of highway 8 and highway 10. Along the way, there will be stops to see single burial sites where people have been buried on their homesteads or in a field and there’s a sign post marking it. Watson clarified that they are not going to trespass on private property but they are going to acknowledge those single burial sites as well.
Those interested in attending the 20th anniversary of the Heritage Cemeteries Project annual cemetery tour can contact Bryan at 306-743-9117 or Doris at 306-896-7966. The group can be contacted by email at info@heritagecemeteries.ca as well and are asked to RSVP by June 10th to help plan the lunchtime meal.