Headstones are the language of the dead.
And they spoke to Molly McClure.
Pearl Powell Holden, Victor P. Hanson, Mrs. Willie Downs Lavelle and Refugio Solano all made their presence known when McClure purchased Elgin acreage in 2002. What she didn’t know was the extent of the cemetery’s inhabitants. And how to protect them.
But she had her reason for doing so. And it was pretty simple.
“It’s the right thing to do,” McClure said.
The Elgin/Mountain View Cemetery, a contemporary name based on inconsistent historical reference, was active in the early part of the 1900s. Its existence reflects a burgeoning community that included a general store, hay warehouse and a 14-room hotel. The railroad facilitated growth as greenhorns pushed west, trading derbies for Stetsons.
Over the years, Elgin fell out of favor as the primary train depot moved to Patagonia to support mine operations there. The population dwindled; inhabitants gravitated to communities with more services.
But even before that, the Elgin/Mountain View Cemetery seems to have fallen into obscurity.
From headstones still in place we know that Mrs. Willie Downs Lavelle was the last person interred there. Death: Aug. 25, 1922. Age: 49.
Possibly.
Because there are other things to consider relating to the cemetery’s demise. Wooden crosses and tin markers, a reflection of socio-economic status, were often used to identify graves. Both would easily succumb to weather, wildfires and human/animal encroachment.
Step back to today and meet individuals interested in cemetery’s preservation. Cami Cheatham Schlappy serves as historian of the Bowman-Stradling Heritage Center, located at the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association grounds. Terri Basinger Powers works as a volunteer there. Her sister, Sherri Stout, has also taken an interest. Sue Downing lives near the cemetery and, in addition to historical research, keeps an eye on comings and goings there. The above-ground variety.
And then, of course, there is McClure, who has spoken to her reason for cemetery preservation. But what about the heritage center, why this project?
“This cemetery is part of our history,” Schlappy said. She believes the living have an obligation to those who came before. And one way to fulfill that obligation is by respecting their final resting place.
She acknowledged that some of the people who may be buried there might not have established the area as a residence. Some, perhaps, died on the train en route from here to there. Others, perhaps migrants, did not have local family to claim their remains.
But as a mother herself, she appreciates the fact that whomever rests there was someone’s baby, aunt, nephew, cousin.
“I would hate to see them forgotten,” she said.
Alison Bunting, PRT writer and Empire Ranch historian, has been able to locate others, without markers, buried at Elgin/Mountain View Cemetery, using records from, among other sources, the Arizona State Board of Health and the county coroner. All told, she’s found eight—possibly nine—additional gravesites.
But are there more?
That’s when Schlappy called in the big guns. Doug Gann, an anthropological archaeologist and Sonoita resident, donated his time and equipment for the quest.
Gann employs the science of photogrammetry as a research tool. Similar to topographic surveying, photogrammetry uses photographs to map an area. Overlapping pictures, taken with a drone, are shot in a specific pattern and then downloaded into software to create a 3D model. Gann used this technology to map 940 burials in the Patagonia Cemetery including 100 unmarked graves. And on a cool winter morning he brought his equipment to Elgin.
Based on that work, he has determined there “could” be more than the 19 known burials at the Elgin site.
Things to consider when interpreting the 3D model are forces of nature and forces of man. For example, a mound can be a result of “frost heaving,” the upward swelling of soil due to the formation of ice during freezing conditions. Then there are depressions. Depressions can be caused by a collapsed coffin or disinterment, which happens when the remains of loved ones are moved to plots elsewhere.
Down the road, the desired endgame for the Elgin/Mountain View Cemetery is preservation. That will include perimeter posts, fencing, gate, markers positioned on “possible” burial sites and parking. Cost is estimated at $5,100. To offset the expenses, the Heritage Center, a 501(c)3 is asking for donations. Checks can be sent to the Stradling Museum of the Horse, P.O. Box 715, Sonoita, AZ 85637. Please note “for cemetery.”
“This isn’t meant to be a tourist attraction,” McClure noted. Rather, she sees it as an educational opportunity for local school children, scouts or 4-H members. Also, historians. And, of course, a place for family to honor their dead.