Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  Cemeteries seem like perfect places for communities to inter time capsules, far better than city parks and town squares, which have all sorts of uses and experience all sorts of changes. Ogallala's 100 Year Capsule was buried in 1984 to mark the anniversary of the town's incorporation in 1884. In 2084, it will be exhumed and opened. As for "Inspect 2034": Never heard of such a thing! The capsule supposedly includes two bottles of Scotch. Think it will survive a hundred years? Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  Today the set of all-seeing eyes that presides over the cemetery belongs to "The Trail Boss." His ghostly presence in Ogallala's pioneer cemetery commemorates the cattle drives that gave rise to the beef cattle industry of the Northern Plains and the town of Ogallala. Those cattlemen and the Union Pacific Railroad that served the industry sent the town soaring to a population of almost 500 by 1890. Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  Of those buried here, "many came by running afoul of the law -- some for stealing another man's horse. . . Most were buried with their boots on, thus the name Boot Hill. Their bodies, placed in canvass sacks, were lowered into shallow graves and marked with a wooden headboard." Over a hundred years later, the ordinary events that transpired on the Nebraska frontier are recalled by historical markers. Thus, our sense of place is not only perpetuated but mythologized. Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  How weathers the wood? Well or not well? These markers, commemorative of the pioneer days, date only from restoration work in 2015. What was left of the abandoned cemetery was finished off by a wildfire in the 1950s. A hundred years from now, what do you think these wooden headstones will look like? Not well. In fact, not in existence at all. Now you understand the comparative advantage of granite! Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Ogallala, Nebraska

The Boot Hill Genre:  Ogallala's Boot Hill is but one of dozens throughout the American West. It was necessitated in an era when men were likely to die with their boots on, often while defending themselves and their territories, or their bad habits and offensive words. Some other famous "boot hills" are located in Dodge City, Deadwood, Leadville, Tombstone, and Virginia City. Here, the highest hill on the outskirts of town was used as a burial ground for about 18 years and then replaced by a new cemetery a bit further away. Many of the grave markers were subsequently claimed by the elements. The grave yard was completely abandoned in 1885 and began to deteriorate. Restoration and replacement took place periodically from the 1960s through 2015. Boot Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Julian, California

Focus on Haven of Rest Pioneer Cemetery:  Here's a couple who was proud of their community, proud of their horses, and proud of their love for each other. Shelter Valley is an unincorporated place (apparently one without a cemetery) about 12 miles east of Julian. It is now completely surrounded by Anza-Borrego State Park. [2013]

Julian, California

Focus on Haven of Rest Pioneer Cemetery:  A pioneer cemetery is a plot of land where the first settlers in an area were laid to rest. This one was founded in the 1870s. It occupies a classic location for cemeteries: on a hill overlooking town. The early pioneers also share a classic biography: prospectors-cum-farmers. The gold rush was short lived in Julian, but long enough (a decade) to give denizens of the 21st century an excuse to commune with the spirits of the ancestors: "Gold  Rush Days" are coming up next month. [2013]