Haines Cemetery, Baker County, Oregon

In the early 1890’s James Oliver Maxwell was in attendance of a funeral at the Rock Creek Cemetery when rocks were having to be added to the burial site to keep the coffin from floating, 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).  In 1895, this became known as the Maxwell Cemetery, and then later was changed to the Haines Cemetery.

When Mr. Maxwell died in 1917, 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.

With the establishment of a cemetery board, the grounds were much improved. Grass and trees were planted, roads built, and gravesites were maintained. In 1969, the Haines Cemetery District was formed to provide for perpetual care of both the Haines Cemetery and the Rock Creek Cemetery.

Using the Surname pages, Cemetery Map, Tombstone Pages and Obituary Database it is possible to have complete information on the person you are searching for!!

A view of the Haines Cemetery in 1937

• Complete Listing for Haines Cemetery as July 2008
  • Surname A
  • Surname B
  • Surname C
  • Surname D
  • Surname E
  • Surname F
  • Surname G
  • Surname H
  • Surname I-J
  • Surname K
  • Surname L
  • Surname M
  • Surname N
  • Surname O
  • Surname P
  • Surname Q-R
  • Surname S
  • Surname T
  • Surname V
  • Surname W
  • Surname Y-Z

Haines, Oregon