Laurel outlook., 1950-01-11

Square butte near the Saltwater
, Yellowstone county line, or which
is located the oldest known GENE
terry of general use in the early
days of settlement of this part OF
the Yellowstone valley, was con.
veyed by easement deed last week
from the state of Montana to the
Park City Cemetery association.
The document, signed by Gov. John
Bonner and other state officers, in
cludes a r~ight-Of-way for a road to
connect the almost forgotten Gene
terry with U. S. highway 10. At
least nine persons I buried there.
~Old-timers, the sons and daughters
of pioneers, say they are confident
that others whose names have be-
come lost in the shadows of mem
DRY rest there also.
The cemetery was never plated
of known record. Its use as a bur-
ial place evidently began about
1882, though an earlier date may
be correct. 1t is but a short dis
lance west of the butte, a natural
monument and land mark, and its
site may have been selected be-
cause it being high and dry.
Those known by the old-timers
as still reposing there are Mrs. J. H.
Hough, buried in November 1882;
c. I. Walker, September 1888; Mil
ton Herbert, 1883; Chauncy Ames
and Joseph TAFT, both killed by In
dians at the battle of Hailstone
basin north of the present town of
Rapelje, February 1884; M. g.
(Red) Carlton, 1888; Mrs. ]. E.
Bassett and infant daughter,
spring of 1884; and Samuel F. Mil
Ter, date unknown.
Park City was settled in 1882. +
years later-just when is not
rememberedHa new ceme-
terry was started southwest of the
bownsite on land purchased for
hat purpose by the settlers and
'ther early residents. From time
o time, covering several years, a
.ew remains that had been buried
n the original cemetery near the
were moved to the new Gene ]
cry for reinterment; the others
we're not.
A year or more ago three Park
;ity men, j. L. Keefer, F. r.
and j. w. Corwin, decided
hat something should be done to
reserve the old burying ground
nd restore it to the memory of
he living. They were aided by B.
:. Price of Laurel, an attorney who
interested in the project a
nd prepared the papers for sub t
Mission to the governor and the t
land board at Helena. AS r
he old cemetery is on land that =
ecame the states after the fed '
raj government surveyed Mon I
ana, 1t was necessary'to apply to t
ne land board for transfer. of title.
board made the transfer at a s
leeting Dec. ID, an action that y
as approved by the governor. n
'receding this there had been sew r
trips to Helena by the men s
lterested in the project. v
1t was thought best to vest the t
tie in the Park City Cemetery a
Ssociation, which operates the
-metery that was established f
'me time after the settlement of v
ark City. 1t is a corporate body T
'r which provision is made by e
ate law and is therefore of a per
anent nature. r.
Part of the preliminaries involv- I
a precise description of the
act, G.. w. Fenton of LAUREL
e son of a pioneer family, assist
in the surveying work and other
referred to him. With
eefer, Brown, Corwin, Price and
enton cooperating, the old ceme- pl
ry became an intercommmity m
oJect. Last summer, before title nc
d been granted by the state, they =
closed the area and seeded it to ~
ested w~heatgrass, a plant that ia
es we'll on unirrigated land, so
at the cemetery would be always M
cen. They decided that an ap- of
oprlate name would be Pioneer W
metery, a title accurately de- M
sh
summer a stranger passing nj
rough Park City in an automo- gu
e stopped at a filling station and I'M
Iuired about the location of the
cemetery. He said his sister ne
been buried there many years fo1
o and he wished to visit her Es
ave. Unfortunately the attend an
/ of whom he inquired was not Sc
Iuainted with local history and
s unable to tell him the location Br
to direct him to one who knew. Sol
e stranger, an elderly man, must is
We been a small boy when his tn,
ter died. Nj
the work Of acquiring TO,