History

Mountain View Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the Vancouver metropolitan area (New Westminster's oldest cemetery was 1860 and the Fraser Cemetery started in 1870), began operation in 1887 with the acquisition of a parcel of land now known as the Old Cemetery bounded on the east by Fraser St., on the south by 37th Ave., on the north by 33rd Ave., and on the west by a row of tall trees, which now stand well within the present boundaries of the site.

Road construction along Fraser Street at 33rd Avenue
about 1911. One of the Cemetery's two gate
houses is visible. CVA A-16-33
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The old cemetery office
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Burials not so easy in the past.

The B.C. Historical News recalled the Masonic funeral for Alderman Joseph Humphries:

"To make a grim business even grimmer, the route to the cemetery was a steep, corduroy road, built over swampy land. When it rained heavily, parts of the road were under water and the timbers of which it was made tended to drift apart. On the Humphries' occasion, everyone except the deceased had to get out and walk across the swamp. Even then, one of the horses slipped between two of the timbers, the wheels of the hearse did likewise and the vehicle became mired in mud."

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The Cemetery - There was a caretaker appointed, and a house built for him at a cost of $400. The lanes running through the five acres already cleared and fenced are kept in order by him, and he plants trees at the alternate corners of plots. The ground has proved to be naturally adapted for the purposes, being high and dry soil, the land sloping gradually to the north-west and east, drains the whole enclosed plot, and in the course of time the natural features of a British Columbia landscape can be taken advantage of for beautifying and ornamental purposes. We urgently recommended to our successors the improvement of the road leading to the cemetery as far as the city limits, if no further, and that the importance of this road being made good from the city limits to the cemetery should be by every available means impressed upon the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and members of local government. It is now at the present time nearly impassable for all vehicles, and the small sum about to spent on its improvement is perfectly inadequate and of little service. I should say that the Board of Works did not neglect the road to the city limits this summer; but they ordered ditches cut on each side, and the road was properly filled and rounded up in the centre; but the very large and unusual amount of traffic constantly going over it this winter, with the heavy rains, has certainly cut it up badly, and it needs attention at once.

Extract from a report by Charles Coldwell, Chairman of the Board of Works, 1889

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In 1901, land north of this was purchased from the Horne family who owned a farm in the area. This became known as the Horne I Addition. Land to the south, comprising the Jones farm, was added in 1910 and is designated as the Jones I and Jones II Addition. The Horne II Addition adjoining Horne I on the west was acquired in 1922. In 1919, a tract bounded by 41st Ave and 43rd Ave. was added. Known as the 1919 Addition, it accommodated many of the victims of the flu epidemic of 1917-1919, as well as the victims of a 1918 shipwreck on the B.C. coast. The last Addition was added on the western boundary in 1941 and is known as the Abray Park Addition. This Addition takes its name from a squatter who occupied an orchard and grazed cows in the area until the land was included in the Cemetery. The total area is 105 acres. See the map.

Approximately 1,000 graves per acre can be accommodated and since the Cemetery is nearly full about 100,000 bodies have been interred. Multiple burials are permitted and in many cases husband and wife are interred in the same grave. Until 1964, a grave could be reopened after 20 years and reused. Since 1964 it has been changed to 40 years.

Mrs. Nellie Evans at her son's grave in Mountain View Cemetery. Caradoc Evans, son of David and Nellie Evans, was the first burial on the grounds of Mountain View Cemetery in 1887. June 1939 CVA Port N173.1

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Photo left: This 1910 photograph shows the portion of the  cemetery that borders on Fraser,
where houses and a  streetcar (centre) can be seen. VPL 7354 Timms, Philip

Photo right: View looking north. VPL 7355 Timms, Philip
 See what the cemetery looks like today

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Perpetual maintenance of the graves is a relatively recent innovation as, in the past, there was no requirement that the family purchasing a grave had to provide for its care. Consequently, even as late as the 1950's, large tracts of land were only scythed. At that time, the Cemetery supported a thriving population of pheasants, raccoons, snakes, and other small forms of wildlife. As the Cemetery became more crowded, most of the trees which once provided a park-like atmosphere were removed, pathways were used for new graves and restrictions were placed on the types of monuments erected in order to facilitate easy care. Vandalism is prevalent and many of the loveliest old monuments have been broken and later removed.

Only one Cemetery in the immediate vicinity of Vancouver is older than Mountain View. Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster opened in the early 19th century. It was followed by Mountain View in 1887, then Ocean View Cemetery in Burnaby in 1918 and by Forest Lawn Cemetery in Burnaby 1936. Recently, several other Cemeteries have begun operations to service special groups. Beth Israel and Schara Tzedeck accommodate people of the Jewish faith, the Gardens of Gethsemani serves Roman Catholics, and the Masonic Cemetery is reserved for members of the Masonic fraternity and their families. Other Cemeteries serve surrounding municipalities such as North and West Vancouver.

Photo left: This 1910 photograph shows the Chinese portion of  the cemetery near Fraser between 33rd and 37  Avenues. VPL 7356 Timms, Philip

Photo right: This 1910 photograph shows the Jewish portion of the  cemetery which borders on Fraser, between 33rd and 37 Avenues. VPL 7359 Timms, Philip
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In the early years of development, special agreements were entered into with a number of fraternal organizations for burial of their deceased members and their families. Under these agreements, blocks of graves were set aside in the Jones Addition for the Masonic Order (Ancient Free and Accepted Masons), the Oddfellows, the Ancient Order of Forresters, and the Knights of Pythias. These graves are easily identifiable by the engraved insignia of the various organizations. In the "Old Cemetery", a block of graves was reserved by the Jewish Society for the burial of deceased orthodox Jews. This area is enclosed by an evergreen hedge and many of the graves are identified by an engraved Star of David or by hands outstretched in the gesture of rabbinical blessing. In 1916, the City set aside a block of graves in the Jones Addition for burial of deceased ex-service personnel. Most of the graves in this block are of young men who returned to Canada following service in France and died of wounds received in battle. Other blocks of graves were reserved in later years for servicemen in Horne II and also Abray Park.

Soldier's memorial service conducted by the
Last Post Association, 1927. CVA99-1605
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In the Old Cemetery - in years gone by - it became the custom for families from the Chinese Community to choose grave sites next to those of other Chinese families and so large blocks of graves grew up in this manner. A sixteen-grave plot was acquired by the Community on which a Chinese Buddhist Shrine was built and religious services held for the dead. In a similar manner, a block of Japanese graves developed next to the Chinese and a shrine style monument was erected. Until the time of the People's Revolution in the Republic of China, it was the custom to disinter a body after ten years and ship the bones home to be buried again in China. However, the Communists refused to accept such shipments, and the practice was discontinued around 1950. However, this means there is no longer any record in the Cemetery of many hundreds of burials which took place prior to this time since the grave markers were discarded when the body was disinterred.

Again by custom, a group of Russian graves developed in Horne II and are easily identified by the distinctive three-barred cross of the Russian orthodox Church and the Russian script of the epitaphs. Next to the Russians, a large block of Italian graves grew up and nearby, a few Greek graves appeared.

These customs point to an interesting aspect of the sociology of dying. It would appear even in death people prefer to congregate with others they feel some common bond with. The bonds vary however. It seems to be religion in the case of the Jews, nationality among the Chinese, Japanese, Greeks and Russians, membership in a Lodge such as the Masons, Oddfellows, etc, or a disaster in which all died together, as in the shipwrecks. Sometimes expediency dictates the grave site. This would seem to be true in the case of pauper's burials which are carried out in blocks of graves purchased by the City. It might also be the case in the 1919 Addition where so many victims of the flu are buried. At the height of the epidemic about thirty-five burials a day were being conducted.

VPL 7358 Timms, Philip                     VPL 7357 Timms, Philip
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Early Vancouverites did not seem to take their own mortality with the levity so common among the English and early Americans. Epitaphs are very few in number and inscriptions on the graves are usually solemn and brief. "Rest in Peace" or "Requiescat Pace" are common, as is "IHS" (In His Service).

Talmadge Williams (1860-1894) showed a little wit in choosing the following:

Remember brothers as you pass by
Where you are now, so once was I
Where I an now, so you must be
Prepare for death and follow me.

However, most inscriptions such as the following, are expressions of sorrow:

Another little lamb has gone
To dwell with him who gave
Another little darling babe
Is sheltered in the grave.

Styles in monuments have changed over the years. Earlier memorials tended to be very plain, often carved in sandstone or marble and are therefore badly eroded. A City By-law now prohibits the use of marble memorials. Since they are mainly calcium carbonate, the acid rain of the City destroys it within a matter of a few years. The most elaborate monuments are found in the Horne I Addition. Graves of the depression era, on the other hand, are often unmarked or show only a simple gravestone. As maintenance became more and more of a problem, the City passed By-laws restricting the type of monuments erected with respect to size & shape and the placement is now at ground level so lawnmowers won't damage them. Granite and bronze are now used for grave markers. Years ago, much of the granite was brought in from Nelson Island, B.C. by Chandler and Sons who then owned the quarry. Granite Island was another source. The Chandlers found it too difficult to maintain this source, and now import granite of different colours and textures from Sweden, Scotland (who in turn imports from Sweden) and from California. The sandstone of the early graves was quarried on Haddington Island, B.C.