Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery

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Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery - the grand front entrance.jpg

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:

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References

  1. "After Nearly 90 Years, Grand Canyon Cemetery Is Full". Arizona Highways. Phoenix: Arizona Department of Transportation.
  2. Fritts, Stewart (2007). Guide to Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery, Grand Canyon National Park. OCLC   855124626.
  3. "Out of space: Historic Grand Canyon cemetery closing to new burials". The Associated Press. 2017-06-27. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anderson, Parker (2015). Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery. Charleston, SC: Arcadia (Images of America). p. 127. ISBN   978-1467132237. OCLC   894931950.
  5. Olson, Jeffrey. "Historic Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery Has Closed". National Park Service. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. Craven, Scott; Yeager, Melissa (2019-02-26). "100 things you should know about the Grand Canyon". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  7. Padilla, Vivian (2016-05-07). "Teddy Roosevelt, John Hance at Grand Canyon". abc15. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  8. Anderson, Michael F.; Biggs, Patricia. "Grand Canyon Cemetery". Arizona State University. Retrieved 16 March 2019.

Coordinates: 36°03′16″N112°07′30″W / 36.0544951°N 112.1250879°W / 36.0544951; -112.1250879