Boundry Cemetery Project
Boundary
Coordinates: S.35;T.40N;R.9E
Description: Boundary is a community on Silesia Creek on the international boundary between the U.S. and Canada, twelve miles north of Mt. Shuksan, in Whatcom County.
Boundary Coordinates: S.9;T.40N;R.41E
Description: Boundary was once a town on the Columbia River a mile south of the Canadian boundary nine miles northeast of Northport in northeast Stevens County. Founded during the 1889-90 mining boom, it became prosperous during the building of Spokane Falls & Northern Railway in 1892-93. It had a population of 1,200, with dance halls, saloons, a gambling house, and a hostess house. When railroad building terminated, the town folded. Most of the population moved to Rossland, British Columbia. By 1904, there remained one family, a store and the post office. It was named for its proximity to the Canadian boundary. The town of New Boundary which replaced it on the same location, took its name from the old town. Waneta
Coordinates: S.17;T.9N;R.23E
Description: Waneta is a small settlement three and a half miles north of Mabton in southeast Yakima County. It was named in 1901 for Waneta Harader, daughter of J. Ward Harader, a local settler. On some maps, it is spelled Wanita, Wanetta, or Juanita. An earlier name was Sage Valley.
Copy of letter sent to US Customs
February 27 2006
33643 highway 97
Orville, WA
98844
Dear Sir
Rick Barthule gave me your name and address and suggested that I contact you.
My name is Lee Helle and I'm a member of the Northport Historical Society and we have a unusual request to make concerning Boundary Burials cemetery which is beside the road about a 1/2 mile from the Waneta Border crossing. The cemetery is overgrown with brush and for all appearances has not been taken care of since the last burial (1895)
Our group is interested in restoring the cemetery or at least cleaning out the underbrush. At present their are only two standing headstones, however I'm sure that more headstones that have fallen over will be found when cleanup is started.
A search through Steven County records show that the cemetery is on government land, which means we have to get legal permission from someone before we can do anything. Can you give this permission or perhaps point us in the right direction?
Thank You
Lee Helle
PO Box 237
Northport, WA
99157
Note: a few days later verbly permission was gave by the head of US Customs for the Northport area
Update 2009
A team hired by Homeland security has cleared a larger area and is in the process to determine how many gravesites are in this location. There is even some talk of putting up a fence
