Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery, also known as Pioneer Cemetery, is a historic cemetery located near the Grand Canyon's South Rim. [1][2] It is also known as South Rim Cemetery and the American Legion Cemetery due to its association with the veterans' organization.
The cemetery is home to some 400 individual graves.[3][4] The cemetery closed to new burials in 2017, but remains open for visitation.[5]
Burial criteria include a three-year stint at the Park, and a significant contribution thereto.[6] Among those buried there are pioneers, NPS administrators of Grand Canyon National Park and residents of Grand Canyon Village including John Hance (1840–1919) early white settler and Grand Canyon guide,[4]: 23–27 Pete Berry, Ralph H. Cameron (1863–1953) American businessman, prospector, and politician[4]: 33–37 William Wallace Bass, members of the Kolb Family (Ellwworth and Emery), who established the Kolb Studio,[4]: 39–49 and M.R. Tillotson. Hance is the first to have been buried there.[7] Also buried in the cemetery are the unidentified remains of the victims on the United Airlines flight involved in the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, with a cenotaph of 31 names.[4]: 59–62 [8]
Other noteworthy burials include:
- William J. Breed (1928–2013) geologist and expert on the Grand Canyon[4]: 80
- David White (1862–1935) who studied the Grand Canyon[4]: 77–78
- Gunnar Widforss (1879–1934) Swedish-American painter.[4]: 91–92
References edit
- ^ "After Nearly 90 Years, Grand Canyon Cemetery Is Full". Arizona Highways. Phoenix: Arizona Department of Transportation.
- ^ Fritts, Stewart (2007). Guide to Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery, Grand Canyon National Park. OCLC 855124626.
- ^ "Out of space: Historic Grand Canyon cemetery closing to new burials". The Associated Press. 2017-06-27. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Anderson, Parker (2015). Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery. Charleston, SC: Arcadia (Images of America). p. 127. ISBN 978-1467132237. OCLC 894931950.
- ^ Olson, Jeffrey. "Historic Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery Has Closed". National Park Service. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Craven, Scott; Yeager, Melissa (2019-02-26). "100 things you should know about the Grand Canyon". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Padilla, Vivian (2016-05-07). "Teddy Roosevelt, John Hance at Grand Canyon". abc15. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Anderson, Michael F.; Biggs, Patricia. "Grand Canyon Cemetery". Arizona State University. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
External links edit
Grand Canyon travel guide from Wikivoyage- Cemeteries travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery, Also known as American Legion Cemetery, Grand Canyon Cemetery, South Rim Cemetery at Find a Grave
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery
