Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery

Historic cemetery in Arizona, United States

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]

"Originally, to qualify for burial, an individual must have lived at Grand Canyon for no less than three years or must have made a significant and substantial contribution to the development of, public knowledge about, understanding of or appreciation for Grand Canyon National Park."[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

  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. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Olson, Jeffrey. "Historic Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery Has Closed". National Park Service. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. ^ "National Park Service".
  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.
  • 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

36°03′16″N 112°07′30″W / 36.0544951°N 112.1250879°W / 36.0544951; -112.1250879