Ghosts of the Grand Canyon by Brian-James Martinez

Author:Brian-James Martinez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ghosts;true ghosts;true ghost stories;true hauntings;real ghosts;real ghost stories;ghosts of the grand canyon;grand canyon;ghost stories;haunted;paranormal;paranormal phenomenon;brian james martinez
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2019-02-18T14:43:41+00:00

[contents]

Chapter 6

Pioneer Cemetery

Yes, Grand Canyon National Park has its own historical cemetery. Situated next to the Shrine of Ages, the Pioneer Cemetery had been an active cemetery until 2017, when it ran out of burial spots. To have been buried within this cemetery, there were requirements that needed to be met to even be considered for an eternal resting spot here. One of the requirements was a person would had to have lived and worked in the park for over three years. Another way was to have made a significant contribution towards the benefit of Grand Canyon National Park itself. This is a beautifully maintained cemetery and holds 305 graves at the time that this book was written. In the year 1928, the John Ivens Post No. 42 of the American Legion contributed the rustic gates that still mark the cemetery entrance to this day. The Pioneer Cemetery is set in the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest and has log fencing encircling the perimeter. Inside the grounds is a dirt walking path that makes a complete loop with benches that allow visitors to sit and enjoy the peaceful beauty and watch the occasional wildlife that wanders within its borders. Included in this cemetery are the headstones of many important colorful characters that helped in the making of the Grand Canyon to become our country’s most popular national park.

So just who was the first person to be buried within the Pioneer Cemetery? Well, it was actually the other way around. Have you ever heard of John Hance? He was born in 1838 in Cowan’s Ferry, Tennessee, and in 1852 relocated to Phelps County, Missouri. During the Civil War, Mr. Hance fought for the Confederate Army, but was soon captured by the Union forces. He was imprisoned for a time, and after the war, Hance decided to head towards Kansas. When John Hance fought with the Confederate Army, he was only enlisted as a private, however soon after the war, Private John Hance proudly gave himself a promotion to “Captain” and it stuck. Soon after arriving in Kansas, Captain Hance became a dispatch carrier out of Fort Leavenworth. In late 1868, John Hance, his brother, and twenty frontiersmen left Kansas in hopes of better prospects in Prescott, Arizona. Traveling into the American Southwest during the 1860s and 1870s was a very dangerous time. Native Americans were being forced off of their ancestral lands and whole tribes were being slaughtered by the United States Calvary. Natives were retaliating aggressively by killing all white men (women and children included) that trespassed anywhere near their territory. When Hance’s party finally arrived in Arizona on December 4, 1868, there were only twelve men left from their party, all the others had been killed by warring Native Americans. Soon after arriving in Arizona, Hance and his brother found employment working on a large cattle ranch.

At some point in time within the next decade, John Hance moved to Williams, Arizona, and by the year 1883, he traveled to the Grand Canyon to see for himself what everyone else wouldn’t stop talking about.

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