BC Spirit Quest #31: Lillooet Traditional Cache
BC Spirit Quest #31: Lillooet
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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There is no need to go through the cemetery to get this cache. Go around the right side of the cemetery and follow the small "trail" that starts at the clearing. Wear appropriate footwear or you might get pricked by a cactus.
This geocache is the 31st in the BC Spirit Quest - a series of caches dedicated to the Pioneers of BC.
Each cache is hidden NEAR BUT NEVER IN a cemetery of historical significance. Much can be learned from visiting and showing respect to our predecessors. Feel free to post information found or photos of interesting stones or other features in the cemetery.
The Town:
Lillooet played a large part in helping to settle the population throughout the heartland and northern BC during the famed gold rush of the late 1800's. Founded as Mile 0 on the wagon road leading to the Cariboo and Barkerville gold fields, Lillooet was a child of the Gold Rush, like so many Cariboo towns. Serving as a terminus for boat routes across Harrison and Anderson Lakes, at the start of the first Cariboo Road, the town had swelled to almost 15,000 residents within twenty years of its founding.
The Cemetery:
Perched on a hilltop, the cemetery features a nice view of the Fraser River to the south. The District of Lillooet municipal cemetery was established as a Cemetery on March 2, 1938, but was utilized long before then, with the oldest grave dating back to 1887. The Lillooet Cemetery is the final resting place of Dr. Masajiro Miyazaki.
The Pioneers:
Rural Canadian Doctor and Philanthropist. Dr. Miyazaki immigrated to Canada at the age of 14, graduated from high school in 1921, from UBC in 1925 and from the Kirkeville College of Osteopathy in 1929. He set up practice in Vancouver in 1930, remaining there until the outbreak of WWII. In 1942 he relocated to Bridge River to serve as doctor to the Japanese population interned there. In 1945 Artie Phair of Lillooet made application to have Dr. Miyazaki remain after the war. Dr. Miyazaki covered the country on horseback, railway speeder, rowboat and on foot. There were few roads and fewer vehicles capable of traversing them so babies were delivered at home and operations performed on kitchen tables. Dr. Miyazaki was active in Lillooet's affairs - a charter member of the Elks, an active member of the United Church, founder of Lillooet's first ambulance service and involved in the formation of the Volunteer Fire Department. In 1970 he received the Governor General's Medal of Merit for his work with the Boy Scouts, he was made a Freeman of Lillooet (the village's highest honour given for distinguished service to the community) and was invested into the Order of Canada in 1977. In 1983 the College of Physicians and Surgeons gave him an honorary membership in recognition of his long and distinguished service to Canada.
The Cache:
Park in the parking lot in front of the church. Facing the cemetery, turn to your right and walk to the far side of the cemetery to find the trail that goes behind the cemetery. This trail will take you to the cache location.
The trail is a little worn in sections so watch your footing on the way to the cache location
THE RULES:
1. Be sensitive that this cemetery is an historic site. The cache is located outside the cemetery.
2. Leave the area better than you found it. CITO.
3. Help create a good reputation for Geocaching so that we can continue to use these interesting locations.
This cache was added to the series with legacypac's consent. Never hide a cache in any cemetery without specific permission from the land manager. Thank-you and enjoy the history of Lillooet Cemetery.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
onfr bs cbfg
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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