PIONEER GRAVEYARD ~~ THE COLD HAS ARRIVED ~~ PARTING SHOT

PIONEER GRAVEYARD

It's a well-known fact, if you read this blog often, that Linda and I like to walk around cemeteries. We even did this when we lived back in Lumberton. At least there, I had known some of the people whose graves we visited. But here in Yakima, everyone is a stranger to us both. Still, it's a bit of a history lesson when you happen to visit final resting places. Last week we decided to visit the Pioneer Graveyard in Union Gap, a small town adjacent to Yakima. Union Gap was actually where the city of Yakima began. However, the city of Yakima was moved four miles north at one point, and how all this came about is a very interesting story. If you'd like to read about it, click on the link here (<--link).

We set out last Thursday on our quest to find the cemetery. It wasn't hard as Union Gap is very small. It was quite chilly that morning with temperatures the previous night being in the mid-20's. Upon arriving at the cemetery, we were greeted by the sign above. There was an information sign at the entrance, so we stopped to read it. We learned that this cemetery was started by Dr. Lewis Goodwin. In 1865, he and his pregnant wife, Priscilla, and 300 others set out traveling west by wagon train from Illinois. It took them five months to get as far as Yakima, where they stopped in September due to heavy snows. The Goodwins decided to begin raising cattle and set up a homestead beside the Yakima River. Sadly, on December 18th, 43-year old Priscilla and her child both died while she was giving birth. Her husband set aside an acre of his land on which to bury his wife, and it became a cemetery for the local community.

The Pioneer Graveyard has fewer than 150 graves in it, some of them unmarked and some marked only by a headstone engraved "Unknown." I know whenever we visit a cemetery, there is always a hushed silence in the air, even though this one was located near a busy freeway. I suppose it's because the residents are not saying much, out loud at least. But if you read the headstones, they will tell you plenty. We were both surprised at the number of children buried here. I suppose back then it was a very hard life living in this area. Here's a short video I took of the cemetery.

Below are some photos I took of the information sign, that tell more of the story of the Pioneer Graveyard. In 2015, on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the graveyard, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

THE COLD HAS ARRIVED

When we came back home from our walk at the cemetery, Linda noticed something about a block from our house, so we walked over to check it out. Since the night before had been around 25 degrees for a low temperature, it was still chilly outside. Someone had left their sprinklers on all night and this picture below shows the result.

Icicles!

While we were standing around looking at the sprinkler, which was still running, I spied a couple of pretty little flowers on the roadside.

Walking back to our yard, we checked out the few flowers that we still have blooming. The rudbeckias (Black-Eyed Susans) are about the only ones left with blooms, and they are somewhat puny. But we'll take it.

PARTING SHOT ~~ CRITTER FIND!!

One of the nature groups that I belong to on Facebook quite often has members post "critter find" pictures. This would be a photo in which the animal is camouflaged and your job is to find it. Some of them are very hard to find, as in this photo below. Can you find the critter?

That's all for this week, join us again next week for more from the Southerner in the Northwest!