What to do when you locate an OLD grave site in the bush?....

[colroggal]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

If you stumble upon some remains are you allowed to keep any? A bunch of euro mounts, one or two of which are human, on your wall. Would be quite the conversation piece.

Kidding aside, no disrespect intended to any of the deceased. Are you supposed to notify anyone if you find grave sites with actual remains? In case of missing persons or foul play?

In the case of foul play, I would think the undertaker would not respect the dead enough to leave a marker.

Colin

[HunterDave]

I’ve never come across a grave in the wilderness but i’ve Seen many at abandoned homesteads in NB when I was posted there. The entire training area at CFB Gagetown is littered with abandoned homesteads complete with family graveyards. I think that the government expropriated the land to make the base/training area and everyone had to move out. Burying family on your land was what was done in those days and I never gave it anymore thought than I would if I passed by a modern day cemetery. I’m not very spiritual though.

[Muller]

Originally Posted by MrDave

I visit a couple every year. Elders from the Stoney people are buried at Medicine Lake. Unfortunately, that 2% of bad outdoors people have been riding quads all over the historical site. Doughnuts on top of the graves.
So we share a smoke with their spirits and wish them peace. For some reason there are now white people's memorials in the old village. More lost heritage.

How do you “lose” heritage when someone else is buried in a burial ground?

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Muller

How do you “lose” heritage when someone else is buried in a burial ground?

No kidding lol. Wow.

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by Jigger

Those dang white people huh

Actually more like poor historical management from the previous governments. How a grave yard in a Provincial Recreation area has let its original inhabitants be forgotten and destroyed is beyond me. And why are quads being operated within a provincial rec area?

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by Muller

How do you “lose” heritage when someone else is buried in a burial ground?

Go up to Medicine Lake north of Rocky and look around. See if there is any sign of this heritage. The entire area surrounding the lake was a permanent settlement until the Spanish Flu epidemic. It was originally known as Bad Medicine Lake, because the people who lived there believed it was bad spirits who killed them. The village has been lost, the subterranean homes are destroyed, the graves are now unmarked. The original homes on the east side were bulldozed to make the campsites.
Is that enough of an explanation of how the heritage is lost?

[Badflies]

I always have a couple dead flies eaten ragged on my vest filled with good fishing karma and memories. Those get placed on the marker.

[ghostguy6]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

If you stumble upon some remains are you allowed to keep any? A bunch of euro mounts, one or two of which are human, on your wall. Would be quite the conversation piece.

Kidding aside, no disrespect intended to any of the deceased. Are you supposed to notify anyone if you find grave sites with actual remains? In case of missing persons or foul play?

No, somewhere in the Criminal Code there is a law requiring you to report any human body ( does not specify age) to the police. Tampering with a grave site is also an offense. If it is a marked site then there is no need to report it.

I have a friend that is big into collecting skulls. He tried to import a real human skull from the amazon and Customs would not allow the package into Canada. They quoted some laws but the jist of it was that only a medical professional can posses actual human remains for research or educational purposes only.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

No, somewhere in the Criminal Code there is a law requiring you to report any human body ( does not specify age) to the police. Tampering with a grave site is also an offense. If it is a marked site then there is no need to report it.

I have a friend that is big into collecting skulls. He tried to import a real human skull from the amazon and Customs would not allow the package into Canada. They quoted some laws but the jist of it was that only a medical professional can posses actual human remains for research or educational purposes only.

There’s no law against possessing human remains. People are wearing and carrying ashes of loved ones. A few years ago two complete skeletons from one of the hospitals came up for auction. I did extensive research to see if I could buy them, there were no laws against it. I didn’t bid in the end as I didn’t want to incur any negative juju

[ghostguy6]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

There’s no law against possessing human remains. People are wearing and carrying ashes of loved ones. A few years ago two complete skeletons from one of the hospitals came up for auction. I did extensive research to see if I could buy them, there were no laws against it. I didn’t bid in the end as I didn’t want to incur any negative juju

Cremated remains are different, they can be released to anyone as far as I know. Are you sure those were real bones not the plastic replicas? Ive never looked into it that deep, just sharing my friends story. I do know the letter he showed me from Customs quoted the laws. I will ask him if he still has the letter.

[Cement Bench]

Originally Posted by MrDave

Actually more like poor historical management from the previous governments. How a grave yard in a Provincial Recreation area has let its original inhabitants be forgotten and destroyed is beyond me. And why are quads being operated within a provincial rec area?

where else can we go to use quads

15 years ago the Alberta provincial cabinet create the provincial park and provincial rec area around Drayton Valley

the govt agreed to create it to allow and EVERYONE GETS A PLACE TO PLAY

15 years later one of the 2 organizers still has no quad area

IMAGINE THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS WON AGAIN BY,DELAY

the organizer has done more for cleaning up creek beds and stream crossing than the provincial govt does in a year he has spent over a million bucks on time and wages and machine time to help,out the environment and we got NUTTIN

22000 ACRES AND NO PLACE TO PLAY FOR,QUADERS, MUDBOGGERS, DRAGSTIP. AND SO ON ALSO TRACTOR PULLS,

GOVT AND YOU ARE A JOKE

WE WORK,HARD AND PAY TAXES SO,YOU GET THE BENEFIT AND. OT US


A PROMISE MADE IS A DEBT UNPAID


Cement Bench the creator of the original memorandum of understanding between the parks committee and the govt and the gun club rep for 7 years on their fiasco

Cement Bench

[admin]

Keep it on track... this thread is not about quads.
Please don't derail.

[Grizzly Adams]

Times change. From a WW ll Life magazine.

http://time.com/3880997/young-woman-...-wwii-memento/

One of the old time ranches around here, supposedly had an Indian skull with accompanying cross bones hanging on their gate.
Grizz

[JD848]

About 40 years ago a fly in tourist resort asked me to cut portages into some lakes in onatrio.There were older trails from stumps that I seen cut covered in moss and everything grown back in.

I was 100 miles from the nearest town and there stuck in big white spruce was and old axe hammered into this tree with a sign all rusted up made of some can nail beside it,saying the name of the person written with pin hoes in the can and that this was where he was buried around this tree.

I sat there and a said bit of prayer to him and had my lunch and even placed a piece of my lunch at the base of this tree and told him I would cut my trail 40 feet further over and a year or so later I put up a better marking it incase they seen the axe never to remove it,it was 3/4 rusted into the head and I attached the axe better to the tree so it stayed there.

I would have to fly into there just to see if it's still there for the heck of it and share my lunch one more time.I did go back there fishing ,but the trail was all grown in about 20 years ago and it was still there then,i don't think many ever fished that lake and it's full of nice walleyes.So this grave has it's own lake to look over and a great place for a person to rest forever.

That axe was use by him to cut that portage by some old trapper or someone using that route to travel I kind of think.

I think I know where there's a spare axe and maybe a good place for me to rest when it's all over and he may not mind some company 40 feet away.

[cankhun3]

if you stumble on any one take a picture of it , and keep walking . you don't have to observe a minute silence .Let the dead bury the dead .

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by cankhun3

if you stumble on any one take a picture of it , and keep walking . you don't have to observe a minute silence .Let the dead bury the dead .

Let the dead bury the dead??? What does that even mean??

[elkdump]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

No, somewhere in the Criminal Code there is a law requiring you to report any human body ( does not specify age) to the police. Tampering with a grave site is also an offense. If it is a marked site then there is no need to report it.

I have a friend that is big into collecting skulls. He tried to import a real human skull from the amazon and Customs would not allow the package into Canada. They quoted some laws but the jist of it was that only a medical professional can posses actual human remains for research or educational purposes only.

Stop by the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City for a Sour Toe Cocktail ! Garnished with a genuine HUMAN toe, , , ,

Say a prayer for the long dead amputee,,,,

But drink only for " research and educational purposes "

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by elkdump

Stop by the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City for a Sour Toe Cocktail ! Garnished with a genuine HUMAN toe, , , ,

Say a prayer for the long dead amputee,,,,

But drink only for " research and educational purposes "

Watched a show on that.... apparently the original toe is long gone. They go through a few toes now as they end up in stomachs!

[HalfBreed]

Since this is slipping off the rail I'll add my wood nickle.

I do a careful cleaning of the surrounding area and pick a few of the local nice looking things to lay there.

I was touched watching little Dutch kids do this for Canadian fallen and reciprocate in kind.

Before this I wished them well in the spirit world.

Edit to add: Happy ANZAC Day. Gallipoli and beyond.

[DWS]

This brings to mind the grave sites at Alexo and Saunders Landing along the old railway line.
Many have been there since the ealy 1900`s but some more resent burials or markers also.

I stop by and read and respect anything.

[TreeGuy]

Around 30 years ago back in NS, I stumbled upon an exceptionally old family graveyard the spruce forest had embraced many a mile back in the woods while hunting chanterelle mushrooms.

The tombstones were carved sandstone. The one that truly struck me the most was of a little girl. The marker was laying flat and split from a 100+ year old spruce tree growing through it, raising it up from the ground debris to stay exposed over the many decades. I fail to recall this little girl's age but I do remember her date of birth and death was 1836.

The oldest DOB was 1798 for a lady who remarkably lived into her early 60's if I recall correctly. Ultimately, there were 19 stones.

There was an incredible sense of serenity in this place. Virtually impossible to describe other than using the word 'quiet'. Much like all the noise of the world drifted away.

I was a teenager at the time suffering through the usual angst that finds most at that age, and I told no one of this place initially. It became my secret place that I would visit if there was a bad day and spend some time alone with the long since gone who proved to be excellent listeners!

Eventually, as it goes, things get better and finally I shared this place with my Dad. After some research, it seemed as though this was pretty much the end of the road for that family's time in Nova Scotia.

We decided not to share my discovery, and allow the dead to rest in peace.

Not long later I graduated university and headed west to seek my fortune (still am lol). It wasn't easy, and I'd occasionally give a thought of that secret and sacred place when the real world would kick a 22 year old far from home just trying to make his way in the world in the gut with another valuable life lesson...

A couple years passed. I returned to home with the soon to be Mrs Tree. My intent was to take her there and 'pop the question' in the most intimate of places that life had gifted me.

I was devastated to discover a clear cut.

I could never bring myself to investigate further. Probably never will. Was this life's way of kicking me out of the nest?

It's 24 years later and I'm still married to that beautiful gal with two awesome kids! The eldest 'Shrub' is graduating high school in a month. I am forever grateful for that place. It's 'quiet' became my center when life became 'noisy'.

Tree

[graybeard]

Over the years I have happened upon a couple of memorials:

- A good sized fish hook lodged into a tree.
- On old hunting knife in a sheath anchored into a tree.

What is kind of neat, is the fact that when your alone and thinking you are the first guy to walk on this ground....what a surprise when you come across something like this...

Respectfully, I'll give them a wide berth, a nod and moved on...

The funny thing is that, you never forget about that discovery; even to this day 30 years later....

[silver]

I posted earlier on this site about some thing I had come across.

But I have followed this thread and I went to an old story.

The Road to Tinkham town by Cory Ford.

Seems to put another view point on it.

[MHW]

Twenty years ago while hunting on public land I stumbled upon a white cross. I stood silently there for a few minutes. I cannot remember if there was a name on it. This fall I think I'll go back to that spot to have another look. Incidentally, in my 'will' I want my body (not ashes) to be buried in the forestry.
If none of my friends at the time offer their services, then my plan is to use my last remaining strength to drive out and crawl into a forested area and stop for the final rest under a tree - I'd rather be bear food than worm food.

[303carbine]

Disturbing old graves can lead to things like digging up small pox, just as deadly now.
Leave the dead alone, unless you want to join them.

[303carbine]

Originally Posted by TreeGuy

Around 30 years ago back in NS, I stumbled upon an exceptionally old family graveyard the spruce forest had embraced many a mile back in the woods while hunting chanterelle mushrooms.

The tombstones were carved sandstone. The one that truly struck me the most was of a little girl. The marker was laying flat and split from a 100+ year old spruce tree growing through it, raising it up from the ground debris to stay exposed over the many decades. I fail to recall this little girl's age but I do remember her date of birth and death was 1836.

The oldest DOB was 1798 for a lady who remarkably lived into her early 60's if I recall correctly. Ultimately, there were 19 stones.

There was an incredible sense of serenity in this place. Virtually impossible to describe other than using the word 'quiet'. Much like all the noise of the world drifted away.

I was a teenager at the time suffering through the usual angst that finds most at that age, and I told no one of this place initially. It became my secret place that I would visit if there was a bad day and spend some time alone with the long since gone who proved to be excellent listeners!

Eventually, as it goes, things get better and finally I shared this place with my Dad. After some research, it seemed as though this was pretty much the end of the road for that family's time in Nova Scotia.

We decided not to share my discovery, and allow the dead to rest in peace.

Not long later I graduated university and headed west to seek my fortune (still am lol). It wasn't easy, and I'd occasionally give a thought of that secret and sacred place when the real world would kick a 22 year old far from home just trying to make his way in the world in the gut with another valuable life lesson...

A couple years passed. I returned to home with the soon to be Mrs Tree. My intent was to take her there and 'pop the question' in the most intimate of places that life had gifted me.

I was devastated to discover a clear cut.

I could never bring myself to investigate further. Probably never will. Was this life's way of kicking me out of the nest?

It's 24 years later and I'm still married to that beautiful gal with two awesome kids! The eldest 'Shrub' is graduating high school in a month. I am forever grateful for that place. It's 'quiet' became my center when life became 'noisy'.

Tree

A very good story Tree.

[saddleup]

Not in the bush, but rather 'out on the prairie" found several grave sites. Most of these are along old wagon rutted trails, so who knows what happened. Always stop a minute to pay my respects, and travel on. There is however, one grave site marker in a local cemetery showing 'Unidentified Male, found along the trail" 1902.

[calgarychef]

About 10 years ago we took our kids 4x4ing on a relatives land, low and behold there were two freshly dug graves, no markers but big piles of dirt. Umistakeable graves. We asked that relative about the new graves and he knew nothing about them, didn’t believe us in fact. I should head back sometime and see if anyone ever put grave stones up or if those graves have gone back to the land.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

About 10 years ago we took our kids 4x4ing on a relatives land, low and behold there were two freshly dug graves, no markers but big piles of dirt. Umistakeable graves. We asked that relative about the new graves and he knew nothing about them, didn’t believe us in fact. I should head back sometime and see if anyone ever put grave stones up or if those graves have gone back to the land.

Fresh graves on your relatives land? He didn’t investigate? Strange. If it was legit you’d think they would get permission to bury them there. Possible crime scene?

[YYC338]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

About 10 years ago we took our kids 4x4ing on a relatives land, low and behold there were two freshly dug graves, no markers but big piles of dirt. Umistakeable graves. We asked that relative about the new graves and he knew nothing about them, didn’t believe us in fact. I should head back sometime and see if anyone ever put grave stones up or if those graves have gone back to the land.

Never crossed your mind that it might involve foul play?