At the most eastern end of səmiq̓ʷəʔelə is the serene, 3.6-acre Riverview Hospital Cemetery. Tucked away from the activity of site facilities and life, many are unaware it is here.
səmiq̓ʷəʔelə (suh-mEE-kwuh EL-uh) means the place of the Great Blue Heron. It is a name from the Salish family of languages given to 244 acres of the former Riverview grounds by the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation) in 2021.
Riverview Hospital Cemetery opened in January 1958 and was in use, as needed, until about 2006.
Prior to 1958, those who died at Riverview were buried at the Coquitlam Cemetery (now the Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery) or in the cemetery at the former Provincial Hospital for the Insane (later known as Woodlands.) in New Westminster.
Not much is known about the Riverview Hospital Cemetery. As it is part of the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə site co-managers kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation) and BC Housing are eager to gather historical information to help better understand the cemetery and honour the souls buried here. The future planning of the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə lands is in process, and an undisputed part of the future vision is that səmiq̓ʷəʔelə be a place of healing. Honouring those interred here is an important piece of that goal.
We know that 1,085 people are buried here.
Not all are former Riverview patients. Some are relatives of patients, and some are former staff members. At one time site housing was available for some staff and their families, making Riverview a home to more than just the patients.
This cemetery also interred some deceased residents of the former Woodlands School in New Westminster. Woodland’s own cemetery closed the year that the Riverview’s opened. By that time, Woodlands primarily operated as a residential school for intellectually disabled children and youth. It likely also still housed young runaways, wards of the province and ‘problematic youth’ for another decade or so.
Some families chose to have their loved one’s bodies moved back to their home communities throughout BC. Not all patients had families involved in their lives, however. And not all families had the money needed to bring the deceased home.
No new interments are permitted today.
The last interment was Jane Doe, likely on April 4, 2012. Her skeleton had been used for teaching purposes at the former Riverview. She was laid to rest just prior to the facility’s official closing in July 2012.
To log this Virtual:
1. Find Jane Doe’s burial marker and message the CO with the date of her death.
The coordinates provided for this Virtual are at her marked stone.
2. Attach an image to your cache log of yourself or your geocaching name(trackable,name
tag, piece of paperwith your name on it etc.) at the Riverview Cemetery to prove your visit here.
Site and Resident Safety - səmiq̓ʷəʔelə Rules and Regulations
Please help us maintain səmiq̓ʷəʔelə and respect those who use it.
- Visitors are welcome to the site from 6am to 9pm, seven days a week, year-round. Public access is not permitted outside these hours.
- 24-hour security patrol and CCTV monitoring are in place.
- The site is considered an area of high archeological potential – no soil disturbance is allowed without a permit.
- Pets must always be leashed and are not permitted within the cemetery grounds.
- Smoking, fireworks and alcohol are strictly prohibited.
- Be respectful and don't disrupt other users, tenants, visitors or residents.
- Unauthorized building access will be treated as trespassing and reported to the RCMP as a break & enter.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.