When I came to the Valley 1939, the work of St. Faiths Mission Churches was already in full swing. Margeurite Fowler and her helpers were already holding services in Dunkinville Hall. There was a good-sized congregation, everyone was welcome, no matter what race, creed or religion.

Back to St. Francis church Dunkinville: Even in 1939 there was talk of building a small church. A committee was formed consisting of William Gillespie Sr., George Hodgson Sr., Harry Bond, John Hay, Ted Day, A. Boucher, Mr. L. Lawrenson and many others assisted.

It was decided to build a church and to call it St. Francis after "St. Francis of Assissi". The first thing was to acquire a piece of land, so Harry Bond donated enough on which to build a church and also a chunk of land for a cemetery. The cemetery was dedicated at the same time as the church by the Anglican Bishop of Brandon, but it a non denominational cemetery go we always received a municipal grant, each year towards its upkeep.

-- Submitted by Mrs. Frances Gillespie

(Source: Tent Town 1898-1979 - A History of Minitonas and District, p 83 [1979; Adapted])

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Established in 1941.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society)

The vacant church building was still present and densely encroached by trees at the time of a 2012 site visit. It was gone by late 2016. The associated cemetery is still well-maintained. A commemorative monument was erected nearby in 2004.

(Source: Manitoba Historical Society [Adapted])

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD12-05-37-24-W1

In the Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman

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As noted above, a part of the community's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1979 is told in the volume "Tent Town 1898-1979 - A History of Minitonas and District", especially starting on the cited page. A free digital version of this and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0346), transcribed by a member or members in NNNN and updated in NNNN. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).

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Additionally, many records for Anglican congregations in Manitoba and over part of the territory designated historically as "Rupert's Land" (esp, as bounded on the south by the U.S. border, extending north into the Manitoba Interlake Region past Fairford, with the western boundary reaching into the Pembina Hills and includes Portage la Prairie, eastward the diocese stretches to Sioux Lookout/Atikokan) are now with the Diocese of Rupert's Land and are kept in their offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.