| Taken from the Independent Enterprise newspaper of Payette, Idaho. November 9, 1966, page 9. Written by Dottie Edwards-Transcribed by Patty Theurer It’s quiet on top of the hill. Down below the sounds of the plywood plant are muffled, as is the traffic noise from the pavement that winds through the Washoe slough with its tules. The sand is shoetop deep. Weeds are dry and brittle now that frost has come, although with a minimum of moisture they never become very succulent. We climb through the barbed wire gate and find ourselves in a silent quadrangle with crops outside on three of the sides and the cliff’s edge at the fourth. Before us, late afternoon sunlight falls slantingly across the dry earth dotted here and there with its marble slabs. We are in the pioneer cemetery on a Washoe hill overlooking the lower end of the Payette river valley. What’s its name? No one has told us yet. The oldtimers we’ve quizzed haven’t added to our information. Miss Olga Johnson, whose father, Axel Johnson, moved to the place just west of the cemetery in 1902, says that as far as she knew it never had a name and adds also that she has no memory of any burials being made there after they moved to the adjoining land. “In fact,” she adds, “some were even taken away, I believe; at least, I know of one that was transferred to Riverside cemetery north of Payette. You may quote me on this.” Judging by the death dates on the tombstones, the latest burial was in 1894, making over 70 years since the last interment. One can’t help but wonder if there isn’t some reason why the Idaho Historical Society, or some branch of some other patriotic group, shouldn’t be interested in this. Vandals were reported to have caused some damage here in fairly recent years-a senseless act of desecration a normal person can’t understand-and the broken stone marking the resting place of Daniel Kinsey bears witness to this. With a ‘FAREWELL’ at the top, over two clasped hands, “Daniel Kinsey, Born Aug. 22, 18-, Died March 27, 1893, Gone but Not Forgotten.” The blank in he birth year covers an illegible carving. There is a large stone at a family plot, the stone’s inscription reading “Fannie A., wife of J. P. Tharp.” We couldn’t read this date too easily so had to await another visit. In this plot is a child’s stone reading “Perry H., son, died Jan. 15, 1884. Nine Months and 25 Days.” Payette could well have been still Boomerang, its frontier name, when that occurred! In line with Daniel Kinsey’s stone but lying flat on the grave, having been broken off it’s pedestal, is the marble marker that reads “In Memory of Our Mother, Maria J. Clark. Born Dec. 29, 1809, Died May 21, 1891.” There is a small one to an infant son that died in February, 1875, age 11 days, and another son, George A., who died Jan. 15, 1884, at the age of six years and one month. The Grim Reaper took a heavy toll among pioneer children. In the background here there’s a good granite shaft with an inscription reading, “William E. Redington. 1853-1894.” The covered wagons were rolling to Oregon when he was born. A tall white marble spire marks the site of the last resting place of Henry Cole, who died May 15, 1891, “About 58 years”. A child’s grave, with a marble lamb, has “Martha Jane, daughter of Josiah and Kate Randall. Oct. 18, 1891. Age 4 years 6 mos.” Faded flowers mark the brown granite stone that reads “Hattie C. Ballenger. 1880-1890.” A little girl only two years old. And another to “Ray, son of D. and S. R. Ballenger, 188—1892.” Also a child. There’s a stone to “Maudie E., daughter of G. and G.(or C) A. Abernathy, died June 5, 1893, One year and two mos.” Another child: “Carl J., son of P. A. and A. C. Johnson, Born March 10, 1893. Died Aug. 6, 189-.” This marker is in good condition. There are apparently some 30 people in this silent pioneer City of the Dead. Some stones have no names; a few mounds are unmarked. Probably a Civil War veteran and the only military marker as far as one can tell by reading the inscriptions, is that to “Capt. J. M. Perkins, Company G, 34th Illinois Infantry” which carries no death date. Since Illinois was the state which sent so many generals and other officers and men into the fight to save the Union, including General Ulysses S. grant himself, and especially from Grant’s home town of Galena (smaller than Payette but which produced four generals), this Captain Perkins could have been in distinguished company. It seems a pity that he should lie in such isolation on a forgotten hilltop. One of the most imposing stones is the tall marble shaft dedicated to “Lucy, Wife of J. T. Clement. Born July 21, 1844. Died Feb. 21, 1884.” This is next to one reading “Theophilus Clement. Born Dec. 7, 1806” (One hundred and sixty years ago!) “Died Apr. 12, 1884.” We understand that the Orchard Avenue grange around 10 years ago cleaned off the cemetery, and the once the entrance on top came in from the old Axel Johnson driveway. The bench land skirts the river valley here and somewhere to the west, over looking the Snake but presumably not too far away, is reputed to lie the unmarked resting place of Francis Payette, French-Canadian storekeeper and trader of the Hudson Bay Company, whose name is linked forever with Idaho History. Wherever Payette is buried, he has the company in these other pioneers, who have their own almost forgotten hilltop. |
| Letter written by Lillian Kirk of Payette, Idaho, in response to Washoe cemetery article in the Independent Enterprise. Date November 14, 1966-Transcribed by Patty Theurer Dear Mrs. Edwards, I have been reading with great interest your ‘Pioneer Days’. In fact I enjoy everything you have written in either the Argus or Independent Enterprise. You wondered, in your last article, about the name of the cemetery on the hill. It was always called Washoe cemetery in the old days. My little sister, Alice Ame Kent, was buried there in 1893. We later moved her little casket and headstone to Riverside to be beside her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Kent. My brother took care of the moving and I think it was some time in the 40’s. Between 1889 and 1897, which was when we lived in Washoe, the little cemetery was well kept. Most of the graves were of loved ones of those who lived there in Washoe. It was quite a busy community there, and the Rossie Saw Mill was located there and gave employment to a large number of men. We even had our own Post Office for a while, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. San Hill. Sincerely, Lillian Kirk Payette, Idaho Mrs. Earl E. Kirk |