City of Kamloops Cemeteries
Parks and Recreation
The need for a cemetery in Kamloops was first realized in the 1880’s when the railroad brought many settlers. The first cemetery was located at 8th Avenue and Lorne Street until 1901. This land did not belong to the city; therefore, land was purchased on Pleasant Street in 1898 for a new public cemetery. Presently, Pioneer Cemetery is a grass park with surviving headstones in one corner.
A cemetery was created off Lombard Street in Powers Addition for the Chinese community about the same time as the Pioneer Cemetery. It is being upgraded through partnership between the City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Chinese Cemetery Heritage Society.
The 6th Avenue Cemetery was built in 1894 in conjunction with the province’s Old Man’s Home and contains over 1000 utilized pots. The last interment was in 1974.
Pleasant Street Cemetery is bordered by 8th and 10th Avenues and Pleasant and Munro Streets and was over 100 years old in 2000. The first interment was May 28, 1900. Pre-purchased burials in family plots continue. In 2000 the city recovered a number of plots which are available to the public for purchase.
In 1951, when it became evident more space was needed, the City purchased a 15 acre site on Notre Dame Drive. Land holdings have since been increased to 35 acres to meet present needs. Hillside is a non-denominational municipal cemetery operated by the City of Kamloops, providing a variety of services to the community at large. The cemetery contains Sage Valley and Hillside Mausoleums, Hillside Columbarium and Pine Grove Crematorium.
The Columbarium is available as a cremation option. The present trend indicates that over 70% of the burials in British Columbia are cremations. The 77 niches permit memorializing through photos, mementos and a name bar with attached bud vases.
For more information regarding cemetery policies, procedures and general information, please visit: http://www.kamloops.ca/cemeteries/index.shtml