Cemetery rededicated to remember pioneers

SPANISH FORK, Utah — When the first Mormon pioneers arrived in the Spanish Fork area in the fall of 1850, they lived in wagons, tents and holes dug into the ground for shelter.Exposure took its toll, and many, like Nathaniel Jordan, passed away and were buried on the bluff of a hill overlooking a riverbank.Over the years, the cemetery fell into disrepair. Grazing cattle toppled headstones. Records were not kept, and the cemetery was gradually forgotten. More than 150 years later, Jordan descendant Janene Baadsgaard decided it was time for these pioneers to be remembered."Most people in Spanish Fork are not aware of another cemetery," Baadsgaard said. "It was on a weed-covered hill, where it was a bit difficult to get to. We wanted to have a place for people to go to honor their ancestors' contributions."On July 21, the newly renovated cemetery at 1530 E. 1884 South will be rededicated.Getting to this point has required many years and the efforts of countless people in the community.The Daughters of Utah Pioneers found the site in the 1940s, Baadsgaard said.They constructed a monument featuring 15 names of pioneer dead, while estimating that about 35 other people lay in unmarked graves.Baadsgaard's ancestor, Nathaniel Jordan, was not on the list, although she knew from reading family histories that he was buried there."I decided to use modern ways of searching for information to find out who else might be buried there," she said. Baadsgaard consulted marriage and death records and a 1922 microfilm of pioneer dead in the area. These names were compared with the list at the other Spanish Fork cemetery.Her research over the past few years bore much fruit — more than 100 names will now be remembered. "It has been like a treasure hunt finding these settlers that were lost and forgotten," Baadsgaard said.To honor these settlers, the DUP and the city of Spanish Fork teamed up to renovate the cemetery. Through their support and donations from "little old ladies on fixed incomes that would give $5, $10, $15 to the cause," they made huge improvements to the property. The cemetery now features dozens of blank grave markers in rows, a silent testament to the numberless people buried there. A wall of remembrance bearing the names collected will be added once the research is more complete. A life-size sculpture in bronze of a pioneer family will be the finishing touch for the grounds.Baadsgaard said she hopes people will feel the peace of being on sacred ground while at the cemetery."As people come and contemplate these examples of courage, faith and hope, we hope they feel a renewed reverence and hope as they face discouragement in their lives," she said.The rededication will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public. "These are my people and all of our people," Baadsgaard said. "Anyone who had the courage to be a pioneer."