Tombstone 1873

Finished a boundary survey yesterday that offered a nice local history treat. Near the west end of the 80-acre tract was a very pronounced knob. As a local history buff, I knew what very few know about the place. That knob was acquired in the early 1870's by a cemetery association as there was no other cemetery established nearby as the area had only been open for legal settlement since 1865. However, within a few years, the cemetery association purchased a different site four miles further to the southeast which is still in active use today. Most of the coffins were dug up and moved to the new site. Rumor had it that some weren't moved.

While chatting with the landowner, I pointed towards the knob and said, "Anyone still up there?" He said, "Yup. But, just one. Go have a look. He's right on top close to the tree."

Sure enough, there he was. The tombstone was laying flat and had been broken. Someone had attempted to patch it resulting in most of the name being destroyed. Yet we could make out his death date as January 1, 1873 and his age as being so many years, so many months and so many days. "I know my Redeemer liveth" was clear as a bell near the bottom.

Within a sixty-foot radius of his grave we could identify roughly 15 distinction depressions approximately the size of graves.

The view from the knob was great. Probably 10 miles to the southeast, south and south west. More like seven miles to the west and northwest. Five miles are so to the north, northeast and east. It was easy to picture a member of the Osage Tribe atop his horse searching the horizon in his role as sentry during the period 1795 to 1865.