Split asunder – what a fate for the historic hawthorn planted late in the 18th century by the family of John and Anne Muir of Woodside Farm. Our photos show the magnificent scarlet hawthorn in all its glory in the summer of 2014, followed by the scene captured last week by Adele Lewis after the storm left devastation in its wake. The terrific windstorm split the tree, with the major portion lying fractured alongside the graves in the historic Muir cemetery on Maple Avenue.
It was in 1875 that the first Muir burial took place here, as a funeral cortege left Woodside Farm on West Coast Road. The coffin of matriarch Ann Miller Muir was drawn to this wooded site on the Muir lands as she left her farm home for the last time.
The stone which you can still see at her grave was carved by Jonas Throup, the stonemason whose home stood on the waterfront scene that lies close by Sooke Elementary School, and where you can view a large construction project underway today.
Eight years later, in 1883, John Muir Sr. was carried to lie in rest next to his wife Ann, and over the succeeding years, many descendants and their relations in the Welsh family have been placed to join them at this historic site. The last burial to take place here was Emma Welsh, wife of William Welsh, which took place in 1969.
Through the ravages of the years and changing times, the cemetery became neglected and overgrown with alders, wild blackberry vines and more. It was late in the 20th century that the combined efforts of the Sooke Lions Club, the Sooke Community Association and many generous supporters, helped the Sooke Region Historical Society to purchase the land and restore the cemetery, enabling dignity and respect to come back to this historic enclave in the woods.
In 2012, during Wendal Milne’s term as mayor of Sooke, the historical society turned this heritage gift over to the District of Sooke. The quiet riverside setting has enjoyed a period of respect in the years since, and we are sorry to see this blow to one of the most historic trees in Sooke, as time and nature take their toll.
Elida Peers is the historian with Sooke Region Museum.
