The RM of Sifton on November 12, 1892, purchased from the North West Land Company, ten acres of SE-23-09-24(-W1) to be used as a public cemetery for the municipality. By-law #133 authorized that the land be laid out in plots and blocks and that a plan be registered. The Roman Catholic ratepayers of the municipality requested that a portion of the cemetery be set apart for their own use, so in May 1893, the west two Blocks. C and D, were set aside, subject to the agreement that the fences be kept repaired and that part of the cemetery be kept in good order. A later by-law set aside 100 graves in the southeast corner in Block A "for free burials and single graves".

The earliest grave marker to be found on the Catholic side is dated 1892, Charles Wolfe, who was born in 1799. Other early grave markers were probably made of wood and perished in the many grass fires that swept the cemetery in the early years. At any rate, there are many unmarked graves in the Catholic part of the cemetery. The B Block contains the graves of great numbers of the earliest pioneers of the community.

From an 87 year-old former Oak Lake resident it was interesting to learn that in the years before Oak Lake Cemetery was established, burials were made in Sandhurst Cemetery. This cemetery still stands but it is no longer used. Later many of these people were reinterred in Oak Lake Cemetery. He also stated that early Town residents chose a spot south of town for a Cemetery but were told "it was too near Town". A slaughterhouse was later located on this property!

Members of The Women's Institute erected a Cenotaph in the centre of the cemetery after World War I, in memory of those killed in the war. This Cenotaph was later moved into town and is now in the Legion Hall Grounds.

An early Cemetery Committee was given power in 1936 by the RM of Sifton to "regulate. control, prevent trespassing and damage and to take care of the Cemetery". In 1952, a reorganization of the committee took place with W. P. Whitcomb as President and P. B. Dickson as Secretary, also the councilor for Ward 3, RM of Sifton, as a permanent member. This committee has worked continuously since 1952 to improve and maintain the cemetery. They have erected a steel post fence and planted evergreens around the entire cemetery. They have also built two cement block sheds to house the tools and water system. Two very attractive large iron gates were installed in 1967 to commemorate the Dominion Centennial year.

As a special 1982 Centennial project, the committee plans to erect a small, natural stone cairn on the North Block in memory of our many pioneers. At present the committee is working towards having 'Perpetual Care' taken of the cemetery and grounds.

(Source: Ox Trails to Blacktop, p 44 [1982; Adapted]) 

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A fieldstone monument in the cemetery, erected in 1982, commemorates the pioneers of this area.

(Source: Manitoba Historical Society [Adapted])

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD01-23-09-24-W1

In the Rural Municipality of Sifton

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As noted above, a part of the community's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1982 is told in the volume "Ox Trails to Blacktop" A free digital version of this and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0470), transcribed by a member or members in 1989 and updated in 2004. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).