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Amador County Branch 96 - Jackson, California |
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THE OXEN’S Tale #15 Part #1 of 2
Who is buried in the Maiden’s Grave? By Frank Tortorich
In 1908, a marker was placed on a grave on the side of Highway 88 two miles west of Tragedy Spring. The marker reads “Rachael Melton Died Oct. 4, 1850 Native of Iowa. Erected by Guests at Kirkwood 1908.” In the 1930s, the State of California established State Landmark #28, Maiden’s Grave. Two of the “facts” are incorrect. The errors have been known by a few of us for a long time but no one took action to correct this mistake until this year. Being that 2004 is the Sesquicentennial Year for Amador County, it seemed fitting to set history straight. In 1850, a wagon train was making its way west to the California gold fields. One member, William Edmondson, of this wagon train kept a daily diary. On October 4, 1850, he wrote, “ … After traveling 6 miles today we came to place called Tragedy Spring from three men being killed there by Indians; from the inscription on a tree near by they were killed on the night of the 27th of June, 1848. Their names were Daniel Browett, Ezra H. Allen and Henderson Cox. They were all buried there under a pile of stones. (The grave is still there today) After traveling two miles farther, we came to a trading post about noon where we camped having come 8 miles today. A young man from Henry County, named Allen Melton, died at this place during the night.” So how did this miss marking take place? We will take that on next month.
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