Golden Gumshoe Graves - More Mince to the Mystery

Subject: Golden Gumshoe Graves

Hi Joe;

I may be able to cast some light on one of these graves. I worked as a CPR operator at Golden on two separate occasions in the late 1950's and the early 1960's. The railway company provided us with a caboose in which to stay which was often spotted on a track in a gravel pit by the oil tanks where the grave of William Ross, NWMP was located, as the Mystery article states.

The author of "Golden Gumshoes" mentions that the grave was moved in 1955 but perhaps he is mistaken because it was still there on the two above occasions that I worked at Golden; a wooden marker with a neat little wooden picket fence around it, both unpainted.

I wanted to show friends the gravesite when I was at Golden about 6 weeks ago (October 2010), but of course it has been moved. My research as to where it had gone led me to this article in Joe's Buffalo Board.

My understanding of what happened is based on something I read somewhere perhaps "The National Dream" by Pierre Berton. I think, there was a New Year's Eve dance to be held at Donald that night and Ross, wanting to attend, waited to grab a ride there on a train from Golden. Bear in mind that the track had only reached Donald at the end of the construction season in the fall of 1884 and there was no regular train service west of Alberta. So the only trains would be the odd supply train at this time and season. It would be a case of \"catch-as-can-catch".

Anyway, after a long wait at Golden no train arrived and Ross set out to walk to Donald, about 15 miles North. Not unusual in those days when people were used to walking long distances. Anyway, it turned very cold and Ross was found frozen to death betweem Golden and Donald, (not Palliser which is East of Golden).

Ross is now buried in the Royal Canadian Legion Cemetery at Golden with the standard Mounted Police headstone. His date of death is given as January 1st, 1885, whereas I think his original grave was marked December 31st 1884.

Type in "Royal Canadian Legion Cemetery, Golden, East Kootenays, B.C. Canada" for the internment list.

Hope this might clarify things,

PS: **Although there is the descrepancy between the place of death and the date of moving of Ross's remains to their final resting place.

Yours,
Doug Turner
Burnaby, B.C.
Doug Turner [mailto:smdvturner@shaw.ca]
'Maintain Our Memories'