Isolated and Individual Gravesites – Sherman County, Oregon History

Compiled by Sherry (Woods) Kaseberg
Isolated & Individual Gravesites, 1965 Survey with Notes.

We are mindful that these solitary gravesites are on private land, and most are unmarked by stone or fence. No trespassing, please!

SITE KEY

Surname	Name	Notes
Allen	Child	Child of railroad section hand; buried E of Wasco in the hamlet of Klondike near the grain elevator as it existed in 2003; T1N, R18E, Section 7; no gravestone found, reportedly in the possession of a local family by 1996. [Gordon Hilderbrand]
Allphin	Francis Marion	F.M. Allphin was among those who died in the terrible winter of 1861-1862. By the time his remains were found in March it was necessary to bury him on the spot, location unknown, estimated to be between 6 and 14 miles from the John Day River or 24 miles from the Deschutes River mouth, or six miles from the “road.” No gravestone. [Interview with F.M. Allphin’s 97-year-old widow by Leslie M. Haskin for the WPA 1930s or 1940s, Brownsville Historical Museum, Brownsville, OR; Elizabeth Lord, Reminiscences of Oregon; Albany Democrat, December 2, 1926, Impressions and Observations of the Journal Man; Albany Democrat, February 4, 1941; Giles L. French, The Golden Land; Lenora Whiteman, Vancouver, WA 2004; Anita (Kenny) Drake, SC:FTR; Salem Statesman, Salem, OR 14 April 1862; Albany Democrat, Albany, OR 14 February 1941; The Dalles Weekly Mountaineer, The Dalles, OR 9 April 1862]
______	_____ 22 men	Terrible Winter of 1861-1862: 22 men died between the John Day and Deschutes Rivers; one man found June 1863 at the mouth of the John Day River. [Emigrants to Oregon 1845 compiled by Stephenie Flora; Washington Statesman, Walla Walla, WA 8 February 1862; Manuscript of Carson C. Masiker; and sources shown above.] Washington Statesman, Walla Walla, WA 8 February 1862 “From Below The following letter from Mr. J. James to Mr. Charles Getzler of Tracy & Co., brings melancholy intelligence of the passengers who left this place on the stage of the 5th ult. for the Dalles: “JOHN DAY’S RIVER Jan. 17, 1862 On last Monday morning, Messrs. Moody, Doc. Gay, Mr. Aulphin and a man they called Pat, left us at the John Day House, to go on foot to the Deschutes. On Wednesday the rest of us started, with six horses, to get the express below. After four hour’s hard work we got to the top of the John Day hill, with three horses and the express, when the horses gave out and could go no farther, as they would sink to their bellies in the snow. Men would go ahead to break the snow; but it was no use. I was advised to turn back, as I could not reach the station that day – distance 18 miles. It was then 12 o’clock, and I turned back with two of the passengers, and reached Scott’s house that night, with both of my feet frozen; but I soaked them in ice-water as soon as I arrived, which helped them considerably. Others had their ears frozen, and I have seen a great many with their feet badly frozen. Now comes the worst: last night a party arrived at John Day’s river, from Deschutes, and told our driver, who was down there, that two of the party who first started out, namely, Marion Aulphin and Pat had frozen to death; and also that the last named party, Messrs. Jagger, Wellington, Mulky, Niles, Jeffries, McDonald, Glover and two others whose names I do not know, had lost the road and they did not know what had become of them. Everyone here thinks they have frozen to death, as the night was the coldest ever known here, but it may be that they turned from the road to some wood to camp by the night. I wanted Mr. Jagger to stay with me; but he thought he could make the station tonight. “Tomorrow I will make another start. There is no food on the road for horses; so we start with eleven horses for the Deschuttes. I have had a hard time since leaving you. Last night was the first time I have I have taken my pants off, having slept on the floor with the box for my pillow. Today I feel much better, as the swelling has gone down considerably from my feet. “Tomorrow when I arrive at the station, if nothing has been heard from Mr. Jagger and his party I will send the Indians out for them. Yours, J. James” “Mr. Thomas Chapman, who arrived in this city on Monday, having left the Dalles on the 5th January, informs us that there is a bare possibility that Mr. Jagger and party got through to Deschuttes. Mr. Chapman left Deschuttes for Spanish Hollow the same day that Mr. Jagger and party left John Day’s river; he reached this station the first day, and the second day was only able to make six miles; the third day he reached John Day’s river, and coming in, he saw a trail where a party had left the road, in the direction of the Columbia, a short distance from where Mr. James speaks of leaving Mr. Jagger and his party. They could not have reached any point near at hand where they could have found wood, as Mr. James surmises; yet it is possible that they may have passed Mr. Chapman, behind one of the many little hills that lie along the road, and reached one of the stations on the second day. “Mr. Chapman informs us that the river was frozen up between Portland the Dalles several days before he left. Mr. Lewis Day, Tracy & Co.’s messenger, had made a trip from Portland on foot, bringing news of a battle between federal forces and Gen. Price, in Missouri, in which the federals were victorious, capturing a number of prisoners and a large amount of plunder. “Mr. C. reports the snow much deeper between the Umatilla and Dalles than at this end of the road. We learn also from him that the passengers who left on the stage of the 10th January, for the Dalles, are lying at Willow Creek, some of them with their feet badly frozen. “Mr. C. awards great praise to Mr. John Stevens for his indomitable perseverance in driving the stage through from John Day’s river to the Umatilla. The horses would often get almost buried up in the in the snow and be unable to proceed farther, when Mr. S. would get down from his seat and break the road for them.” “THE MAIL – We shall probably not have a mail from the Dalles for two or three weeks to come. Mr. Blackmor informs us that so soon as the road becomes passable he will start down with the mails for the Dalles.”
SUMMARY: The Terrible Winter – Across Sherman County . . . W.A. Moody gave an interview: He started from Walla Walla on January 3, 1862 with ten miners, the stage company having agreed to put them through to The Dalles in two days, but they were five days in reaching the John Day River, 45 miles from The Dalles. He left the John Day River with 10 other men, Marion Allphin acting as guide, and “Doc” Gay and Moody stayed with Allphin until he died and they left him in a snowy grave. Pat Davis was freezing and was helped along until he died, the remaining 9 men buried him. William Riddle fell next, buried by the remaining 8 men. McDonald expired and was buried by the 7 remaining, followed by a New York man the next day, buried by the remaining 6. Next they left behind Duffy who lagged behind and fell, and next was Jagger, a son-in-law of R.R. Thompson of Portland and he was left unburied by the remaining 4 about 8 miles from the Deschutes River on our 2nd night out. Next they left behind Johnson Mulkey about 4 miles from the Deschutes. On the morning of the 3rd day they left another man dead, and Doc Gay and Moody came in sight of the house at the Deschutes Ferry. They sent a man back for Mulkey who was found alive, but the gold dust he carried in a belt had so chilled his body he died two days later. Moody’s feet were amputated at the instep by Drs. McAteeney and Shields. Jack James, Wells Fargo express man, decided to stop at the John Day in a tent and most of the men left their gold dust with them, and later took the group’s gold dust in to be turned over to relatives of the deceased. Mr. ____ with Jack James. F. Marion Allphin left the John Day River on January 11th, died 6 miles from the John Day River 18 hours after leaving the river, brother of Jack Allphin of The Dalles who located his body and buried it where he was found. Pat Davis, ferryman, and 10 other men started at sunrise on the 13th to make the 45 miles on foot with Marion Allphin as guide. Pat died about 7 miles from the John Day River “Doc” Gay left John Day House with Pat ___ to go on foot to the Deschutes. William Riddle died 2-3 hours after Davis Mr. McDonald died a few hours after Riddle, the last to die on the first day New York Man 1st to die on 2nd day Mr. Duffy John Jagger/Jaggers/Jager, son-in-law of R.R. Thompson of Portland, died about 8 miles from Deschutes River, body brought in frozen on board drawn by a mule, taken to Portland for interment. Mr. Glover Johnson Mulkey of Benton County, left behind still alive about 4 miles from the Deschutes River, brought in on a mule, died from gold dust frozen around his waist at Deschutes River Mr. Galliger reached Deschutes River, sent out help Another Man died morning of the 3rd day Mr. Brown of Walla Walla was buried alive with frozen feet between John Day and Deschutes Rivers, was not found by rescuers Palmer and Hatchet. Brown had 30# of gold dust. Mr. Albright was left behind at John Day’s with 450 express letters and 70# of gold dust. Mr. Niles had lost the road and others did not know what became of them Mr. Jeffries had lost the road and others did not know what became of them Mr. Wellington had lost the road and others did not know what became of them. Mr. Jones arrived in The Dalles 5 February 1862.
Andrews	_______	One grave, originally fenced, now plowed over; NE1/4 of NE1/4 of Section 20, Rufus Quadrangle; Billy Andrews knew about the grave and didn’t farm over it; possibly a child of Ross F. & May Andrews or of Cora (Andrews) Wright York. No gravestone. [TO, 24 August 1928: grandchild of Ben Andrews of Rufus died; Bill Andrews of Wasco; Georgia Belle Holzapfel 1998]
Benefiel	Mrs.	“Also when they got to China Hollow (in present-day Sherman County) they were out of food and his mother was sick and died that night. He told me she was buried where they were camped and they drove the wagons over the grave. That would be close to where the old Trail came close to the ___ on the Ward quarter. Better put up a marker for her. Frank is buried in the cemetery at Wasco near the south east corner of the west part.” Gravestone not found 1965. ~ L. Bowman as told to him by Frank Benefiel, son of the woman buried here; Pat Macnab who reported that the Ward Quarter is N of Wasco, W side of Scott Canyon Road; Pete Macnab who said the Ward Quarter is on the W side of Scott Canyon Road opposite Medler Lane where there was once a house and tree. Both of these sites are where the Oregon Trail crossed present-day Scott Canyon Road. The Bowman place is further N of Wasco near the site of Stuart Macnab’s grain bins in Scott Canyon.
Edwards	_______	Child of LeRoy and Mary Jane (Helyer) Edwards; buried on present-day (2012) Stradley land southwest of Grass Valley.
Fresel	_______	“July 18th. …we gained the table land over which we hastened for 20 ½ miles to John Day’s River… At 2 ½ P.M. reached head of John Day’s Canyon, road very bad and requires much work. At the head of John Day’s Canyon is the grave of an Emigrant (Fresel died Nov. 5th. Age 37 years) the marks of which are nearly obliterated… we stopped and read a rude plank headboard that some kind friend had erected … the resting place of a man who had left friends and relatives in a far distant land East…” [Journal from Fort Dalles, O.T. to Fort Wallah Wallah, W.T. July 1858 by Lt. John Mullan, U.S. Army]
Gosch	Infant Daughter	Old-timers in the Monkland district reported that a Gosch infant daughter was buried on scab land N & W of Monkland on what became Belshe land.
Grant	_______	Transient male adult found dead at Klondike grain warehouse, buried at Klondike. Grave marker was removed. [Mike Weedman, 2003]
Hoggard	_______	Infant of Edith Hoggard, buried on the bluff above the Columbia River not far from the house on the Allen Tom/Tom Martin home site T2N, R16E, N1/2 Section 11. Allan Tom was related to Edith Hoggard [WN, the infant child of William Hoggard of Grant died, age 14 hours; ML, 4 May 1898: Died at Grant, an infant child of M/M William Hoggard]
Kenny	Baby Girl	Child of William A. and Lou Zenia (Belshe) Kenny, born ca. 1893; sister of Charles William, James Dennis, Mary Lou Anna, Patrick Henry, John Robert, Adeline Frances, Ella May, Rose Winifred, Margaret Theodora, Esther Irene & Baby Boy; buried T1S, R18E, E ½ Section 11, Sand Hollow, East of Moro; fenced by Lynden Mersinger, gravestones were ordered by Lawrence Kenny. [Anita (Kenny) Drake; SC:FTR#5-2]
Kenny	Baby Boy	Child of William A. and Lou Zenia [Belshe] Kenny, born ca. 1895; d. aged 4 days; b/o Charles, James, Mary Lou Anna, Patrick, John, Adeline, Ella, Rose, Margaret, Esther & Baby Girl; buried T1S, R18E, E ½ Section 11, Sand Hollow, East of Moro; fenced by Lynden Mersinger, gravestones were ordered by Lawrence Kenny. [Anita (Kenny) Drake; SC:FTR#5-2]
Macnab	______	[Pat Macnab: Three Macnab graves on “the Cross Place.” Several young children of William (1850-1927) and Jeanette McKay Macnab were “buried on the farm” near Rufus.]
Masiker	George	Born Tompkins County, NY; died 1863 at Sand Spring Stage Station, Sherman County, OR; buried near the spring on a steep hillside on private land west of Wasco; grave covered with cement slab,T2N, R16E, S ½ Section 33; m. Palmyra E. Trumble 23 February 1847 Kane County, IL; to OR ca. 1852 from IL with wife and three children to Fort Yamhill until 1860 where two children were born; ODLC #3097 Polk County, OR; to Sand Springs, Wasco Co., OR c. 1860 to operate the stage station; father of William Ward, Edwin d. young, Esther m. Jesse Imbler, Carson Charley m1 Jennie Parrish & m2 Mary Henderson of Columbus, WA, Elmira m1 Henry Barnum and m2 Allie West, George B. and Martyn J.; Palmyra m2 Samuel Price, 2 January1864 Wasco County, OR, mother of Albert Jay Price 1866-1957. Samuel Price born 1834 OH-died1921 Grants Pass, OR, moved to Iowa 1844, to Dufur and Tygh Valley area in Oregon 1860, worked for George Masiker; sold the Sand Springs stage station site 1883 and lived at Columbus, Yakima and Kennewick, WA and Hood River and Grants Pass, OR [ODLC; 1860 U.S. Census of Wasco County, OR; The Golden Land by Giles L. French; manuscripts of Carson C. Masiker and Albert Jay Price; 1870 & 1880 census Wasco County, OR; WA State Census 1883, 1885 & 1887, Klickitat County; SC:FTR]
McCoy	Baby Boy	Son of Elihu Owen and Christina (McDonald) McCoy, born bet.1894 & 1900, died about age 9 months; brother of Paul, Thomas and Ella; buried near Murray Springs on property W of Rufus owned by Harland McDonald property in 1965; E.O. “Dutch” McCoy and his brother operated a large general merchandise store at the orchard property east of Grant, the site then known as Murray Springs. [Adeline McDonald of Murray Springs near Rufus, OR; Gladys (Morrow) Laidlaw; Early Klickitat Valley Days by Ballou]
Moran	_______	Born Scotland; died 1914 along the railroad in Spanish Hollow/Biggs Canyon north of Wasco; a laborer who died there on his way to the Columbia River from a job on Cottonwood grade near the John Day River; buried near the intersection of Mud Hollow Road and Spanish Hollow on Highway 97, marked by a small stone at one time but old-timers could not locate it in 1965; the stone was broken up by highway construction workers where a bridge pier was constructed. According to Mr. Moran’s obituary, a coroner was called to the site of his death with his jacket for a pillow, a bottle of whiskey at his side and a newspaper dated June 12, 1914. [Giles L. French; Phyllis Hoggatt in Oregon Historic Cemeteries Association Ledger, March 2000, noted that she, Pat Macnab and Gordon Hilderbrand placed a small granite marker with bronze lettering on the grave of Mr. Moran who died in 1914. In the 1960s when the Oregon State Highway Department replaced a bridge south of Biggs Junction, one of the pillars was placed on Mr. Moran’s grave and his headstone was destroyed.]
Morrison	Infant Boy	Son of William M. & Rachel (Dillinger) Morrison, reportedly buried in a field near the family home up the canyon from Monkland, east of Moro.
McKeown	______	Believed to be McKeown; grave found by Oregon Department of Transportation field party 9 March 1962 in Biggs Canyon at Mile Post 3.84; T2N, R16E WM; informant was Mr. Fields (Tracy or Leonard Fields) at Thornberry. Date of death approximately 1914. Possibly confused with Moran, above. [ODOT, Sam Wilkins, January 2000]
______	______	Unknown number of graves on the King ranch between Moro and Grass Valley with white granite markers which were taken to Grass Valley Cemetery; one thought to be Mrs. Olds who died in childbirth.
Sayrs	Baby	Child of Frank and Emma (Powell) Sayrs; unmarked grave plowed over on Sayrs ranch S side of Gordon Ridge W of Moro.
______	______	Five graves reported due W of Moro on what was Powell and Sayrs land. Old-timers thought they were Sayrs or Powell children and that the graves may have been moved to a cemetery.
______	Pioneer	Unmarked grave on Harland McDonald (1965) property at Murray Springs Wof Rufus. [Curt Tom; Adeline McDonald of Murray Springs]
______	______	One grave on Rutledge Road E of Grass Valley that is now plowed over. [Giles L. French]
______	______	Small graveyard at Rutledge Methodist Church E of Grass Valley; some graves moved to nearby cemeteries. [Giles L. French]
______	_____	One grave S of the Bonneville Power Administration substation at DeMoss and due north of the John DeMoss home on Highway 97 in plowed land, enclosed by an iron fence at one time. [John E.“Curly” DeMoss]
______	_____	A grave with iron fence at one time in John Shipley’s field on top of the ridge. [John E. “Curly” DeMoss]
______	_____	One unmarked grave on the former Olsen place W of Hwy. 206 between Fulton Canyon & the Fulton-Anderson house, marked on a 1957 topographical map; not located in 1998.
______	_____	One grave with picket fence on the Garlington place farmed by L.C. Medler in 1965.
______	25 Graves	Sherman County: For the Record, Vol. 9, #1, 1991, in a story written by Curt Tom of Rufus: “There were several deaths when it was impossible to reach a graveyard, and many homesteads have family graves nearby. I can locate as many as 25 and very few original families still own the land. One isolated graveyard yielded to the plow.”
______	Male	Unknown man killed by Columbia Southern train about ½-mile N of Kent; no identification papers. [GVJ, 9 May 1902; TO, 9 May 1902 run over by CS train in a short curve about a half-mile N of Kent, verdict: suicide, Christian burial on the spot.]
______	Pioneer	[An 1843 burial was exposed by wind at the mouth of Spanish Hollow in 1894. Sam Price boxed the remains and gave notice of their finding. Disposition unknown. ~ A.J. Price, SCJ] ~ [“Mrs. C.C. Masiker, of Biggs, sends us the following item: On the 20th Samuel Price, of Biggs, discovered a skeleton a short distance from his hotel. The winds had lately blown the sand away from the skeleton and left it exposed. It is supposed to be the remains of a white woman buried there by emigrants many years ago. It is related at Biggs that a few years ago a man who lived in Portland was here looking for his wife’s grave.” ~ TO, 28 September 1893]
______	2 Oregon Trail Pioneers	“Sep 5 … 1 mile to the hill ascending from the (John Day) river. 1 mile of a very steep and rocky hill through a canyon the greater part of the way. Saw two graves, 6 dead cattle.” This diary entry describes the descent into the John Day canyon so the two graves may be in Gilliam County. [With Man and Beast on the Oregon Trail, the original 1853 diary of John Fothergill, wagon train emigrant, presented by Rex Morgan]
______	3 Oregon Trail Pioneers	“… Sep 6 … traveled 18 miles to a spring to the right hand of the road. ½ of a mile grass very abundant. Water and fuel very scarce. Road very good but rather hilly passing over a succession of little valleys. Saw 7 dead cattle. Sep 7 … traveled 6 miles. 4 to the Columbia River. 2 down its banks. Road pretty good, grass plentiful, a little fuel. Scenery very fine, the noble stream surrounded by high mountains and splendid rocks (salmon by the dozens). 3 graves, 4 dead cattle. Sep 8… 1 mile to the Deschutes River, 5 miles to the “10 Mile Creek”…From the river is a steep hill to ascend…7 dead cattle, 1 grave.” The single grave could be in Wasco County. [With Man and Beast on the Oregon Trail, the original 1853 diary of John Fothergill, wagon train emigrant, presented by Rex Morgan]
Webb	Ernest	Private land in Buck Hollow.
________	__ __ __ __	Unmarked pioneer graves on private land in Buck Hollow.
		A hand-made concrete gravestone inscribed with a missing numeral as shown – 1813 – 18-2 was found near Rose Cemetery; donated to the Sherman County Historical Museum.
________	Chinese men	Graves of Chinese men in China Hollow. Chinese men who worked on farms lived in cabins in China Hollow – somewhat NW of the intersection of Highway 97 and 206 and in the draw N of Highway 206 a couple of miles W of Wasco on Andrews land. [Pat Macnab; Leland Schwendel]~ [GVJ, 21 February 1902: “The Chinaman who received such a beating in Wasco about three months ago is reported to be dead.”] Unmarked graves of Chinese people are known to be in the NE corner of Wasco Methodist Cemetery.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. – Benjamin Franklin