About Historic Elmwood Cemetery

On March 8th, 1902, Grace Eveline Lemon, a nine-month-old infant, was the first person to be interred at Elmwood Cemetery.

To many Winnipeggers in earlier times, a visit to Elmwood Cemetery meant a day in the country. It was not unusual for people to enjoy picnics and family outings on the cemetery grounds after paying their respects at the graveside.

Since 1999, Elmwood Cemetery has been owned and operated by The Friends of Elmwood Cemetery Inc., a non-profit organization. The Friends have established the Elmwood Cemetery Perpetual Care Endowment Fund through the Winnipeg Foundation to ensure the cemetery’s long-term care.

In 2002, two sisters, whose parents and husbands are buried in the cemetery, established a large endowment fund with the Winnipeg Foundation for the benefit of Elmwood Cemetery in appreciation of what The Friends have achieved at the cemetery. The annual interest helps with the restoration and maintenance.

The rows of memorials and headstones in this 38 acre historic site mirror Winnipeg’s history — distinguished community leaders and ordinary folk, pioneers and their ancestors, settlers and new Canadians. Punctuating the park-like setting are rows of simple uniform markers where soldiers lay, the veterans of world wars. Elmwood Cemetery truly reflects the many faces of the City. All graves have remained intact over the years, even those closest to the riverbank. The riverbank stabilization project at the Cemetery is described in a story reprinted from the Winnipeg Free Press on January 19, 2005.

The cemetery is being restored to its original dignity and grace by The Friends of Elmwood Cemetery Inc., new owners who have established a high standard of long-term care of the cemetery grounds.