Windermere Graveyard

If you have been following this at all you will know that recently we have taken an interest in mines.  Well, the Columbia Valley was settled as a mining area and that meant that at the turn of the century there were a number of mines in operation.  One of the big ones in the early years was Paradise Mine which yielded significant amounts of silver and gold.  If you recall we hiked up there a summer or two back.

Turns out that in the early years of mining, miners were cheaper than safety.  That meant that of the likely dozens of mines operating in the area since the early 1900's there were more than a few fatalities.

Last year when we were at the Mineral King Mine (though it is more recent) we showed you a picture of a grave marker for one lonely miner.

Today, I'll show you some more.

Windermere was one of the first settlements in the Valley, which means that many miners called it home.  When they perished (in the mine or otherwise) they would be brought back to the little town on the river, where they could be put to rest.

And they still are...

The Whitehouse

The Stolen Church

Osprey

Lichen

A Plot with a View

The 1900's

Fortress

Shattered

Trace

The Lake

Crossed

A Miner

In Ptarmagin

Stone

Stones

Mosaic

Cracked Mosaic

Peace in the Valley

Memory

Not Forgotten

The Memory of Friends

Dead and Alive

Miner

Unmarked

Granite

The Grave Digger

Memory's Border

Lake Windermere

Plots

Head and Foot

Graveyard

A Secret Mason

Time