This cemetery was first used as a burial ground for workers who died during the construction of the canal including 10 members of the Royal Sappers and Miners. Unfortunately, the names of the civilian workers are unknown because the wooden grave markers were lost over time.
This photo shows a portion of the 1.5 km channel that was excavated to link Upper Rideau Lake with Newboro Lake. It turned out to be one of the most difficult challenges in the construction of the canal. The problem: granite. Every meter had to be hand-drilled, packed with black powder and detonated. The rumble was hauled away with wheelbarrows and carts and the hole- drilling would start again. Several civilian contractors went bankrupt in their attempts to do the work. Death and injury from blasting accidents were commonplace and the area was plagued with outbreaks of malaria every summer.
