Who's buried in this mystery grave in Whitehorse? Local historian has a guess

MurrayLundbergloves a good historical mystery, and he's on the trail of one that's literally just been uncovered.

The amateur historian wants to figure out who is buried in alarge, unmarkedgrave that's been foundin Whitehorse's Pioneer Cemetery.

"We had no idea that there was a grave there it was just a bare piece of flat grass with trees around it,"Lundbergrecalled.

"And all ofa sudden when the ground-sensing radar survey was done last winter, they found that there was something substantial there."

Hundreds of unidentified and unmarked graves were identified last year, as part of an ongoing project to refurbish the cemetery. This newly discovered, "substantial" grave was physically uncovered last week, revealing what appears to be a double grave, perhaps the largest in the cemetery and itsconcrete vault.

"It was ... possibly a couple, anddefinitely someone of substantial means," he said.

There's evidence that two headstones may have once been mounted on the concrete, but those are nowhere to be found. There are no other identifying markers.

An educated guess

Lundberg has already been poringthrough historical documents, including a 1989 bookof "lost graves" of the Yukon, and he's come up with a guess of who was laid to rest in the large grave Otto and Kate Partridge.

The Partridgesarebest remembered in Yukon as the homesteaders who built Ben-My-Chree a century ago on Tagish Lake. Ben-My-Chreebecame a renowned and idyllic retreat for the social elite of the 1920s including U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt who'd travel down the lake by steamship to be hosted bythe Partridges.

"They're one of the many really important people in Whitehorse's past that we don't know where they are. They're in the Pioneer Cemetery, somewhere," Lundbergsaid.

Lundberg thinks the Partridges would have been rich enoughand enjoyed enough renownto occupy a large grave like the one that's been uncovered.

There's also another tell a tree root growing over one corner of the concrete grave. The tree dates to about 1940, so the grave's been there at least since then.

OttoPartridgedied in June 1930, and Kate died the following January.

More work to do

"I've got a lotmore work to do, this is an initial look right now," Lundbergsaid.

He admits he might never be able to confirm his hunch, but he's going to try.

"It's hard to say where it's going to go right now.It may just beone of these days, serendipity I'll just come across the right document."

Ian Robertson, who was lead consultant on the cemetery refurbishment project, says he'd love to see more people get involved to help identify some of the other unmarked graves.

He knows it's unlikely that all of them couldbe identified the historical records are just too spotty.

"In this day and age, with all the computers and technology and all that, there are people out there who do this, and we might get a surprise. But it's a bit of a long shot," Robertson said.

"Anything between 50 and 75 per cent would be a significant achievement."

With files from Tara McCarthy