I’ve traveled to Yosemite National Park at least a dozen times in my life, always enjoying each visit, but it was not until this year that I discovered it had a small historic cemetery in it. The overview photo of the cemetery shown below provided last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. It was recognized by the George G — good detective work, as always!
Yosemite Cemetery (also known as Pioneer Cemetery) is located in Yosemite Village, near the Yosemite Museum. It’s quite secluded and peaceful, shaded by cedars and surrounded by a low split-rail fence. The graves were originally scattered throughout the park but after President Lincoln signed the bill creating Yosemite National Park into law, the remains were collected into this small cemetery.
It’s interesting to stroll through and read the grave markers for people who died here, many of whom played important roles in the development of Yosemite National Park. Some of the graves also belong to early park visitors and Native Americans. Of course there’s a back-story for most of them.
(Effie was the daughter of the sheriff of Mariposa County)
(Mr. Glynn was a currier and war veteran)
One of those buried here is Galen Clark, a National Park Ranger. When Yosemite became a National Park there was no National Park Service and the US Army was in charge of its security. Mr. Clark was the first civilian ranger of Yosemite. He had been a sickly young man but lived to the ripe age of 96.
The names of many individuals lying here were not known when they died and they’re only identified by signs like, ‘A Boy”.
The grave markers range from simple to quite elaborate. Here’s some of those I photographed as I wandered through the cemetery during my visit, with a little added history as photo legends.
(Mr. Lamon was the first person to build a cabin in Yosemite in 1862)
(Mr. May was a carpenter who worked at Black’s Hotel near the base of Four Mile Trail)
(Mr. Glasscook was a manager of one of the park’s hotels)
(Mr. Anderson was a Scotsman and the first man to scale Half Dome)
(Mr. Hutchings was from England — a gifted writer who shared in words the beauty of Yosemite)
(Sadie Schaeffer was waitress at one of the park’s hotels)
(Chief Ranger who died of a heart attack in 1943)
