This small cemetery in the Rural Municipality of Dufferin is situated near the former site of the Metis community of Ilets de Bois. Hunters arrived in the area during the early 1800s and a permanent settlement was established in the 1830s. The first baptism occurred, in 1837, was of a child named Elzear by Father Charles Poire. This site was the burial grounds for the community, containing over 100 unmarked graves.
A log school was built across the road from this site, at 21-7-5W, moved to 30-7-5W in 1894. In 1870, a log church was built here and the parish became known as St. Daniel. In 1899, the church was relocated to 24-7-6W and a new cemetery was established. A commemorative cairn at the site of Ilets de Bois [spelled on a plaque as “Isles des Bois”] lists the surnames of Metis families who formerly lived here, most having been displaced over time by settlers from Ontario who began to arrive in the 1880s and 1890s. A stone grave marker commemorates Natalie Olive Houde, wife of Thomas Daily, who died on 1 June 1899.
Ilets de Bois Cemetery (October 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Grave markers in Ilets de Bois Cemetery (July 2020)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.57652, W98.08546
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Daniel Cemetery (RM of Dufferin)
The Confrontations at Rivière aux Ilets-de-Bois by Alan B. McCullough
Manitoba History, Number 67, Winter 2012
A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society, including a searchable online database available to members at the MGS Manitoba Name Index (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.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 June 2023
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