a small piece of Sacramento Historic City Cemetery.

I took a trip with Kathy and Patti, to the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, where we spent the whole day driving through (yes, driving, the cemetery covers approximately 44 acres!), taking pictures till our batteries were exhausted and our cards were stuffed, all the while "oohing" and "aahing" over every single thing in there. The cemetery is beautiful beyond words. But before my battery took it's last breath, I found a plot with a statue in it that I immediately fell in love with, and snapped a couple shots. It was only after catching a piece of a show on PBS that I learned the history of the people resting there, and I fell in love all over again. After some research on the internet, I found the clip of that show on YouTube, and figured that they would sum it up better than I could, and besides, the Cemetery wants to add it's own plug too right? The whole cemetery is practically run on volunteer manpower! So here it is:



This Cemetery is one of those places everyone should visit. The art, architecture, history, combined with so many cultural influences, makes this a place anyone could appreciate. There are sections devoted to Military, Masons, Firemen, Politicians......Among their 25,000 plus residents, they have Civil War Veterans, the burials of hundreds of deaths due to the 1850 Cholera Epidemic, Donner Party Survivors and probably their most famous resident, John Sutter.

Tombstone Tuesday

This was a really cool marker for John W. Rock. Unfortunately I could not find any info as to who he was or what he did to be able to afford such a beautiful piece. Either way I thought it was worthy of being posted.

Wordless Wednesday

Sacramento Historic Cemetery (Old City Cemetery)

Sacramento Historic Cemetery also known as The Old City Cemetery was established in 1849 with it's first 10 acres being donated by Captain John Sutter. Among the first burials were some 600 victims of the 1850 cholera epidemic. This epidemic was sparked by a passenger on a ship called the "New World", a ship docked at the wharf, when he emerged and suddenly collapsed. In less than 3 weeks cholera took the lives of close to 1000 people and eventually over 3000 people. Many of them were buried in mass graves at what was once called Helvetia Cemetery, however due to heavy flooding many of the burials were reinterred at Old City Cemetery and are now believed to be under the military graves. In all 40 doctors worked on cholera victims during this crisis and 17 gave their lives as a result. In 1957 a plaque was erected in their honor by the Sacramento El Dorado Medical Society Historical Committee. Today the cemetery spans some 44 acres and houses some 25000 burials. It is known for it's historic rose garden and for being home to several California pioneers. Found within you can also the Odd Fellows Cemetery and the Masonic Lawn Cemetery. The grounds are well kept and tours can be arranged or you can take the self tour. After having been there I'd say planning your trip and sections you'd like to visit is advisable. There is no way you can cover this cemetery with just one day so I'll have to take another trip out to gather more information. I would like to close this post with the anomalous mushroom I found growing on the spikes of an iron gate. At first I thought somebody had placed it there on purpose. But after taking a closer look I noticed it had been there for quite some time and the surrounding plants had begin to grow through it. Definitely an interesting find.

Tombstone Tuesday

I have a long day tomorrow so I wanted to get this up in case I didn't have time in the morning. Yes I realize it's only Monday. This is from Franklin Cemetery again. I find wooden markers interesting. Most of the time they don't stand up to the years upon years of rain and sun. But still there stands a reminder of someone that once was...

Franklin Cemetery Franklin, CA

Franklin California? We have one? Really? I had never heard of Franklin, CA until yesterday. I was going to take a trip to Sacramento's Historic Cemetery, which I did. So I decided to do a little research before I left and this cemetery caught my eye. I love those little hole in the wall places which is why I decided I would pay it a visit on my way home. Franklin, CA is located just south of the city of Elk Grove on a country road...well as country as we get in California anyway. Upon arrival I thought to myself, no biggie, it looks like this is going to be uneventful. Boy was I wrong.After walking around taking random pictures and looking for something out of the ordinary. I came across the grave of Alexander Hamilton Willard. Willard is said to be the last surviving member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Around 1800 he was recruited to the Corps of Discovery by Captain Amos Stoddart's artillery company. He served as a blacksmith, hunter and gunsmith. On July 12, 1804 Willard received the worst punishment ever given to anyone of the Corps of Discovery the Courts Martial on the Trail. Together with John Colter and George Shannon, Willard was assigned to look for Baker Bay, some whites at a trading post or with a ship. After finding nothing, Willard and Shannon decided to allow Colter to return with news to the main camp. As they slept, a group of Native Americans stole their rifles. As the main party returned the Native Americans were frightened and immediately returned the rifles. For this offense Willard was charged with "lying down and sleeping on his post whilst a sentinel". A capital crime under the "rules and articles of war" punishable by death. Willard agreed that he had laid down while on post but disagreed that he was sleeping. The judge saw otherwise, and luckily for Willard he was not sentenced to death but to 100 lashes divided up into 4 consecutive nights. This was a way of increasing his punishment. Six months after returning home from the expedition, Willard married Eleanor McDonald and went on to father 12 children with her. And through Clark, Willard was able to find work as a blacksmith serving several Native American tribes. He also served Clark in the War of 1812 acting as a courier. In 1852 Willard made the trip from Missouri to California. This trip was difficult for people half his age. A testament to a tough pioneer. Willard settled in Franklin a stagecoach stop en route to Stockton, CA where he was believed to still be a blacksmith. Willard lived to the ripe old age of 87 and finally breathed his last breath March 6, 1865.