Tombstone Tuesday
The Notom Cemetery, in Wayne County, Utah
On our field trip south of the
Capital Reef National Park last Tuesday, we visited several 'ghost towns' where about all that is left is their large or small cemetery. Above, we are parked in front of a commemorative sign for Notom, with the current
Notom Ranch Bed & Breakfast in the background (over the back of the Jeep you can see the building). This is a fascinating area.
The Notom Cemetery is not one of the larger ones. We drove a few miles on the 'typical dirt roads' of the area to where it was located.
Here are some views of the area, when we got there.
Above, you see the Jeep parked by the Cemetery (wire fencing), with the same mountain formations in the background as above, by the Notom sign. Those are the south view of the Waterpocket Fold in Capital Reef National Park. You have to really want to see them, to get this view.
Inside the wire fence, each grave is marked (and was protected earlier) by the wooden fences. Above is one, below is another.
Even more interesting to me, perhaps, were the two gravestones with more recent markers:
This was a young man who died at 13 years (1883-1896), John Christian Smith. His father was Jorgen Christiansen - a Danish immigrant (Danish surnames are a story in themselves). In
the Wayne County History Class I attended the first Friday of our Utah visit, this year, we learned much of the Mormon Danish settlers in the county of this time period. [Note: I'm not Mormon, but I am 1/4 Danish - so I was especially interested]
Note the second marker was for an infant, less than a year old. His surname was also Smith.
These markers were no doubt placed more recently by family descendants. Steve Taylor, the local historian, has traced the others known to have been buried in Notom Cemetery, even though they are not as clearly marked.
A most unusual Cemetery, I just really wanted to share with you.
Families are Forever! ;-)
