Welcome to the third article in our series about cemeteries. At this point, you must be wondering why we love exploring cemeteries every chance we get. We strongly believe that a community's history lies within its cemetery walls. Here you can learn the names of the first settlers, the results of conflicts, and the arrival of new cultures and beliefs.
From an early age, we learn the appropriate ways to honor the memory of our loved ones and those who have passed away. We will be introduced to our culture's rituals and proper burial procedures, and will place our beloved turtles, hamsters, parakeets, ducks, cats, dogs and guinea pigs in safe and appropriate environments. We placed rocks, stones, grass, etc. on the graves and used sticks as crosses. As adults, we feel comfortable wandering through cemeteries, soaking up the history, looking for variations on burial rituals, and reading the signs.
The first two articles cover Pierce, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Weaver, Fort McDowell Yavapai Indian Nation, Oracle, Clifton, Texas Canyon, Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Marana, Arizona, Young, Klondike, Kayenta, Magee Ranch, Sopoli Ranch, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Historic District, Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery in Prescott, Quartzsite in Scottsdale, and Taliesin West. Here are some other “huge libraries of stories” you might enjoy exploring.
Gate to Boothill Cemetery
boothill cemetery, Also known as Old Town Cemetery, this cemetery is located north of Allen Street in Tombstone. This small hillside cemetery was used from 1878 to 1884 and contains approximately 250 graves.
When the new city cemetery was built, this small cemetery fell into disrepair. After much research and community effort, this historic cemetery is now open to the public. It was a burial ground for people of all nationalities and cultures. aristocrats and outlaws. We have strolled through this location several times and love taking visitors to this historic cemetery.
Stroll through this legendary cemetery and discover grave markers for former slaves, an adjacent Jewish cemetery, burial grounds for miners, sheriffs, outlaws, and nostalgic names, including three killed in the shootout at the OK Corral. I did.
We also took pictures of witty grave markers such as 'Here lies Lester Moore – Four slugs that fell off the A44 – No more – No more.' This is a great place to spend time photographing pieces of Western history and gathering information about the people buried in this historic cemetery.
Josephine Hughes' grave in Evergreen Cemetery
evergreen cemetery, Located on North Oracle Road in Tucson, this museum is a great adventure for history buffs. We explored this cemetery in his April 2014 and found some very interesting graves. Sam Hughes (one of the first people to settle in Arizona, founder of the Arizona Pioneer Historical Society and influential in the development of Tucson), Larcena Pennington Page (member), Virginia Cullin Roberts Thomas Jeffords (Cochise's friend and blood brother), Lewis Hughes (former Arizona governor and founder of the Arizona Daily Star), Josephine Hughes (founder of Arizona WCTU, also known as the Mother of Methodism) and many others. For those interested in gathering historical information about the site, the office has maps available to help explorers locate the graves. Guided tours of this historic cemetery are also available.
Cook Memorial Church in Sacaton
In April 2017, we headed to the town of Sacaton, the capital of the Gila River Indian Community. Our goal is to explore Cook Memorial Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This impressive structure on Church Street was built in 1918 and named for missionary Charles Cook, who founded his mission to Pima in 1870.
When we visited the site, the architecturally impressive building was boarded up and in need of repairs. We have since learned that the huge Spanish-style church burned down in 2019. Near the church we found the C.H. Cooke Memorial Church Cemetery, Matthew B. Huang, Colonel James Patton Perkins, Franklin Cooke, and Annie Cooke.
Additional information — as is CH Cooke Memorial Church Cemetery In Sacaton, I discovered the Matthew B. Huang/Ira H. Hayes Veterans Memorial Park on West Casablanca Street. This memorial commemorates Matthew Huang, the first Native American killed in World War I and buried in Arlington National Cemetery, and Ira Hayes, who participated in the flag raising at Iwo Jima in 1945 .
Tomb of Thomas Jeffords. He was a blood brother of Cochise.
We were impressed by the beauty and tranquility of this memorial park. Fences, green lawns, benches for those who want to sit and tour, a large stone obelisk in the center, sculptures, a monument to Native American women veterans, and an impressive tiled building. Iwo Jima monument etc. A place of honor.
Henry Wickenburg Pioneer Cemetery
of Henry Wickenburg Pioneer Cemetery, The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on North Adams Street in Wickenburg. This privately owned small cemetery is perched on a hill, offering spectacular views of the surrounding area. In this cemetery we found the burial place of Henry Wickenburg, the prospector who discovered his one of the largest gold mines in the United States, the Vulture Mine.
While strolling through the cemetery, I also found the graves of Henry Cowell (first mayor of Wickenburg), James Chase (original member of the Walker party), and three other friends of Henry Wickenburg.
hardy building, located along Route 95, is currently registered as a ghost town in Arizona. In its heyday, this river community of about 20 people served as a freight depot and provided ferry service to those crossing the Colorado River. Today, Hardeeville Cemetery is all that remains in town.
Hardeeville Cemetery
The bodies of Hardeeville residents were buried on a hill overlooking Route 95. At the entrance to the cemetery there is a metal sign with the names of the 12 people buried. Today, only a pile of stones marks the location of the grave. When we visited in October 2016, there were no grave markers to be found in this gravel cemetery, which is now within the boundaries of Bullhead City.
Hardeeville Cemetery
Papago ParkLocated on North Galvin Parkway, it is a 1,400-acre municipal park within the boundaries of Phoenix and Tempe. We have visited and enjoyed this beautiful desert park many times. We spent some quiet time sitting on the shores of several small lakes, surrounded by tall palm trees, red sandstone rock formations, green grass by the water, reeds in the lake, and a World Heritage-listed hole.・I took many photos of In the Rock, etc. archaeological site.
Hunt's Tomb at Papago Park
Benches are strategically placed in every area of the park for visitors to sit, relax, and enjoy. During our visit to this park, we discovered a pyramid structure atop one of the desert hills. We headed to the White Pyramid and discovered the tomb of Arizona's first governor, George Wiley Paul Hunt. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and there are markers identifying all the people buried at the site. Near the burial site there are benches for those who wish to sit and meditate or simply enjoy the stunning views of the city of Phoenix.
Bonita, a small unincorporated community located along Route 266 at the foot of Mount Graham, is currently listed as a ghost town in Arizona. This small community includes historic buildings, a ranch, and an elementary school founded in 1900.
Bonita cemetery grave marker
In 2016, we photographed historic buildings and explored Bonita Cemetery, located on a dirt road east of the town center. The cemetery was close to the road and easy to find. The small, well-kept cemetery is lined with tombstones of many of the founding families. This is the burial place of local blacksmith Frank Cahill. He was reportedly the first person killed by Billy the Kid/Henry McCarty.
alto
alto This Arizona ghost town is located east of Tubac in the Santa Rita Mountains and is accessed by a narrow, rugged dirt road. The area has a long history of silver mining, begun by Jesuit missionaries in the 1690s. A mining camp was established in 1875, but establishing the town was a long and arduous process.
The town is currently uninhabited. We visited the site in April 2015 and discovered the ruins of an adobe house with some of the walls still standing. He also found one grave with mining waste on the side of the mountain, partially covered by overgrown vegetation. We explored the area that day but found no additional graves.
For now, this will be my last post about Arizona cemeteries. These three articles will help adventurers (like you) grab your camera, pack a lunch, find a map (or GPS), ask a friend to come with you, and more. I have tried to include sites that I would like to spend an afternoon wandering around. Arizona residents who came to this beautiful state before we arrived.
In case you did not find any interesting sites to motivate you, here are other burial sites that we visited but were not included in the article. Arivaca, Continental, Helvetia, Rancho de la Osa Sasabe's Ranch Cemetery, Tucson's San Xavier Mission, Tucson's Old Fort Lowell Cemetery, Yuma's Semi-Prison Cemetery, Pantano Station (one grave), 1800's Calabasas Historic Cemeteries in Amado, Canelo, Harshaw, Nogales, Tubac, Tumacacoli National Historical Park, Crown King, Black Oak Cemetery in Dewey-Humboldt, Evergreen Cemetery in Bisbee, Holy Trinity Cemetery in St. David, Sunset, Agua Caliente Pioneer Cemetery, chloride.
When we decided to write an article (it ended up being 3 articles!), we went through our list of places we've explored and searched for all the photos of Arizona. We were so proud of ourselves! We've explored her 54 burial sites in this beloved state. Some were large cemeteries, others were isolated graves in mining towns, others were small cemeteries in abandoned ranches, and every once in a while, I would find one solitary grave.
One day, out of curiosity, we decided to research the estimated number of burial grounds in Arizona. To my complete surprise, the Arizona Pioneer Cemetery Association verified and listed 711 known burial sites in Arizona. I think it's better to stay busy.
We hope you'll find our vast library of favorite stories to inspire you to explore more of this beautiful, diverse, and historic state.
