Wilderville Cemetery

Wilderville Cemetery, Wilderville, OR

The Wilderville Cemetery sits on a beautiful, shaded knoll just south of town.

This lady was the first person to move into this hillside resting place.  Martha McCollum died December 24, 1902.

A pleasant breeze was helping cool a 96 degree day, and as we walked among the quiet pathways, a rain shower came over just long enough to dust of the monuments.

Stringer was the name of the person who first built the Wilderville Store here, I wonder, is this he?  Could be, as there were no dates on this marker.  As you can see here, William Stringer fought in the Indian War as part of Company B in the Second Oregon Mounted Volunteers. 

There is a Hosea Brown in the Granite Hill Cemetery in Grants Pass who served in the War of 1812.  Could this be a relative, who also served our country?  We thank the family!

Our search went awry in trying to find Mary Jillson and her two children; Frankie and Hannah.  They share a stone with the driver of their stage coach, Alex Jones, since they all drowned fording the Applegate River in 1885, when the coach overturned.

Also interred in the Wilderville Cemetery is Luther and Elsie Akers, who were murdered after church on February 27, 1916, by Marshall Bouseman over a boundary dispute.  It was reported, he even killed their horses.

After the killing, Bouseman tried to poison himself, but was unsucessful, so they sent him to prison for most of his remaining life. 

Life for our pioneers in Southern Oregon was never easy.  The settlers were constantly in danger of the Native Americans retaliating for the mistreatment by the transient and hostile gold miners.

It was hard for people back East to realize, but while they were prospering with their well-lit streets, fancy carriages, and wearing fancy clothing; the Oregon wilderness settlers were living with camp fires and candlelight, walking untold miles through rough, mountainous terrain, and cleaning their home-made clothes in streams.

These brave pioneers persevered and settled what is now known as some of the most beautiful country in the world!

The Wilderville Cemetery was established in 1903, and is still currently in use, providing a peaceful resting place for those who have gone before us.