The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought thousands of travelers to the Oregon Trail. These '49'ers endured Indian raids, drought, and the scarcity of water, prairie fires, and many hardships along the trail. Some were buried along the east side of the Vermillion River near the Vieux Cemetery. A diary entry for May of 1849 by David Dewolf mentions six or seven graves on the banks of the Vermillion.
Later diaries mention more graves.
Over the years as many as fifty may have been buried here, each grave was marked with a large slab of limestone, the name and burial date carved on some stones.