Up Highway 88, just about 30 miles east of the town of
Pioneer sits a monument known as the Maiden’s grave. The story behind this
marker is quite interesting because it starts way back in 1850, during the time
when families coming from the Eastern and Midwestern states were traveling in
groups, trekking the dangerous terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in
hopes of starting a better life for themselves in California.
On one such trip, a young girl named Rachael fell ill and
died as the group was traveling over the Carson Pass area. They stopped and
buried the young girl in a wooded area under the base of a large Fir tree, and
her mother as grief stricken as she was for having to leave her daughter’s body
in the middle of unknown territory, vowed she would return one day to her
daughter’s meager burial site.
As the years went on, Rachael’s mother grew older and older,
and by the early 1900’s, over 50 years after her daughter’s death, she
attempted to find the spot where she buried Rachael so many years before.
Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful in her quest and she returned from whence
she came. After word spread in Amador County about the return of Rachael’s
mother, various people who had been visiting nearby Kirkwood, just 10 miles to
the east, had remembered running across a marked grave nearby in their
travels. The grave was located, and
since word spread about this situation, others began remembering that it once
was marked with a wooden cross that had the name “Melton” on it along with the
date “October 4, 1850.” Assuming that
this grave was Rachael’s these guests from Kirkwood had a small headstone
placed for Rachael in 1903. This would
now be known as the “Maiden’s Grave” and it would become the 28th
Historical Landmark in California.
Fast forward to 1986, and we learn that a local property
owner, Steven Ferrari who lived in the area just about 2 miles from the
“Maiden’s Grave” came upon a grave with a rock outline on it while clearing
overgrown brush on his land. As it turns out, this is more than likely
Rachael’s true resting place. (GPS coordinates: N
38° 38.357 W 120° 08.677) Mr. Ferrari had a plaque erected for
this young lady buried in his backyard, and for those who know where it is,
this is now known as the “Real Maiden’s Grave.”
So who is buried at the first location you might ask? Well,
it took historians several years to research but as it turns out the answers
were easier to find than you might think. According to the book “Annals of
Iowa” there is a transcribed journal of a man named William Edmondson, and in
that very journal he speaks of his journey from Iowa, through the Midwestern
states and passing through Native-American territory and finally up the
mountains through Colorado, Nevada and into California. When they finally made
it to Tragedy Spring they found a wooden epitaph carved on the base of an old
Fir tree. Shortly thereafter a member of his group fell ill and passed away,
his name was Allen Melton. The date was October 4, 1850. The group buried their
friend and continued on their journey finally stopping in Webberville, a now
non-existent gold mining town that once was located along the American River
just between Diamond Springs and Placerville.
In ending, although the historical landmark is still called
the “Maiden’s Grave,” (GPS coordinates N 38° 37.908 W
120° 10.274) we know now that it wasn’t a maiden buried there
at all, but a forgotten man. If you are
ever up in the vicinity of the Maiden’s Grave on Hwy 88, please drop in and pay
your respects to Mr. Allen Melton. ---
(Copyright 2018- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)
(Copyright 2018- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)
Sources:
Annals of Iowa, published in 1907, Page 535 (Journal of
William Edmondson)
