I have always loved historical sites, and as a child, we visited Barkerville, a turn of the century cariboo gold rush ghost town. Townspeople dressed in costumes, there were restored heritage buildings, and daily shows of the hurdy gurdy girls, kicking up their heels.
It was all fun, but what really fascinated me was the graveyards. The handmade markers telling a story, many of them tragic. I was especially fond of Scotch Janeny, a woman killed when her horse and buggy startled and overturned. There were rumours that her ghost would drive up behind a unsuspecting tourist, hoping to startle them.
My sister, Turf Toter, lives in the Okanagan, near a very old cemetery. With some of the grave markers dating back to the early 1800's. We visited it a few times, respectfully, walking through the paths, wondering who these people were. There were many people that died at one time, and it was a mystery that haunted me for many years.
While visiting friends that live in the Cariboo Interior, I mentioned my fascination with the mystery to them. We found out that his family being one of the founding members of the town of Enderby, had many relatives buried there. They showed me a old album, full of newspaper clippings, photos, letters, invitations, all memories of a lives lived. It had been passed on to him, and was a historical treasure. In it were the clues to all the mysterious grouping of deaths. Original newspaper clippings, and photographs of the disaster. A fire roared through the turn of the century town, killing many inhabitants, including a family that hid in a well to escape the fire. Many residents took shelter in the bank vault, surviving the blaze. Enderby rebuilt, and suffered another fire, and a flood. But to this day it still stands, a tribute to the pioneer spirit.
Me, I still have a fascination with old cemeteries, and gravestones, so look out, this is the spookiest week of the year.