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The Roseburg News-Review---May 26, 2008
The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians provided a grant to celebrate South Oregon history by improving the Myrtle Creek Cemetery and creating a peaceful resting place for the individuals buried in the graveyard.
By Cara Pallone
Until three or four years ago, the old Pioneer Cemetery resting on a hill at the south end of the city of Myrtle Creek was littered with battered tombstones and broken tree limbs.
The only barrier protecting the abandoned grounds from vandalism was a wire cow fence.
Unruly weeds had smothered the graveyard, where some headstones date back to 1821. Many of the graves are unmarked.
"It was always a growed-up mess up there," said Joyce Stimson, 70, whose greatgrandmother is buried in the cemetery.
Local self-proclaimed "amateur historian" Blanche Newton, 78, also has family buried in the cemetery.
She met Stimson on the street one day. Stimson knew that Newton was writing a book about the history of the area. They started talking about the poor upkeep of the burial grounds and decided to take a look at the plot of land together.
"We were just sick about what we found," said Newton.
Vandals thwart effort
The two women began cutting weeds and trying to maintain the property themselves.
When they realized they had underestimated the work that needed to be done, they reached out to neighbors and friends for help.
"It's part of our history, and Blanche and I just hated to see it gone and completely wrecked," said Stimson.
"It's part of our history, and Blanche and I just hated to see it gone and completely wrecked," said Stimson.
The group began fixing the broken headstones, mowing the lawn, tending to the graves and raising money for a new fence to wrap around the premises.
And then, just when it seemed they were making progress, two trespassers created a bigger mess than when the committee had started.
In July 2006, 71 historical tombstones were tipped over and vandalized. Several were broken in half, some into as many as three different pieces. The damage easily exceeded $750.
After the incident, other members in the community took notice of the little plot of Myrtle Creek history.
"It was heartbreaking," said Karen Ferch, who owns Dustin Ferch Construction with her husband. "Everything was destroyed."
A community triumph
Ferch said she originally heard about the vandalism in the newspaper and called to offer help with repairing the footings — the concrete into which the headstones slide — at the cemetery.
"We had people from all over (the county) helping us," said Stimson. "That's when people began donating their time and money."
Local businesses offered their services and descendants of graveyard inhabitants offered donations.
With a grant from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and from the Oregon Commission of Historic Cemeteries, the committee was able to erect a 6-foot chain-link fence and an informational sign about the cemetery.
A wrought iron gate now prevents vandals from destroying the grounds. An arch above the gate displays the words "Pioneer Cemetery" in gold lettering, and roses spiral around pillars on both sides of the entryway.
Norma Davidson and her daughter Elizabeth Banducci became involved after they heard about the vandalism. Davidson said over the past couple years, each person on the committee was given a job. She said the South Umpqua High School Honor Society contributed its efforts and the Myrtle Creek Garden club did all of the landscaping.
"We've got volunteers that have no family up there whatsoever," said Davidson. "They're just concerned about it."
The finishing touches were put on the cemetery May 3, although Ferch laid a concrete walkway under the gate on May 19.
Members of the committee are still hoping to raise about $3,000 for a Eugene company to perform Ground Penetrating Radar— a method used to detect subsurface images— to locate unmarked graves
In the meantime, the committee is holding a rededication ceremony at 11:30 a.m. today at the cemetery.
The ceremony is to celebrate history, and the people who volunteered, rain or shine, to create a peaceful resting place for the individuals buried in the graveyard on the crest of the hill.