Boot Hill, BC Penitentiary’s cemetery in New Westminster, holds dozens of unnamed graves of burials between 1913 and 1968.
In last week’s blog, I wrote about my visit to New Westminster to see the buildings that once formed part of BC Penitentiary, a federal prison that operated from 1878 to 1980. The most interesting part of the day though was finding Boot Hill, the jail’s cemetery which has become part of the grounds of two large apartment buildings.
First burial was in 1913:
According to a plaque installed in 2016, the first burial was in 1913 and the last in 1968. There are none of the upright markers that you’d expect to find in most cemeteries, and that’s a bit disconcerting, but what’s really weird is that there are no names. There is just a fenced off field which contains dozens of concrete slabs with numbers etched on them, many so faded that they are completely illegible.
The numbers correspond to inmates who died while serving time and were unclaimed by family or friends. A kind of Potter’s Field but where the names are mostly known, just no one cared except maybe their fellow inmates who dug the plots, made their coffins and marked the graves.
Map to graves:
There is a map that puts names to some of the markers—close to 50 of them. There’s Gim (aka Kim or Ung Wing) who died on May 31, 1914 at age 31. A few are unknown, and some are so young it hurts. Alphonse Alvin Duquette was just 18 when he died on December 11, 1948. John Baptiste died in 1923 at age 25, and there’s 64-year-old Sook Sias, an Indigenous man who died in 1933 and eventually had his remains returned to his ancestral land.
One man died from a gunshot wound while trying to escape from prison, another was caught and executed after a guard was killed during the attempt. The most common cause of death was tuberculosis or suicide.
Not much is known about their crimes. One was an inmate who stole $15 worth of socks. Five were Doukhobors jailed for protesting while naked. A few were murderers. All were serving hard time in a maximum security prison.
Related:
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27 comments on “Boot Hill: New Westminster’s Strangest Cemetery”
Very interesting Eve. I see cremation was not necessarily an option at the time. One can only imagine what it must be like when you have no friends/family to support you while incarcerated. A life of existence. A life before social workers, counsellors, and genuine rehab.
I once heard that there was a underground tunnel that led to the wharf on the Fraser River ,from the prison area ,where inmates were brought to the prison. This tunnel would have gone underneath the road and railway tracks . I wonder if this information could be investigated to be substantiated as “true” fact
It is true.
A friend who worked at Valuev Village on Front street said in their downstairs there was a door that led to tunnels that was eventually blocked off.
Sadly there were no tunnels leading from the Coal building on the wharf. The tunnels started at the main gate house and went to the Warden’s and Deputy Warden’s houses. Sorry
While their tunnels, they were service tunnels that led from the wharf to the main gate to the wardens and deputy wardens house. Despite the urban myth no inmates were transported through the tunnels.
Like modern day Kent Institution. Those tunnels were used to access control posts and 1 gun walk in the prison. Never used for inmates.
The filming of parts of Rambo used the BC Pen tunnels
And, of course, in recent history some developers wanted that land for more residences. I suspect the BC Cemeteries Act was used to foil their plans, for the time being anyway.
Eve, I love you. Fascinating. Of course I visited clients at BC Pen, a lasting memory. I also recall hearing the tunnel story connecting to the River.
Thanks Robert! Gotta love a good tunnel story
No words. Just horror of the injustice. Sox’s? Most likely the crime in winter.
Executed? Did he kill the guard? And even if so this childish tit for tat nonsense and so illegal.
Who dies at 18? And what possible crime could have led to one that young in there?
Thanks Eve! Proving this place is no sunshine and lollypops heaven. Au contrary!
So very sad. I absolutely hate prisons. I didn’t know there was a cemetery. Thanks for the story.
Great job I researched a bit about the Pen I used to see these graves walkung my dog at queens park hospital and have watched buildings go up and old hospital buildings come down and wonderd if these graves would be forgoton. Thank you for your research.
My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by!
I am curious to know if there is a map available of the prison grounds that would show the precise location of where the executions would have been carried out. I’m a resident of Richmond Street, directly across from the building which we have been told was the warden offices and guard barracks. I would like to know this because as life long non believer of paranormal activity, ever since moving here 12 years ago, we have had numerous paranormal experiences.
I am no longer a non believer.
There was just the one execution, the man buried in the cemetery. Executions were carried out at Oakalla.
What were your experiences, Dean Edwards? That sounds so fascinating!
The gallows used in the only executive was at the far end of the classification building where Mary Steinhauser was killed. Where the stables used to be. Smith killed young guard JH Joynson in 1912. Smith was hung in 1913. Wilson would die from a gun shot wound.
All other executions were carried out at Oakalla prison farm in Burnaby.
The execution occurred to the right, after you exit the main gate. To the right was a long rectangular building where Mary had her office. The gallows was set up by the horse staples just next to the Classification building.
Nostalgic/Sentimental New Westminster-Pictures on facebook has lots of historical content.
Hi, Eve. I follow your fascinating stories of Vancouver and surrounding areas. Have you ever heard of the Tartaria/Mudflood theories that seem to have encompassed the world. How maybe the history has been kinda hidden? I see a lot of anomalies in some of the history you report. Unknowingly may have overlooked. Lots of pics on You Tube if you choose to go down that rabbit hole.
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I am interested in finding a map that provides the location of the gallows too. I think some of the history should also focus on the inhumane punishment suffered by petty crime legislation. Thank you for taking the time to uncover this history .
It’s not just the mass graves at schools that are un marked. I live in Toronto and have travelled extensively .jails, hospitals of many types,etc have unmarked graves and some with No records. Terrible how we treat the less fortunate. We seem to glob on to jails!
May they all R.I.P.
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Let’s not forget the unmarked graves of patients who died at the hospitals with no one to claim them and were buried in Potters fields .
St. Paul’s hospital used to use the funeral home on East Hastings st . It was an old white washed building.
I believe they have long since moved up to Hastings and Cassiar St .
I lived in NW for a good 27 years don’t ask how and what I know but this is true as to what ARTPOL & Nikki said, thank you all for exposing this
Was the hanging tower at the court house on Canarvon st ever used ?