Wikipedia says" "A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed. These ceremonies or rites differ according to cultural practice and religious belief. Thus the cemetery is laid out like a large public park or ground expressly for the interment of the dead, and not being the 'yard' of any church. Cemeteries are normally distinct from churchyards, which are typically consecrated according to one denomination and are attached directly to a single place of worship."
In Murray, Idaho, the quaint ghost town that once saw a thriving gold and silver mining boom back in the late 1800's, there is the Murray Cemetery.
For want of a better name, this is what the small parcel of park-like land is called along Walt Almquist Avenue.
While enjoying lunch at the Sprag Pole Bar & Museum, I learned about the history of Murray and specifically that many of the towns founding members now eternally rest across the way at Murray Cemetery. It is a small hike down the main road to find the fenced Cemetery and as you enter it's confines dwarfed by enormous trees, a feeling a reverence takes hold.
There you glimpse headstones and markers-some have obviously seen a better day- but it is intriguing to walk along and see a portion of history there buried beneath your feet. Most of the dead seemed to come from another era-the turn of last century or thereabouts. One gravestone I did stop at was the burial spot of Maggie Hall. Born in Dublin, Ireland, she arrived in New York City in 1873, but unable to find legitimate work, she headed out west to seek her fortune in the mining camps. Working as a high-class prostitute, Maggie Hall finally ended up in the mining community of Murray, Idaho, and worked in the mining camp under the name Molly Burdan. On her way over Thompson Pass in the winter of 1884, she saved the life of a stranded woman and child. During the Smallpox epidemic of 1886, Hall organized the efforts to care for the sick.
Maggie Hall is probably Murray's most famous resident. She died from complications of Tuberculosis at the age of 34 and was buried in Murray Cemetery. Her gravestone is lovingly maintained by city volunteers and there is always fresh flowers draped across it.
I would recommend visitors to Murray take some time to visit this little bit of Old West nostalgia and revel in the history of this very unique cemetery. It is not a scary place at all, but peaceful and serene.
Murray Cemetery will complete your portrait and glimpse into the life of this very living ghost town. read more