4 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Royal Oak Burial Park, resting place for 100,000, marks a century

 

Royal Oak Burial Park will mark 100 years of operation next month

 

https://www.timescol...century-7624845

 

 

 

Elected officials from Victoria and Saanich, local ministers and special guests, including members of the Royal Oak Women’s Institute, witnessed the end of a lengthy process designed to ease the region’s looming shortage of space to bury the dead.

 

On that day — Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1923 — Royal Oak Burial Park in Saanich was declared open. Two days later, Florence Mary Johns of Cowichan Bay became the first person buried there.

 

In the century that followed, the burial park became the final resting place for almost 100,000 people, including five premiers, provincial, federal and municipal politicians, hockey stars, artists, business leaders, decorated war veterans, entertainers and many more. Almost as many people have been cremated at Royal Oak.

 

When it was opened in 1923, Royal Oak Burial Park was on a gravel road, its 80 acres surrounded by wooded areas and farms. The burial park was expanded several times, so today it is about 135 acres. Twenty-five acres are too rocky, too wet or too steep, so they will remain in a natural state forever.

 

 

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A centennial celebration will be held at Royal Oak Burial Park, 4673 Falaise Drive, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. The event will include light refreshments, music, genealogical assistance, a historical display and self-guided tours.

 

The most requested graves at Royal Oak? Suffragist Nellie McClung, hockey pioneers Lester and Frank Patrick, and Titanic survivor Mabel Fortune Driscoll.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 October 2023 - 04:44 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

I found this list here:

 

 

https://www.findagra...?id=city_248341

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure what "View Royal" or Mount Pleasant is.

[LJ]

Burying people is a waste of land, we are in a crisis you know.

[Victoria Watcher]

Burying people is a waste of land, we are in a crisis you know.

 

Yes, you can keep burying them, but build houses on top of them.  Like the Willy Pickton Farm.

[amor de cosmos]

In the century that followed, the burial park became the final resting place for almost 100,000 people, including five premiers, provincial, federal and municipal politicians, hockey stars, artists, business leaders, decorated war veterans, entertainers and many more. Almost as many people have been cremated at Royal Oak.
 
*snip*

The most requested graves at Royal Oak? Suffragist Nellie McClung, hockey pioneers Lester and Frank Patrick, and Titanic survivor Mabel Fortune Driscoll.

i was a bit surprised when i read this, I always thought of ross bay for that sort of people......... findagrave has a list of "famous" people, I don't know who decides or what the criteria are but i suppose i can't argue: https://www.findagra...amous-memorials