The Hood River News, Hood River, OR., May 12, 1933, page 6
CEMETERY HISTORY TELLS OF PIONEERS
By Mrs. Max L. Moore
Some time during the early the early part of 1889, it
was decided by the families of the Winchell-Neal-Odell-Turner clan that the
grounds which had to this date been used as a family burial ground, and which
was situated on the Jerome Winchell estate at the base of the Van Horn Butte,
then known as the Butte, could be best made to serve the purpose for which
it was being used by making it a public instead of the private burial place.
Accordingly, Virgil Winchell, on whose part of the Winchell
estate this place was located, and D.A. Turner, solicited the signatures
of those settlers immediately surrounding to find if they would care to use
these grounds for this purpose and would be interested in clearing it and
fencing and generally looking after the upkeep, if the grounds were given
for cemetery purposes. They met with success for the undertaking, all persons
approached signing for a lot, and agreeing to give their support to the matter.
They met at the district school house the evening of
June 15th, 1889, and bound themselves together in a sort of organization
and formulated a set of laws to operate by. They never took any particular
steps to put themselves in legal state barring only the setting aside of
the one and one-half acre tract and deeding it to a set of trustees they
elected at that time.
Wm. Odell, John Monroe, Harrison Corum, R.E. and S.M.
Harbinson, D.A. Turner, and Hans Lage and Virgil Winchell were the first
members of the Butte Cemetery Association, as they chose to call themselves.
These men gave much of their time and a great deal of necessary funds toward
maintenance during the years which followed. Of these men, who have gone
to their last rest, all lie here in the place they helped to create excepting
only Mr. Turner, whose last rest is in a niche in the Portland
crematorium.
Later, about 1900, many other members became interested
with these men, some forty-four families altogether.
During all the years in which these grounds have been
in use, it was always the practice to make all the necessary arrangements
for funerals by a donation of the services of the neighbors and friends.
A very small fee was charged for the space used and occasionally when a new
fence was needed or the grounds would get so bad that they would have to
be cleaned up, the community would turn out and clean up a little and some
person would solicit enough funds to make the necessary improvements. The
burial fee was so small that nothing could be done in the way of really putting
the grounds in shape and hiring someone to care for them.
It has been coming increasingly evident the past several
years that it would not be possible to carry along in this old helpful,
neighborly fashion. Families would clean up a plot and keep it in nice condition
for a time, then circumstances would compel them to move from this community
and the weeds and growth would claim the plot again. Also in this fast moving
age we are in, it was becoming more and more difficult to find friends with
time enough at hand to oversee the necessary details of an
interment.
Families were growing to manhood and womanhood and finding
other localities more suited to their needs. Other people who had no sentimental
interest in the old grounds were taking their places. Most of the second
generation of oldtimers were drifting too far away to lend any assistance
in looking after the last resting places of their loved ones. Those few of
us still making this our home began to feel that some systematic arrangement
for the care of the grounds should be arrived at before all of the old timers
who could give information regarding those burials now in the old grounds
had drifted away or had gone to their last, long rest. To that end we have
been working this past several months, toward getting as much of the information
together regarding the past affairs of the organization as possible. As there
were no funds of any amount involved, the book-keeping and general records
were of a somewhat sketchy nature.
We have organized an entirely new association which has
been properly recorded under the state corporation laws governing the operation
of cemetery associations. We have tried to use as many of the old laws, rules
and regulations which our originators saw fit to govern themselves well as
we consistently and yet be able to put the association in a self supporting
condition. The only funds on hand to start with was an endowment left by
late Mr. D.A. Turner, of $100.00, the principal of which could not be touched,
but the interest from which was to be used for the upkeep of his family graves.
To remedy this, we have levied a yearly assessment on all independent individuals
and heads of each separate family represented by relatives buried in the
cemetery of a minimum of $1.00. This money is to be used to pay a caretaker
for the grounds and to purchase the necessary tools and equipment to render
this care with. Before a caretaker was installed a lot of real work was necessary
to put the grounds in shape and once more we took refuge in the old basic
principle governing all the past operations of this organization. April 25,
we called for donation of labor to put these grounds in shape and the following
list of neighbors and friends gathered there and put in three good full days
of hard work. We are certainly proud of the results of these three full and
really pleasant days. The work was hard and everyone gave their time pleasantly
and willingly and the ladies served such a good dinner that they were all
glad they had come out.
We broke the ground all up, raked and sowed it to lawn,
then we rolled it down as nearly even as possible. A fairly adequate sprinkling
system has been installed to which we shall add from time to time or alter
to meet requirements. We thinned out the trees leaving just enough for ornamental
purposes and some shade, but not enough to interfere with the lawn.
Future interments will have to be a arranged for with
the Board and the necessary cash payment made, the money so received will
be properly invested to establish a fund, the interest from which will in
time to come to pay for the care necessary to keep the grounds in good shape.
At present this cost of care must be met by the annual assessment mentioned
before.
Those good people who, for the benefit of their friends
and the community in general, so willingly gave their time were: B.H. Lage,
Keith Lage, E.E. Lage, Riddell Lage, Walter Wells, Perry E. Wells, Clifford
Wells, J.P. Thomson, Elmer Hausinger, Earl Moore, A.I. Mason, John Plogg,
Howard Shoemaker, Jimmie Blackner, Ole Blackner, O.H. Rhodes, Bill Cochran,
Bill Lester, Babe McCoy, Tony Mohr, Andrew Stricker, Otto Ehrck, Morris
Whitecotton, Harry Kemp, Will Kemp, Dane Kemp, Bill Ehrck, Gus Hukari, H.
Hukari, ED. Hawkes, Earl Dietz, M.D. Odell, Leonard Miller, Max L. Moore,
Pete Paget, Dan Friedley, Mark Thomas, Clifford Hymer, Dory Rickard, John
Olson, Olaf Olson, Pete Balcum, J.M. Taylor. A few who could not work there
themselves paid someone to work in their place. These were: Mrs. Whitecotton
, Mr. and Mrs. R.M. Weber, Mrs. Annie O. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Marion L.
Moore, E.L. McClain sent over two men for the full three days.
The ladies sending in the supplies and giving their time
to the preparation of three of the best dinners we ever sat down to were:
Mrs. E.E. Lage, Mrs. Ed Hawkes, Mrs. Emma Hendon, Mrs. J.E. Malloy, Mrs.
J.D. Lester, Mrs. Annie O. Johnson, Mrs. Dane Kemp, Mrs. John Koberg, Mrs.
J.P. Thompson, Harriet Thompson, Mrs. Rod Olson, Mrs. Mark Thomas, Mrs. Will
Kemp, Mrs. Meta Scobee, Mrs. Albert Miller, Mrs. John Plog, Mrs. Perry E.
Wells, Mrs. Clifford Wells, Mrs. Walter Swyers, Mrs. Max L. Moore, Mrs. J.M.
Taylor, Mrs. Howard Shoemaker, Mrs. Otto Horn, Mrs. Amede Hicks, Mrs. John
Wirrick and Mrs. B.H. Lage. After the dinner was over each day many of the
ladies helped at the grounds raking and picking up trash.
The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., May 5, 1933, page 1
HISTORY OF OLD CEMETERY GIVEN
(By Mrs. Max Moore)
Some time during the early part of the year of 1889 it
was decided by the families of the Winchell-Neal-Odell-Turner clan that the
grounds which had to this date been used as a family burial grounds; and
which was situated on the Jerome Winchell estate at the base of the Van Horn
Butte, then known as the Butte, could be best made to serve the purpose for
which it was being used by making it a public instead of a private burial
place.
Accordingly, Virgil Winchell, on whose part of the Winchell
estate this place was located; and D.A. Turner solicited the signatures of
those settlers immediately surrounding to find if they would care to use
these grounds for this purpose and would be interested in clearing and fencing
and generally looking after the upkeep, if the grounds were given for the
cemetery purposes. They met with success for the undertaking, all persons
approached signing for a lot, and agreeing to give their support to the
matter.
They met at the district school house the evening of
June 15, 1889 and bound themselves together in a sort of organization and
formulated a set of laws to operate by. They never took any particular steps
to put themselves in legal state baring only the setting aside of the on
and one-half acre tract and deeding it over to a set of trustees whom they
elected that that time.
Wm. Odell, John Morse and S.M. Harbison, D.A. Turner,
Hans Lage and Virgil Winchell were the first members of the Butte Cemetery
association, as they chose to call themselves. These men gave much of their
time and a great deal of the necessary funds toward carrying on during the
years which followed. Of these men those who have gone to their last rest
all lie here in the place they helped to create excepting only Mr. Turner,
who last rest in a niche in the Portland crematorium.
Later, about 1900 many other members became interested
with these men, some forty four families altogether.
During all the years in which these grounds have been
in use it was always the practice to make all the necessary arrangements
for funeral; by a donation of the services of the neighbors and friends.
A very small fee was charged for the space used and occasionally when a new
fence was needed or the grounds would get so bad that they would have to
be cleaned up the community would turn out and clean up a little and some
person would solicit enough funds to make the necessary improvements. The
burial fee was so small that nothing could be done in the way of really putting
the grounds in shape and hiring some onto care for them.
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