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Rock Creek Cemetery, Baker County, Oregon
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Photo and Cemetery Records contributed by Belva Ticknor
| As the story on Haines Area History continues we recall the
beginnings of the Haines and Rock Creek Cemetery's. "Known all men", "Forever quick claim", these are some of the fancy words on the deed drawn up, three days of June 1895 to purchase a School District. The parcel of land runs about 800 feet along the Rock Creek road east of the School House. I. H. Ingram prepared the deed as the Oregon Notary Public of Oregon, county of Baker. signing as trustees of the new Cemetery were Henry K. Fisher, Alonzo Long, Joseph Savage, Samuel Hearing, L. S. Pobst, F. O. Anderson, Ellen Anderson, H. P. Fisher, M. A. Savgae, Julia A. Long, Annie Pobst and S. J. Hearing. It is believed the site was just to swampy for a good cemetery. At the funeral of Chas. Ashwood's first wife, the ground was so wet, the coffin was floating and would not stay down, to they had to pile rocks on it to keep it in place. James Oliver Maxwell was in attendance and he thought "good night this is terrible". and so he went looking for a better spot. Ed Coles and his two sisters owned the land South of the Cemetery Hill and east of the railroad tracks, and on it was a bone dry hill covered with rocks and sage brush. For the sum of fifty dollars James Oliver Maxwell bought the premises to with 800' by 250' over looking the Power River. Elmer F. Hill and wife Florence Coles Hill, Edward W. Coles and wife Ollie and John Richmond and wife Sara (Coles) sold the parcel of land to Mr. Maxwell to be used only as a cemetery (forever). This became known as the Maxwell Cemetery. When Mr. Maxwell died (approx 1916) the cemetery passed on to his ten children. Other cemetery's started to fix up their grounds with grass and trees, and the area residents started asking the Maxwell's to clear off the sage brush and rocks to make the Cemetery nice. Glen and Omer started to yank the sage brush and finally turned the land over to the Haines Cemetery Board so they could hire a caretaker to take care of the facilities. All of Mr. Maxwell's children were living and each had to sign the deed. The Rock Creek Cemetery ceased to be used and many graves were opened and contents moved to the Haines Cemetery. Late one of the caretakers of the Rock Creek Cemetery burned off the dead grass and accidentally burned most if not all of the old wooden markers. Only those with granite markers or stones survived, but local residents were able to locate some of the pioneer grave sites and remarked them. One such was a pioneer grave belonging to George S. Miller, better known as Butcher Knife Miller, Mountain Man and as he married Minerva Creighbaum in 1865, was related to many families in this area. Record Courier, Used with permission |
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