| Pioneer Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1863 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 43°36′39″N 116°11′22″W / 43.61083°N 116.18944°W |
| No. of graves | 1,796 marked graves |
| Website | Official website |
| Find a Grave | Pioneer Cemetery |
Boise Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery in Boise, Idaho.
History
editIn 1863, it came into use as an unsactioned pioneer cemetery, and remains Boise's oldest cemetery to be in continuous use. The earliest recorded burial was Carrie Logan, who died Aug. 22, 1864 on the Camas Prairie, aged five years, 11 months and five days. Hers is the oldest discernable marker in the cemetery.
Ada County records indicate that in 1868, a local businessman, Michael Keppler obtained a Federal Land Grant Patent for 120 acres that today includes the cemetery. Keppler subsequently sold the land to John Krall, a local business proprietor, in February of 1869.
A small section of the property continued to be used as a public burial ground until 1872 when Krall sold a 5-acre plot to two notable Lodges – the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for the use of the members and their families. Following the purchase of these 5 acres, Ada County Surveyor P.W. Bell completed a plat map dated October 1, 1872, allocating separate areas of the cemetery to each lodge. This arrangement remained in force for the next 48 years with the two lodges splitting expenses for maintenance.
Increasing costs and the popularity of the newer Morris Hill Cemetery, established in 1882 to accommodate Boise’s expanding population, rendered the cost of operating the cemetery untenable. The Odd Fellows deeded their section to the City of Boise officially on June 1, 1920 and has been maintained by the city since.
For decades, the cemetery fell into a derelict state. A fence constructed by the lodges vanished, and headstones were subject to theft and vandalism. As part of a centennial project in 1990, the Boise Metro Rotary Club and the Parks and Recreation Department jointly worked to restore the cemetery, install new fencing and establish an interpretive park area outside the cemetery.
The cemetery contains 1,796 marked graves, but it is the resting place of many more, as many graves are unmarked or were formerly marked with headstones that were made of insubstantial materials like wood, or otherwise lost to time. Deaths were not recorded in Idaho until after the dawn of the 20th century, and obituaries and death notices were often not published in newspapers.
Notable interments
editThe cemetery is the resting place of eleven former Boise mayors, eight Ada County sheriffs, and five past governors – Edward A. Stevenson, George L. Shoup, Frank W. Hunt, Robert E. Smylie, and Cecil D. Andrus.
The cemetery also contains a memorial to the fallen men of the American Civil War which was erected on May 30, 1896, by Phil Sheridan Women's Relief Corps. It was unveiled on May 9, 1896, and cost $137.[1]
References
edit- ^ "Pioneer Cemetery". Retrieved 15 August 2023.
External links
editBoise Pioneer Cemetery at Find a Grave