Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Cemetery - Castlegar, BC
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T0SHEA
N 49° 13.436 W 117° 40.399
11U E 450973 N 5452567
This old Doukhobor cemetery is located at the site of the old Champion Creek Doukhobor settlement along the Columbia River, between Castlegar and Trail.
Waymark Code: WMJ955
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 10/13/2013
Views: 1
No longer in active use, this was once the final resting place of residents of the Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Village. The cemetery contains 62 graves, of which only 10 have markers. Some of the rest are marked or outlined with stones.
Fairly isolated, Blagodatnoye Village housed as many as 500 residents at its peak. The village was built around vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. Much of the fruit was hauled north to the Doukhobor owned and operated Brilliant Jam Factory at Brilliant (which is north across the river from Castlegar) and sold country-wide in jams and jellies.
From Doukhobor Org:
Historical Background
Blagodatnoye Cemetery was established in 1912 by the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (C.C.U.B.) to serve the Blagodatnoye settlement area. It is located along Champion Creek and became known as the Champion Creek Doukhobor Cemetery. After the demise of "C.C.U.B." in about 1937-39, the cemetery continued to be used by its successor organization the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ (U.S.C.C.)until the 1970's. The cemetery is no longer in active use. It is privately owned and maintained by the U.S.C.C. and was restored in 2000.
Layout
The cemetery is approximately 2 acres in size and is enclosed by a wire fence with a single gate. It is partially wooded. The cemetery contains approximately 120 interments in a single section comprised of nine rows facing east-west by 26 rows north-south. The majority of graves and no marker and the mounds have been leveled. Some mounds are marked by piles of rocks. Death registrations were used to identify 52 unmarked graves. 56 unmarked graves remained unidentified. The marked graves typically have plain slate, marble or concrete upright headstones or flat markers set flush to the ground.
Driving Directions
To access the cemetery, travel south from Castlegar on Highway 3 toward Salmo. Turn right at Columbia Road and continue for approximately 1 kilometer (.6 mile). Turn right at Prairie Road and continue for approximately 3 kilometers. (1.9 miles) to the end of the pavement, then continue for approximately 2 km. (1.2m) to the locked gate. (Note that the road is paved for several kilometers before turning into a dirt road. The road parallels the river, heading towards Trail.)Once you arrive at the locked gate, continue on foot for approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). Where the road splits, continue along the tower road to the right which ends in front of the cemetery entrance. The cemetery is on private property and permission to enter should be obtained from the owners.