Pioneer Cemetery

Faded plastic yellow flowers lay beside of the 20 graves found in the pioneer cemetery.

NPS / Amanda Rich

Quick Facts

Location:

Lees Ferry, AZ

Significance:

Lonely Dell Ranch Tour

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

1874

As travelers arrived and departed from Lonely Dell, they brought more than goods and company. In close quarters with poor sanitation, unrecognized disease spread easily. After giving hospitality to travelers, Warren and Permelia Johnson lost four children within weeks to a mysterious illness, now recognized as diphtheria. Sickness, childbirth, and exposure to the elements claimed many lives in the pioneer movement throughout the Southwest. Descendants of the 20 pioneers buried here visit and tend to the graves today.