The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-11-14
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
THE CEMETERIES OF THE PIo-
NEERs OF THE WEST.
The Missouri River and the santa ne.
Oregon and Pixies Peak Trails
Tho First Five Historic
Cemeteries.


Denver Cor. OF the Globe Democrat
The cemetery-the necessary. but last
adjunct to the organization OF n civil
lied COMMUNICATIONS In the wake
OF immigration and empire No
monuments mark the last resting place
OF those buried In the first five great
cemeteries OF the great west They
are in the region OF nameless. unknown
graves.
These FIVE historic cemeteries. where
thousands from the East and South
died aud FIJI unknown graves. are the
Missouri River. and the Santa Fe,
Oregon. California and Pixies Peak
trails. The transalleghaney and later
the transmississippi pioneers followed.
There was no prairie farming. and
hence the term backwoodsman. 1t
was kind OF Yankee trick in the
West in later years 10 leave the forest
and begin blowing the prairies and
save tho time that had hitherto been
used in log rolling and clearing the
river bottoms for agriculture. The
early trappers, hunters and fur deal
ers followed up the Missouri River and
its tributaries. Only with great diff
Guilty could a corpse be concealed from
wolves and coyotes, the latter animals
always having been known as the hy-
ena OF the piairs country. Hence.
many an old hunter when far from the
border land OF civilization, has buried
his pardh in the Missouri River.
Landsman and plainsman with sea-
mems burial-a watery grave! The
body wrapped in blanket--when the
blanket could be spared and tied To
rocks and powders. was lowered from
the drifting canoo into the big Mud
dy." as that river is commonly known
in the Wcst Many an old hunter and
trapper has been buried in the mighty,
rushing waters OF the great Western
river. even as the faithful followers OF
DeSoto lowered his rcma rs into the
bosom OF the Mississippi.
When IL was necessary or conven-
lent 10 bury the dead on land tho
greatest prccaution was taken TO pro-
tect the body from wolves and coyotes
which were specially dangerous and
ravenous when OF the trail OF the buff
falo. Rocks and largo pieces Of tim
Der were placed on the newly-made
grave but often these hyenai OF the
plains could be seen scratching and
growing AT this debris before tho
comrades OF the dead man were out o!
sight With these facts so well known
il is not strange that many in those
IN Vltf 1nxY httt al Ia. Ia.
rivers 10 tina, OF the land 1t seems
almost paradoxical TO thus find in the
old trapper some OF the instincts and
traditions OF the sailor Fur out on
the plains cactus was often put In the
grave just over tho corpse as Il pro-
lection against tho wolves and coyotes.
The earlier expeditions starting from
81 Louis went up the Mississippi u
few miles TO the mouth OF the Missouri
river, and then followed tho latter
stream. For some timo the Old
Boone's Lick country now known as
Howard county, Missouri and Old
Franklin were the frontier commercial
head. The town OF Old Franklin.
where was the original terminus OF
son was only an apprentice TO "A sad
der and harness-maker. is now at the
bottom OF the Missouri river. for there
n current OF seven miles an hour has
cut away the old town site
Many thousands persisted on tho
old-time trails 10 Santa Fe. the Rocky
Mountains and tho Pacific Goa l. Ex-
- l,f L.. 4
massacre were the dangers the immi-
grants had TO face. Many OF their
graves werc marked with slabs, but
the inscription was soon efTaced. These
graves are rs unknown In the great
ocean OF plain, prairie ana mountain
rs though the pioneer dead had been
buried mt sea.
With the opening OF tho Western
trails for wagons "A large number were
buried In boxes made from rude pieces
OF lumber. or sometimes part OF the
sideboard OF the wagon was utilized
for that purpose. Tho earlier oxpe-
ditions were on horseback. md hence
at that time the best that could be
done would be 10 roll the body In d
blanket. Only those in the last who
have seen burial at sea- although
they may never have been on tho
plains can realize the sadness aul
dosolation OF those who left their
friends In the namcless graves OF tho
old-time American desert Many of
the babies lived that were born on the
California and Oregon traits. but the
saddcst OF all was whom the pioneer
mother and babe were added 20 the
thousands OF nnmelcss graves. The
death couch was pile of straw and n
few blankets in an old freight wagon.
II the angels hover over the dying
there mover could have been a more