Back Bay Cemetery, the original cemetery in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, is located on Back Bay, a section of Yellowknife Bay on Great Slave Lake. The first recorded burial here was on September 27, 1938, following the death of Art McIntyre who committed suicide because of his fear of working underground.[1] Between 1938 and 1946, when the cemetery was closed and relocated, over 40 people were buried here. Continual erosion of a nearby creek bank has damaged and exposed many graves. The site is designated a City of Yellowknife Heritage Site.[2] By late 2014, the site had fallen into even greater disrepair and was in need of proper maintenance.[3]

Back Bay Cemetery
Two parallel rows of three white crosses, one at left and one in the centre, on a mostly dirt terrain covered with autumn leaf litter. The background is dominated by trees with dark yellow leaves, and one leafless bush with a dark trunks is at left behind the first cross.
Map
Details
Location
CountryCanada
Coordinates62°28′09″N 114°21′45″W / 62.4691°N 114.3626°W / 62.4691; -114.3626
No. of graves~35
Find a GraveBack Bay Cemetery
Back Bay Cemetery - Head Stone 1942
Back Bay Cemetery in the fall
Back Bay Cemetery in the fall

References

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  1. ^ Art McIntyre Buried Tuesday, The Prospector newspaper, Sept. 28, 1938
  2. ^ Back Bay Cemetery a snapshot of Yellowknife's history, Northern News Services Limited, Feb. 27, 2008
  3. ^ Rendell, Mark (October 27, 2014). "Bones cropping up, fences falling over: Back Bay Cemetery needs maintenance".
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