Some early burials in the community were performed in the nearby Birtle Cemetery (Old).

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Prior to 1876, the Birdtail was no more than the name of a stream which had its source in the Riding Mountains, cut a deep valley for about fifty miles and emptied its waters into the Assiniboine a few miles east of the then historic Fort Ellice.

Following purchase of the Hudson Bay Company's rights to British territory northwest from Lake Superior to the Rocky Mountains by the Dominion of Canada, the postage stamp province of Manitoba was formed. It's western boundary approximated midway between the 99th and 100th meridians in the vicinity of present towns of Carberry and Neepawa. Surveying was vigorousiy pressed and by 1876 base and correction lines had been run to points west of the Little Saskatchewan River followed closely by section subdivisional surveys wherever the onward tide of settlement demanded.

Trend of settlement in the 70's on opening of the Dawson Road from Port Arthur to the Red River followed the main trails to various Hudson Bay posts. Wherever the lay of the land looked suitable, bands of these pioneer settlers located. Gladstone and Arden Ridge, first called Palestine, was so colonized. Another early band squatted along headwaters of the Little Saskatchewan. Other families scattering located on the Beautiful Plains at Rapid City and a couple at Shoal Lake Narrows.

In 1876, the 4th, 5th, and 6th base lines and 4th. and 5th correction lines were surveyed to what is now Manitoba's western boundary, and Townships 15 and 16 sub-sectioned to the west limit of Range 26. Surveyors at both classes of work accompanied their maps with glowing description of the fine rolling, timbered and prairie lands covered. Members of survey parties sent glowing accounts of miles of plowable lands waiting for people, to their people in the east. Section surveyors pictured the areas, now Decker, Isabella and Beulah, which they blocked into mile squares, as a real promised land. The main Winnipeg-Edmonton Trail crossing of the Birdtail got a double share of boosting. It's sparkling waters, famous spring and camping grounds, was heralded by both base line and sectioning parties, the river crossing and spring being only a short distance from a base iron stake which was that season's limit for section survey.

The following year, 1877, reports of 300 picked young men from all parts of the eastern provinces, who had gone west, and were popularly known as Scarlet Riders of the Plains, confirmed the surveyors glowing field notes. Some 30 of these Mounted Police had headquarters at Shoal Lake Narrows, a relay post for the government mail express service from Fort Garry to the distant Forts McLeod and Edmonton, and intermediate trading posts.

Michigan lumber camps were over-supplied and their surplus men began moving to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Coast forests. All the choice districts of Bruce and Grey Counties had been located on and railway surveyors reported a continuous rocky territory beginning at Ottawa and Muskoka and extending a thousand miles along the north border of the Great Lakes.

The Dawson Road provided an all-Canadian route of river, lake and portages from Port Arthur to Lake Winnipeg. A few hundred families had been assisted by the federal government to reach the prairies by this route. They selected farms over a scattered area, in clusters from the United States boundary to Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba and a hundred miles westward from the Red River. Their reports of prairie farming were more glowing that that of the land surveyors and Scarlet Riders.

The first bunch of actual home seekers of 1879 arrived on May 7th. Messrs. Leech and Stewart selected 18-17-26[-W1], did not enter for it, got word the transcontinental route was changed to cross the Assiniboine at Grand Valley. Leech and Stewart prospected at Oak Lake. J. H. Wood, Hubert Wood, Chambers, Waldock, Kerr, Shepherd, Dutton and Anderson arrived at Birdtail on May 18th. Mr. Wood at once located Section 6-17-26[-W1] as a colony townsite, at main trail crossing of Birdtail, where a light wooden bridge had just been finished by the Mounted Police, being about centre of said section, close to the famous spring and camping ground. Other settler parties included Sheriff Adams, B. Battram, Hugh Fry, Alex and James Hay, J. B. Cartmell and son Herb at the main crossing; Todds, Taits and Dow at Pelly Crossing; Ross, McDonalds, Pedens, Hamiltons further up; with Sleigh, Finch, Geo Wakefield, Plant and others at the creek sources, arrived and located farms and ranches, mostly as squatters, awaiting surveys which were being actively pushed.

(Source: Birtle's Beginning, p 3, pp 8f [1967; Adapted])

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Some years after settling into their new homes, the people of the town began to give thought to their place in the larger world. By 1883, a movement had begun which ended in the incorporation of the Town of Birtle in 1884. The early years were marked by rapid change and development. Birtle's first Mayor, John S. Crawford, and his councils were active in seeking industry and securing rail service for the town. They were involved in arranging for immigrants, and established medical, educational and commercial services. These years saw the coming of the railroad and the development of various commercial endeavors. In the first year the town established a Normal School, a fire brigade, a public cemetery; and procured grounds for the Agricultural Society.

(Source: A View of the Birdtail - A History of the Municipality of Birtle, p 50 [1970; Adapted])

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Established in 1882.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society [Adapted])

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD03-05-17-26-W1 (also denoted as Lot 4, Plan 7155)

In the Municipality of Prairie View

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As noted above, a part of the community's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1970 is told in the volumes "Birtle's Beginning", and the later work entitled "A View of the Birdtail - A History of the Municipality of Birtle".

Free digital versions of these and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0686), transcribed by a member or members in 1898 and updated in 1992. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).