In this cemetery at Gimli, designated in 2007 by the Rural Municipality of Gimli as a municipal heritage site, is a monument commemorating victims of a smallpox epidemic in 1876-1877. Over six months all but 11 homesteads were infected by the disease. Many settlers were disfigured, 102 died, mostly children and the young. The pioneers buried their dead on their homesteads, in this cemetery, or in cemeteries at Nes on the Icelandic River or at Husavik.
This is the first Icelandic cemetery established in Manitoba and the oldest Icelandic public cemetery in Canada.
Gimli Icelandic Pioneer Cemetery (September 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Gimli Icelandic Pioneer Cemetery (August 2020)
Source: George Penner
Smallpox commemorative monument in the Gimli Icelandic Pioneer Cemetery (November 2020)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.63919, W96.99466
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
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 Peter McClure, Rose Kuzina, and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 May 2022
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
