What began as a tribute to Trail’s founding father, Eugene Sayre Topping—better known as Colonel Topping—soon evolved into a much deeper story.
Sarah Benson-Lord, manager of the Trail Museum and Archives, wrote a heartfelt feature for Trail Blazer’s Father’s Day issue in June.
While Colonel Topping’s role as Trail’s founding father has been well documented, Benson-Lord unearthed a lesser-known and intriguing chapter of his personal life.
Her piece delved into Topping’s complex social history, including his marriage to Mary Jane, the former wife of his business partner Frank Hanna, and his subsequent transition into stepfatherhood.
During her research, Benson-Lord discovered that Colonel Topping, Mary Jane, and daughter Estella share a burial plot in Victoria’s picturesque Ross Bay Cemetery.
Yet it was a revelation about their final resting place that truly captured her attention — and her determination.
Despite Topping’s pivotal role in Trail’s history, his grave had remained unmarked since his death in 1917.
A simple stake in a stretch of green lawn was the only indication of the family’s presence.
“After learning their plot was unmarked, it gutted me,” Benson-Lord shares.
Determined to address this long-overlooked omission, she set out to give the Toppings the recognition they deserved.
And, as it turns out, the journey that followed was nothing short of kismet.
Benson-Lord first reached out to Clark’s Funeral Services in Trail for guidance.
Clark’s connected her with Stewart Monumental Works, a company in Victoria that specializes in gravestones.
Choosing a grave marker was a thoughtful and symbolic process for Benson-Lord.
“I was very selective in the colour,” she says. “I could have gone with black or a darker tone, but I chose copper.
“It reflects the red outcrop that Joe Moris and Joe Bourgeois first saw on the Dewdney Trail, leading them to stake their claim at Red Mountain,” she adds.
“That copper is what initially drew people here. The colour choice was my homage to that history.”
Selecting the words for the marker was just as deliberate.
“I wanted the inscriptions to reflect what I hoped they would have appreciated,” she explains.
The marker now honours Eugene Sayre Topping as “Prospector and Pioneer,” Mary Jane Topping as “Entrepreneur and Matriarch,” and Estella Hanna Bamford as the “Youngest Daughter of Mary Jane Topping and Frank Hanna.”
With decisions made, Benson-Lord approached Trail city council and successfully secured $5,000 to fund the project.
Clark’s Funeral Services coordinated the installation with Stewart Monumental Works and the City of Victoria’s parks department.
Within days, the gravestone was in place — a swift conclusion to a long-overdue tribute.
“The whole process was remarkably efficient,” Benson-Lord reflects.
At the bottom of the marker, the words “With Respect and Gratitude” bring closure to this piece of Trail’s history.
“Many people helped build this city after Topping, but his intuition and initiative were the starting point,” Benson-Lord reflects. “We’re here because he took a chance on a couple of miners, and that decision laid the foundation for Trail.”
For Benson-Lord, the project was deeply personal.
“I couldn’t rest knowing their gravesite had gone unmarked for over a century,” she says.
Now, with the marker in place, a chapter of Trail’s past is finally complete — one rooted in respect, gratitude, and a renewed appreciation for the pioneers who built the city.
