GIBSONS, BC

Compared to many of its modern day counterparts, Gibsons’s Pioneer Cemetery is a decidedly spooky place. Located in an isolated mountainside forest, it conjures up images of something from a B-grade horror movie. Sometimes referred to as “Boot Hill” by locals, this small internment plot nestled at the base of Mount Elphinstone is the final resting spot of generations of the town’s founding families, with many of the graves dating back to the early years of the 20^th century. The shoddy maintenance of the old graveyard only adds to its eeriness, with many of the headstones damaged and grass choked. Slicing through the secluded plots is a trail continuing up the mountain. 

With something of a mental image established, let’s get to the stories about the place. There’s long been talk among locals of old Boot Hill being haunted. But is it? Or are the stories below just a lot of small town hype? You decide. 

1

A young man in his late-teens decided to hike up to the old cemetery and take some pictures. Later that evening, while looking at the images he’d captured on his computer, he claimed many of them contained unusual light anomalies, what many describe as “orbs.”

That same night, while alone in his upstairs apartment, he heard a knock at his front door. Getting up to open it, he was surprised to see nobody there. The apartment was located in the back of a private residence, accessible only by an exterior staircase with a dozen or so stairs. It offered a wide view of the driveway. There was no one.

2

A woman and her daughters decided to take an impromptu hike up to the cemetery late one night for fun. Thrills fulfilled, they navigated back down the pitch black trail to their car with their phone lights. Partway down the path they suddenly got they got the distinct impression someone was following them from behind. Already on edge, they began to run. Right before reaching the trailhead, the woman turned and hastily snapped a picture.

Later, while viewing the image, not only were there several orb like light anomalies in the image, the camera also caught something resembling a skeletal face. 

3

Two men took a walk up to the secluded cemetery to crush a couple beers. After consuming their drinks, they started back down the path to their car, only to meet two police officers waiting for them. Thinking they were going to get busted, one of the cops asked the pair if they’d heard any screams coming from the surroundiung woods, as they’d gotten a report and were there to check it out. The men had in fact heard what sounded like faint yelling far up in the trees and, somewhat relieved, promptly reported it.  

4

The last story is one I, the author, can confirm, as I witnessed it personally. 

It was a bright Sunday morning in the spring and my mom and I decided to walk up to the old graveyard.

As we made our way back down the path, alone in bright sunshine, a pebble suddenly flew out of the bushes on our left and struck my mom on the ankle. It came out parallel and only about a foot off the ground. The foliage it came from was open and easily visible, with nothing but a few salmon berry bushes. If anybody was in there, we would’ve seen them. There was no one there but us. It didn’t hit her hard, serving only to rattle the both of us. It was strange and more than a little unsettling.

On a side note, one thing I can personally attest to about the place from the times I’ve visited, is how eerily quiet it is. All the forest sounds from the path: birds, wind, etc., seem to stop the moment you step foot into the cemetery proper. Cliché as it may sound, there’s no other way to describe it. 

So, is there anything to these stories?

Light “anomalies” like orbs have all sorts of rational explanations. There are people rumoured to live off grid in the surrounding forests of the mountain. Could one of them have been the screamer? The follower down that darkened path? Or was fear enough of a motivator for those three women to simply imagine it? How do you explain the rock that came out of nowhere? 

Is Gibsons Pioneer Cemetery actually haunted? Hard to tell. Maybe you ought to go up and see for yourself . . .