Trans Canada Trail Cyclists Rest Stop Cenotaph - Rhone, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 49° 13.530 W 119° 01.154
11U E 352981 N 5454486
At the Trans Canada Trail Cyclists' Rest Stop in Rhone one may find a World War II cenotaph.
Waymark Code: WM14W6D
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/30/2021
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member 3l diesel
Views: 0

About 20 km. north of the village of Rock Creek is the Trans Canada Trail Cyclists' Rest Stop, built along the Blythe-Rhone road beginning in 1998 by Paul Lautard, formerly a Rhone resident who now lives in Midway.

The most visible item on the site is a Kettle Valley Railway caboose. Along with the caboose is a collection of railroad memorabilia that has been collected over the years and added to on an "as found" basis.

North of the caboose and the rest stop's shelter is a World War II cenotaph, also created by Paul Lautard. The cenotaph, a 28 tonne rock, surrounded by a cement footing with a Canadian flag beside, bears a bronze plaque commemorating the memory of Rhone residents who served, and who died, in World War II.

The cenotaph has a listing in the Canadian Military Memorials Database. Plaque goes Here
While traveling around the Boundary looking for advertisers and stories to go into the OpenMinder, I was told about a person who was building a rest stop for the Trans Canada Trail that was being officially recognized. When I phoned to make a time to meet him a couple weeks ago, he said there was still 8 inches of snow on the ground, but I would find him out at the shelter, up on a ladder building and extention on the shelter roof.

Well last week I went out to Rhone Road off of Hwy #33 just past Westbridge to meet Paul Lautard and a warm spell had made it harder to find evidence of the snow, but Paul was up on the ladder when I arrived.

When I got out of my car, the welcoming feeling of this place was overwhelming. The layout of the building, the railroad memorabilia, the cenotaph, picknick tables. Everything was a compliment to each other, and even more impressive is that Paul, who is 76, has done this himself, with his own time, money, land, and a little help from some friends.

There are old signs, spikes, locks, tools, and the 28 ton Granite Rock Cenotaph War Memorial that found its place when the D9 Cat hauling it couldn’t pull it any further. The Cenotaph has a concrete base that boasts the Canadian flag and a bronze plaque commemorating those family members that have passed on with a canister for ashes on the backside.

Paul brought me over to the cenotaph, a 28 tonne rock, surrounded by a cement footing with a Canadian flag and a bronze plaque commemorating the memory of family passed. “The rock picked its place cause the D-9 Cat couldn’t drag it any more” Paul added.

Rhone is located on the Trans Canada Trail at the 25 mile marker from Midway, BC, off Hwy # 33, on Rhone Road just north of Westbridge, BC. The Paul Lautard Cyclist Stop and War Memorial at Rhone was commemorated an official Trans Canada Trail rest stop for the relay. Paul and his dog Stubby started working on this project in 1998. Today it is a FREE stop for cyclists! The stop offers a shelter with picnic tables, water, dutch door outhouse and a newly constructed caboose built on-site, a replica of the one at the Midway Museum.
From Kettle Valley Express
Date of Dedication: 01/01/1998

Property Permission: Private

Access instructions: Drive along the Blythe-Rhone road until spying the caboose. This is intended as a public space so permission is not required to enter.

Website for Waymark: [Web Link]

Location of waymark:
3505 Blythe-Rhone Road
Rhone, BC Canada
V0H 1Y0


Commemoration: Rhone citizens who served and who died in World War II

Access times: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Include a photo containing, at minimum, the monument and your GPSr. We'd prefer a photo containing YOU at the monument, but we understand that some people are camera-shy.
Also include a bit about your visit here.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest World War II Memorials / Monuments
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet.