Historic Sites of Manitoba: Old Baie St. Paul Cemetery (RM of St. Francois Xavier)

This cemetery in the Rural Municipality of St. Francois Xavier commemorates cleric Georges Antoine Belcourt (1803-1874) who established the agricultural mission of St. Paul on the Assiniboine River near here where, for 15 years, he lived among local Aboriginal people. His fluency in the Saulteaux language enabled him to become their confidant and advisor.

A commemorative plaque for Father Belcourt was erected here by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba. A fieldstone cairn is flanked by two grave markers, one for Joseph Chenier (1878) and the other for William Roderick Chisholm (1878). Four small cairns, at the corners of the site, commemorate local farm families: Allard, Desjardins, Fleury, and Leclerc.

Belcourt memorial monument (October 2010) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Belcourt memorial monument and two grave markers (April 2024) Source: Jordan Sawatzky Belcourt commemorative plaque (April 2024) Source: Jordan Sawatzky Allard family commemorative cairn (September 2024) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.015713, W97.745285 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Georges Antoine Belcourt (1803-1874)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba / Manitoba Heritage Council

Sources:

Georges-Antoine Belcourt, Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques

We thank Shirley Christianson and Jordan Sawatzky for providing information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 September 2024

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