El Dorado
County
ENDANGERED CEMETERIES
AVERY GRAVE
Grave
of B.C. Avery; north side of Rattlesnake Bar Road, west of Hwy 49, Pilot Hill;
grave marker has been removed; rocked cairned gravesite still on hill above
road; on private property; with loss of institutional memory grave may at a
future time be bulldozed with no one the wiser; grave was the topic of early
newspaper accounts based on facts provided in the El Dorado County history
published in 1883.
BEN BOLT
MOUNTAIN
Latrobe
area; one grave known to exist; local area woman desired burial there circa
1910-1920; have not located as yet; hill being used for various antenna and
transmission towers.
BOWMAN
GRAVE
Grave
of William "Billy" Bowman; South Shingle Road, on portion of old
Spring Garden Ranch; Bowman purchased this 1 rod square of land from owner
Bullard; in the 1980's a developer bulldozed and toppled the marker Bowman made
for himself but was stopped from doing further damage by local area residents;
EDC Pioneer Cemeteries Commission went to Assessor's office and obtained a
separate parcel number for Bowman's grave by producing copy of deed; area still
needs constant watching as it is on hilltop (now preferable for new homes) and
only watchful diligence may protect it.
CHILI BAR TOLL
HOUSE CEMETERY
South side of
Hwy 193 within Nugget Campground resort; a portion of this cemetery has been
bulldozed for a vehicle and bus turnaround zone; only grave of Ella Coolidge
(daughter of toll house owner) is marked, thanks to Native Daughters of the
Golden West; bulk propane tank installed within 10 feet of marker.
CHINESE CEMETERY
Town
of El Dorado; west side of El Dorado Road, north of Pleasant Valley Road before
railroad crossing; deeds referencing location on file; cemetery used circa
mid-1850's to 1870's. Reports state Chinese grave stones removed so area
could be used for horse grazing.
CHINESE CEMETERY
Weber
Creek; south of Lotus Road within Sierra Rock Company's Weber Creek Quarry
property. This cemetery may have already been quarried out. Local
area family descendant of the Williamson family in 1997 stated that he believed
the cemetery was endangered. No site review performed at this time.
DARLINGTON
MEADOWS CEMETERY (aka: Darlington Cemetery and Cedar
Ravine Cemetery)
Cedar
Ravine Road and Weber Creek crossing; cemetery established on old ranch of early
pioneer Abraham Darlington; on land transferred from the El Dorado County Water
Agency to the El Dorado Irrigation District; will be impacted by the Texas Hill
Reservoir Project; site review revealed existence of graves outside fenced
boundary.
EL DORADO HOUSE CEMETERY
(aka: Bentley-Parmeter
family plot)
Business
Drive, south of Durock Road, Shingle Springs; now on a commercial business lot
within Barnett Business Park; cemetery dates to Nov. 1850 with the death of
co-owner of this road house, George Richardson; later owner, Ellen Bentley,
buried her daughter and son-in-law there in the early 1860's after the
son-in-law murdered the daughter and committed suicide; last documented burial
occurred circa 1905-1910; one grave believed to have been relocated to
Sacramento's East Lawn Cemetery (Serena B. Bullard, possibly daughter of Ellen
Bentley); lot currently for sale and construction may be forthcoming.
GOLD HILL
CEMETERY
Cold
Springs Road and Gold Hill Road, between Placerville and Coloma; burials
occurred between the 1850's and early 1900's; fenced family plot intact, but one
known marker moved from grave site and placed inside family plot; number of
burials unknown but considered numerous; cattle grazing and ground discing have
obscured any surface evidence of additional grave sites; only Ground Penetrating
Radar might identify graves outside of plot so they may be protected.
INDIAN BURYING
GROUND
South
of Clarksville, in area of Screech Owl Creek; residential development approval
pending; archaeological and cultural resources report failed to identify
cemetery to exist; location unknown but certain.
KANAKA VALLEY CEMETERY
Kanaka
Valley Road; between Rescue and Salmon Falls district; one grave identified;
others believed existent, but not documented; area in the project zone for the
Salmon Falls Preserve subdivision.
LOG CABIN RAVINE
CEMETERY
Bedford
Avenue, Placerville; cemetery cited in minutes of Placervile City Common Council
in the 1850's; was to have been relocated at no expense to the City; no notice
published as required by Council; cemetery not relocated; may have already been
impacted by residential building, but locals recall it was intact several years
ago.
ST.
MICHAEL'S CATHOLIC CEMETERY
Hastings
Dr (old Starbuck Rd) and Tourmaline Way, north of Green Valley Road; this
cemetery established in 1882 by Catholic Diocese; consecrated in May 1883; local
developers obtained land adjacent, fire district required a second
egress/ingress and a road was cut through the middle of the Church's property
without permission; three residential building lots occupy the south end of
Church's property, El Dorado County General Services approved the staking for a
Pacific Telephone switching station building on top of the Edward Angus McDonald
family plot and building constructed in the late 1980's; Diocese sued County,
developer and Pacific Bell in 1998; settlement with telephone company still
pending; County agreed to maintain the cemetery forever; developer paid an
unspecified amount of money to keep the three lots; considered PARTIALLY
OBLITERATED.
RINGGOLD
CEMETERY #1 & #2
Big
Cut Road and Quarry Road; Placerville; town of Ringgold emerged just after
Weberville which was just north of Ringgold; two cemeteries became necessary
with the large number of burials; each are within the inundation zone for the
Texas Hill Reservoir project and are on land transferred by the El Dorado County
Water Agency to El Dorado Irrigation District; most graves unmarked.