Owned and operated by the Town Of Minnedosa.

The original cemetery was in the southeast part of town, close to where the hospital stands now (1992). No early records exist and no visible evidence of early graves can be seen today. A number of graves and stones were moved to the present cemetery when it was begun, but the date here is also unknown.

The earliest burial date on a stone is 1875 in Section A which has a tree-lined avenue down the west side. There are over 3000 burials listed in a book at the Town Office. The newest area, Section G, is our cremation section, which overlooks a spectacular view of the Town of Minnedosa and our lake. Our cemetery is one of very few cemeteries in Canada that has this viewing. Minnedosa Cemetery has traditional and cremation plots.

Columbarium Niches are situated to the east of the Cremation Section.

Oldest people buried here:

Shorrock, Elizabeth Jane – Age 107, burial in 2007

Funnell, Lorena May – Age 106, burial in 1993

(Source: Town of Minnedosa website [2023/09])

Since our first edition of the history, new information has come regarding the cemetery. The first burials were made on the farm now owned by J. Jury, south of the Correction Line, which was owned by J. Jermyn, but the present cemetery lies in the northwest corner of the S.E. 1/4 of 1-15-18 which was also owned by Jermyn. Mrs. J. S. Beddome tells us that Mr. Ben Beddome Sr. and his three sons bought it from Jermyn and later when it was thought that the railroad would not go into the valley and the town would be out on the hillside, they sold it to J. S. Armitage. The property was laid out in town lots but when the "boom" was over it was sold to the town and used as a cemetery. Some graves were moved from the old site as there is one stone there dated 1881.

Evidently, some lots were bought and held by Mr. Beddome, Sr., as he made a gift of one lot to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rose, as a wedding present when they were married in October 1884.

On the north slope of the hill when excavating for graves, some bones, tools and Indian beadwork were unearthed, which led the settlers to believe there had been (an aboriginal) burial ground there at one time.

In 1952 the eastern part of the cemetery grounds comprising some four acres, which up to that time had not been in use, was seeded to grass and the first plots sold. About the same time the Greek Catholic Church secured one acre of land from the town for a separate burial grounds. This lies on the west side of the cemetery toward the south end.

(Source: "Minnedosa Valley Views", pp 54 [Adapted])

Minnedosa Cemetery is well kept and cared for by the town and surrounding municipalities, and is a credit to both the town and the community. Every summer, many beautiful bedding plants are planted out and give a lovely colorful display of beauty.

Minnedosa was one of the earliest settlements in Western Manitoba and was originally named Tanner's Crossing after John Tanner, an early pioneer. It was incorporated under the present name of Minnedosa in 1883 and has shown constant and steady growth and progress since that time.

The cemetery records at the Town Office are far from complete as they were seriously damaged when the dam broke above the town in 1944 and the basement of the Town Office was flooded.

The most accurate source of the pre-1944 records is the local Funeral Home. An added bonus to researchers is the fact that early morticians frequently added to the records. For example: occupation, cause of death or relationships.

Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society [Adapted])

Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD06-01-15-18-W1

A part of the town's story and those of its inhabitants from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1982 is told in the volumes "Minnedosa Memories - A History of Minnedosa and Surrounding Districts", especially starting on the 54th page, and in the later edition entitled "Minnedosa Valley Views".

Free digital versions of these and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0874), transcribed by a member or members in 1992. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).