An indication of the care given to Calvary Cemetery is seen in the cemetery's signage. Though now five years old, they still appear as bright and new as if they had been placed last week. The cemetery itself, though, is the oldest in Rossland, having been established by the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in 1895. Part way south down Esling Drive, it remained Rossland's sole cemetery for only a short time, until the establishment of Columbia Cemetery just outside the northeast corner of the city in 1899.
The first burial was in 1895 (name illegible). The first known burial was Mary A Reddin, who died June 15, 1896, while giving birth to Annie May Reddin, who also died two months later. Because the original plot and interment records of the parish have been destroyed no new burials can take place, except for cremated remains or in an existing family plot. Unfortunately, many of the markers are missing, vandalized or otherwise illegible. Several small concrete crosses throughout the cemetery have no names visible.
When new signage was created and installed at the cemetery in 2007, the parish was aware of a total of 408 interments having been accepted into the cemetery. Ten acres in size, Calvary Cemetery was initially outside the city proper, but since its inception it has been surrounded by the growing city.
The larger of the two new signs contains the names of each person interred withing, a map of the cemetery and a short history of Calvary Cemetery, text from which follows.
Calvary Cemetery
(Mount) Calvary Cemetery was first used in 1895. Ten acres of land were purchased beside the Wagon Road leading from Rossland to Trail Creek Landing - as the final resting place for people of the Catholic faith. As of 2016 - 408 people are known to have been buried in Calvary Cemetery. The 1918 flu epidemic saw 24 burials here. Six sets of twins died before the age of one. This Sacred Heart parish cemetery, the oldest in Rossland, remains open today for cremated remains only. Contact 250-362-7709
From the Historical Marker at Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery
Description of Historic Place
Calvary Cemetery is located on a 10-acre parcel of land in lower Rossland, British Columbia. It can be accessed from the southern end of Esling Drive, which is part of the old Wagon Road to Trail, B.C. A sign on the gated entrance identifies this as the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish Cemetery.
Heritage Value
Calvary Cemetery is valued as a Rossland heritage site because it has been used as the final resting place for members of the Sacred Heart Parish since its consecration in 1896. Many gravesites are marked by upright monuments of granite or marble that speak to an earlier time. Tombstone inscriptions are visible and tangible reminders of the love, devotion, respect and loss felt by Rosslanders over the years for their family members and loved ones. Some family names on the Calvary monuments are proof of multi-generational family connections with the community and parish.
Stewardship of the site is expected, into perpetuity, by members of the Parish and those of the Catholic faith - a commitment of those living to care for the sacred sites and memories of those who have died. Calvary Cemetery remains open for cremated remains only and the City of Rossland provides a minimum level of maintenance each year for the grounds. The Cemetery is owned by the Nelson Dioceses and the Parish has any existing documentation associated with burials and sites of burials.
Character-Defining Elements
Key character-defining elements of Calvary Cemetery include:
- monuments
- stone or cement cribbing for some of the monuments
From Historic Places Canada