The first homestead recorded in Arizona was on May 21, 1882.

In January of 1892, the Municipality of North Norfolk purchased two acres of land in the NW corner of the NE quarter of 29-10-12(-W1) from the Manitoba Government for the Sidney and Arizona districts to be used as a cemetery. The first burial was made in July of that year of Mrs. Cowley of the Arizona district.

The spruce trees around the cemetery were planted in 1911 by N. McDougal, J. Thorn, and Jack Brown.

Some of the caretakers over the years were: N. McDougal, D. Stephenson, Lyle Ruth Jr., James McPherson Sr. and Jr. The [then] present-day caretaker [was] Miss Mary McPherson.

The pre-1950 records are unavailable, so some of the grave sites are unknown.

(Sources: Footsteps in the Sand - A History of the Sidney District, p 39 and Arizona 1882 - 1982, p 2 [Adapted])

Established in 1892.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society)

Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD15-29-10-12-W1

In the Rural Municipality of North Norfolk

As noted above, a part of the area's story and those of its inhabitants from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1993 is told in the volumes "Footsteps in the Sand - A History of the Sidney District" and "Arizona 1882 - 1982", especially on the cited pages.

Free digital versions of these 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 #0132), transcribed by a member or members in 1980 and updated in 1992. 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).