Thunder Bay Unseen

Superior History

St. Andrew's Cemetery

Opened by the Catholic Church in Thunder Bay, on land bought from Riverside Cemetery, St. Andrew's Cemetery was not always found at its present location. It was originally located at the corner of Argyle and Farrand Streets until 1886. When it was moved to Oliver Road all of the bodies were removed and re interred at the new site, or so they thought. In 1979 a body was found at the former cemetery site while the basement of a new apartment building was being excavated.

Unlike Riverside Cemetery next door, the office building of St. Andrew's Cemetery is rather understated. This is most likely due to the cemetery's ownership being through the Catholic Church.

In front of the office building you can find the head stones of the Parish priests who have passed away in their service of the Catholic Church. Since these men have sworn their service to God and the Church it is only fitting that the church provide for them their final resting place. They are a unique collection of multinational names spanning over almost one hundred years. Some of the fathers served as military chaplains are buried beneath military stones, the same as their military brethren.

Elsewhere at St. Andrew's Cemetery are the final resting places of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a Roman Catholic Order for women. In Thunder Bay they were responsible for the founding of St. Joseph's Hospital and its operations for many years. As they, like the priests above, have given their lives over into service in the name of the church they have been provided for, even unto death. The community of St. Joseph has seen enough members reach their eternal reward that they can be found in two different plots at the cemetery.

The Conmee family has their final resting place at St. Andrew's. Their most famous son was James Conmee who was a Shuniah councilor, Mayor of Port Arthur, MLA for Algoma West, and MP for Thunder Bay and Rainy River.

The large cross bears the stylized IHS - the first three greek letters of the name of Jesus interpreted as "Jesus Hominum Salvatore" or "Jesus Savior of Mankind". This was incorrect but the usage has stuck and is synonymous with its usage.

James Whalen was the president of many companies concerned with the harbour of Port Arthur including Western Dry Dock and Ship Building, Canadian Towing and Wrecking, Whalen Pulp and Paper, Great Lakes Dredging, Thunder Bay Harbour Improvements.

He is also the namesake of the James Whalen Building, Port Arthur's original skyscraper.

The Silles family owned a 500 acres farm in 1872 in the local area. Governor John Boulton Silles was the chief constable.

The Silles family also have a number of streets named after them in the Victoria and Redwood Park areas.

The Squitti family, immigrated to Thunder Bay around the turn of the century, owned and operated a number of establishments along Bay and Secord Street including a specialty department and grocery store.

Their delivery van is still a common sight on the streets of Thunder Bay.

St. Andrew's Cemetery, like Riverside, has an area devoted to the untimely deaths of children. Again, many of the stones feature lambs or cherubs for their association with innocence.

In St. Andrew's Cemetery, standing at the corner of Oliver Road and Balmoral Avenue is a memorial to the unborn.

Put up by the Knights of Columbus as a form of protest against abortion.

St. Andrew's Cemetery is also the final resting place for many of the immigrants who have made Thunder Bay what it is today. Many of these new arrivals found solace and strength through their connection to their churches.

Austrian

French

Italian

Polish

Slovenian

Yugoslavian

Some stones tell little about the history of the person they mark while others give an entire life's story. Some tell of family, while other make note of some important or distinguishing part of their life.

Mary Ann was born in 1854, the same year that the Crimean War began, the United States forced Japan to open itself to the West, and the Suez Canal was opened.

The Colosimo family is well known in the city music scene. The Colosimo School of Music used to stage concerts featuring children's orchestras of 50 to 100 students. Raymond Colosimo was a well known local accordian player.

Edmond Jean Marie Rault died at the end of the First World War while serving as an Enseigne De Vaisseau (Ship-Of-The-Line Ensign) in either the Canadian or French navies (both use the same rank names). His french heritage is commemorated by the Fleur-de-Lis on his stone. The stone itself was erected by the Citizens of Port Arthur, a possible indication that the Edmond died in service of the French Navy and not eligible for Canadian recognition. It might also indicate that the Rault Family was too poor to provide its own stone.

Hundreds of former residents of Port Arthur and Fort William have been buried with military honours beneath military stones. Second Lieutenant Piotr Grzegoruzyk is unique in that his stone is not from a branch of the Canadian Military but rather from the Polish Army, whom he served with during the Second World War during the liberation of Continental Europe.

An interesting feature of the Catholic Cemeteries of Thunder Bay is the large collection of mausoleums which cluster on the periphery of the ground.

Although St. Andrews sits on a lot of limited size, expansion is constantly taking place, making room for new grave sites.

In the recent past the Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay ordered the construction of the Our Lady of Charity Mausoleum, allowing for the internment of cremated remains in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The mausoleum features a large foyer and a bright airy interior for quiet contemplation.

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St. Andrew's Cemetery