He was a mining mogul and described by some as having no fear. He was also the man who buried his friend’s wife three times in two caskets and with four funerals. Born in Ontario in 1838, Robert Stevenson led a life of extraordinary exploits.
Word of gold brought Stevenson to British Columbia with his father in 1859. Before he found his way to the Granite Creek gold rush, he prospected in the Cariboo where he met his friend, John Cameron (nicknamed “Cariboo” Cameron). While mining at Williams Creek, Cameron’s wife Margaret died of mountain fever. It was 1862 and Cameron asked Stevenson to look after the funeral arrangements.
Two coffins were constructed. The inner was tin, and the outer made of wood. Mrs. Cameron was placed inside the tin coffin with her head resting on her plaid shawl. Her body was taken to a cabin (funeral one) where she remained until 1863.
Cameron offered to pay $12 per day plus a $2,000 bonus to anyone who would help transport her body to Victoria. Due to a smallpox outbreak, no one volunteered. Stevenson offered to help for free. On January 31, the coffin was “bound in strong canvas and strapped firmly to a toboggan and fifty pounds of gold dust tied on the top of the coffin, which made it top heavy.” The 600-mile trip was cold and treacherous.
Upon their arrival in Victoria, Stevenson was instructed by the undertaker to fill the coffin with alcohol. Robert said the coffin held 25 gallons of 95 above proof alcohol. Mrs. Cameron was then interred beside her baby who had died one year before (funeral two, burial one).
In October 1863, Cameron decided to move his wife and baby to Ontario where Mrs. Cameron was born. Weighing about 500 pounds, the coffin, alcohol and bodies, accompanied by Stevenson, travelled by steamer through Panama to their destination in Cornwall, Ontario for funeral number three and burial number two.
Rumours spread that Mrs. Cameron was not dead and had been sold to an Indian Chief for gold. The gold was said to be hidden in the coffin for transport. Outraged, Cameron, with Stevenson’s help, exhumed his wife’s body and opened the caskets. The alcohol spilled out and Mrs. Cameron’s family and friends, recognizing the shawl, confirmed the bodies to be Mrs. Cameron and her baby. The bodies were then moved to Salem United Church Cemetery where they remain (funeral four, burial three).
Stevenson returned to British Columbia and in 1877 married Caroline Williams. Caroline was a trained school teacher from Ontario. They had four children and owned 399 acres in Chilliwack. Robert preferred prospecting to farming and often left Mrs. Stevenson on her own with the children.
Stevenson appeared in Granite Creek in the early days of the gold rush. He owned numerous claims in the area and in 1895 had a blacksmith shop in the town. It seemed Robert had his hand in many ventures including hydraulic mining and road building. His life was one of adventure. In 1922 (two years after his wife) Robert Stevenson passed away. He is interred in Chilliwack with Caroline in their family plot under a magnificent marker.
