Aqueduct City Cemetery Project -  

By Caretaker Mary Vogt

About two years ago, I began the upward struggle of restoration of an 1850's Pioneer Cemetery called the Aqueduct City Cemetery. Aqueduct City was originally founded during the Gold Rush days in early California history, our oldest established gravesite dating to 1855. As was the custom, there was a Hotel that supported the
area, just on the curve of Highway 88 and Aqueduct Grove Road. It had a black smith shop, boarding stable, and general store. The custom at that time was that the proprietor of the hotel would bury anyone who happened on his "final" journey and take in return for services rendered, all the physical possessions of the deceased for resale to the next miner coming along to try his luck. Little remains today of the original structures, but if you look way to the back, on a slight rise, there is still one building, black with age, learning toward the earth that remains. This is now on private property, and with rattle snakes known in this area, please do not venture on to the property, you'll be able to see it from the road.

The Aqueduct City Cemetery is just up the road a bit from the original site of the hotel complex. When the project began the entrance was totally obscured by overgrown Manzanita and underbrush, tombstones toppled over or missing, the most prolific plant was Poison Oak and in probably another ten years it would have been totally overgrown. As I am on the Citizen's Advisory Board of the Pine Grove California Youth Camp (read prison for younger guys 18-24 years) I enlisted their help to start the tedious job of restoring, repairing and cleaning of the cemetery. They provided all the man power to clear cut the Manzanita (for those of you unfamiliar with this local tree, it is a very hard wood, used for making walking sticks, twists and turns as it grows) and took weed eaters to the top layer of weeds, chopped downed tree limbs, and hauled it all away.

That was the start....then we had an Eagle Scout who made a beautiful sign for the cemetery, however he spelled Cemetery as CemetAry, so he will be correcting the sign shortly. The troop helped him do more clean up work, raking, installed wood chip bark path to make access easier. We have now added flowers, artificial, as the deer run rampant here, to each grave and are in the process of replacing headstones, tapping around with my "Are You There???" probe, to establish where someone was once buried.

Our project will be completed when we have raised enough money to have the California Youth Authority pour and install a cement picnic bench, and put a perimeter antique split rail fence around the entire area. I feel so strongly that this small piece of California history should be preserved, without these brave persons venturing forth to the unknown in the 1800's we would not be here today enjoying our wonderful home in the lovely Sierra Mountains. So, here I am, itching with poison oak, hoping you enjoy a small glimpse of this beautiful little historical cemetery.