Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Cemetery - Castlegar District, British Columbia

Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Doukhobor Cemetery - Castlegar District, British Columbia

The following is a transcription of the Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Cemetery located 5 kilometres south of Castlegar, British Columbia. Land location: Sub-lot 26, District Lot 4598, Kootenay District Plan X-34. Latitude: 49° 13.420. Longitude: 117° 40.419. Transcribed by Lawrna S. Myers and Pat Picton on September 19, 2002. Updated March 7, 2005 with William Kavaloff.

View of the cemetery plaque and gate. Photo courtesy Greg Nesteroff.

Historical Background

Blagodatnoye Cemetery was established in 1912 by the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood ("CCUB") to serve the Blagodatnoye settlement area. Located along Champion Creek, it also came to be known as Champion Creek Doukhobor Cemetery. After the demise of the CCUB in 1937-1939, the cemetery continued to be used by its successor organization, the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ ("USCC") until the 1970's. It is no longer in active use. The cemetery is privately owned and maintained by the USCC Cemetery Association. It was restored in 2000.

Layout

The cemetery is approximately two acres in size and is enclosed by a wire fence with a single iron gate. It is partially wooded. The cemetery contains approximately 120 interments in a single section comprised of nine rows facing east-west. The majority of graves (108) have no marker and the mounds have been leveled. Some mounds are marked by piles of rock. We have used death registrations to identify 52 unmarked graves. The remaining 56 or so unmarked graves are unidentified. With respect to graves with markers, the markers are typically plain slate, marble or concrete upright headstones or flat markers set flush to the ground. Click here for an online cemetery map.

Driving Directions

To access the cemetery, travel south from Castlegar on Highway No. 3 towards Salmo. Turn right at Columbia Road and continue for approximately 1 km (.6 mile). Turn left at Prairie Road and continue for approximately 3 km (1.9 mile) to the end of the pavement, then continue for approximately 2 km (1.2 mile) to the locked gate. (Note that the road is paved for a several kilometres before turning into a dirt road. The road parallels the river, heading towards Trail). Once at the locked gate, continue on foot for approximately 2 km (1.2 mile). Where the road splits, continue along the lower road to the right which ends in front of the cemetery entrance. The cemetery is on private property and permission to access should be obtained by the owners.

Transcription

Surname	Name	Birth Date	Death Date	Comments

Androsoff	Andrew S.	Oct 1871	Jul 12, 1963	No Marker
Androsoff	Avdotia	Apr 10, 1884	Jun 19, 1958	Nee Swetlikoff - No Marker

Bulanoff	Andrew	1869		No Marker
Bulanoff	Daria	1869		Wife of Andrew - No Marker

Chernenkoff	Lukeria P.	1866		Wife of Nickolai - No Marker
Chernenkoff	Nickolai P.	1865		No Marker

Fofanoff	Anuta P.	Jul 1894	May 17, 1968	Nee Popoff - No Marker
Fofanoff	Pete P.	Jul 21, 1891	May 29, 1854	No Marker
Fofanoff	William P.	Sep 30, 1922	Dec 20, 1944	No Marker
Fofonoff	Petro			No Marker
Fofonoff	Mrs. Petro			Wife of Petro - No Marker

Kalesnikoff	Mary	Jul 14, 1937	Jul 3, 1944	Child of Peter - No Marker
Kalesnikoff	Molly	Jul 23, 1870	Sep 24, 1941	Wife of William - No Marker
Kalesnikoff	William J.	1871	Apr 23, 1943	No Marker
Kavaloff	Andrew J.	1871	Sep 9, 1943
Kavaloff	Barbara	Apr 15, 1950	Feb 9, 1951	Child of William
Kavaloff	Dora J.	1870	1926	Nee Reibin - Wife of Andrew

Malikoff	Stephan S.	Abt. 1863	1914	No Marker
Malikoff	Stephan	Abt. 1845		No Marker

Ozeroff	William P.	1856	Nov 19, 1949	No Marker
Ozeroff	Mary			Wife of William - No Marker

Popoff	Alyosha		Apr 18, 1952	No Marker
Popoff	Hanya	Apr 28, 1875	Apr 26, 1942	Nee Malikoff - No Marker
Popoff	Malanya		1918	Child of Alex - No Marker
Popoff	Peter A.	Apr 21, 1942	Jan 26, 1949	Child of Alex - No Marker
Postnikoff	Agafia	1882	Sep 11, 1957	Wife of Larry
Postnikoff	Alex	1911	1971
Postnikoff	Annie	Bef. 1926	Aft. 1928	Child of Alkokim - No Marker
Postnikoff	Dunya	1884	1936	Nee Zibin - No Marker
Postnikoff	Elsie			Child of Aldokim - No Marker
Postnikoff	F.V.	Jun 15, 1902	Aug 1, 1954
Postnikoff	Harry	Oct 9, 1947	Dec 7, 1949	Child of Sam - No Marker
Postnikoff	Johnny	Bef. 1924	Bef. 1928	Child of Aldokim - No Marker
Postnikoff	Larry J.	Jun 10, 1879	Apr 28, 1966	No Marker
Postnikoff	Luba			Child of Aldokim - No Marker
Postnikoff	Martha M.	1862		Nee Bloodoff - No Marker
Postnikoff	Mary	1864	Sep 1, 1949	Nee Perehudoff - No Marker
Postnikoff	Molly		Feb 5, 1932	Child of Andrew - No Marker
Postnikoff	Natasha	Bef. 1927	Bef. 1928	Child of Aldokim - No Marker
Postnikoff	Pete A.	Apr 10, 1914	Jun 2, 1933	Child of Andrew - No Marker
Postnikoff	William P.	Dec 10, 1896	Jul 25, 1955
Postnikoff	William J.	Apr 2, 1866	Apr 3, 1953	No Marker
Postnikoff	Zachari	Abt. 1863		No Marker

Reibin	John S.	1846	1920
Reibin	Mary J.	1849	1921	Nee Shukin - Wife of John
Repin	Katrina	May 5, 1878	Apr 11, 1955	Nee Zbitneff - No Marker

Semenoff	Charles R.	Mar 22, 1936	May 9, 1936	Child of John - No Marker
Sofonoff	Alex J.	Apr 8, 1919	Oct 31, 1945
Sofonoff	Mikisha	1870		No Marker
Sofonoff	Polly J.	Aug 1, 1871	Oct 10, 1943	Nee Nechvolodoff - No Marker
Stoopnikoff	Margaret			Child of Joe - No Marker

Zeboroff	Fanny			Wife of John - No Marker
Zeboroff	Fred E.	Nov 25, 1898	Dec 31, 1969
Zeboroff	Grace	Sep 12, 1938	Jun 18, 1944	Child of Fred - No Marker
Zeboroff	John	Abt. 1838	Aug 12, 1928	No Marker
Zeboroff	John	Jan 1, 1912	Apr 27, 1972	No Marker
Zeboroff	Mary	Apr 28, 1940	Sep 1, 1940	Child of Fred - No Marker
Zeboroff	Pearl	Apr 12, 1887	Jul 10, 1960	Nee Gritchen - No Marker
Zeboroff	Pete W.	Oct 1, 1908	Feb 5, 1957	No Marker
Zeboroff	William I.	Jun 1, 1886	Jun 12, 1966	No Marker

View of the cemetery from the west facing east. Note it is partially wooded.

View of the cemetery plaque at gate.

Notes

Various sources of data have been used in compiling this information, including: marker transcriptions, oral tradition and death registrations. This is a work in progress. If readers have any comments, corrections or additions with respect to Champion Creek (Blagodatnoye) Cemetery, please contact: Lawrna S. Myers.