Somewhere in Wild River State Park lies the site of a pioneer cemetery. Do you know where? Are any of your ancestors buried there?

When the first pioneer farmers arrived on Amador Prairie in the mid-1850s, easy access to established cemeteries did not exist. Even after formal cemeteries were established, convenience and emotional attachments to loved ones meant that some burials were still done on family plots on the home farm or nearby.

There are many accounts describing a pioneer cemetery in what is now Wild River State Park. Former residents of the land that is now part of the park were aware of the cemetery and its general location. Interviews with these individuals in the 1990s resulted in repeated searches by park staff, with no success.

Without accurate knowledge of the location of the cemetery, preservation of the site from disturbance is impossible. It also leaves a chapter in the story of early settlers unresolved.

The final resting place of many of the early settlers in Amador Township is still unknown. Among the missing are members of families such as Sheldon, Lovejoy, Martin, Arnold, Bjork, Rydeen, and Bloomquist.

The interviews in the 1990s produced some tantalizing hints: farmers who kept grazing livestock out of part of their land in order not to disturb grave sites, the name of a person who took care of the cemetery (who had passed away before he could be interviewed), and memories of a visit to a site in a clearing in the woods where graves were marked with white wooden crosses.

But none of these leads resulted in pinning down the exact location, and no traces have been found at any of the locations investigated by park staff and volunteers.

One mystery was resolved by the interviews. It was known that twin boys in the Wilkes family had died in 1889 when they were only a few weeks old. A photo of the memorial marker can be found in "A History - Sunrise - Kost - Almelund" by Theodore Norelius.

The location where the marker once stood was known, but the marker was missing. By following leads uncovered through interviews, the marker was eventually found at the Wilkes family plot at Foster Cemetery in Wahkon, Minnesota. Family members had moved it there in 1959 from its original location.

A photograph found in a 1970s slide show about the St. Croix River shows a cemetery very similar to the description given in some of the interviews: white wooden crosses in a clearing not far from the edge of the bluff overlooking the St. Croix River.

Unfortunately there is no record of who produced the slide show or took the photograph, or where and when the photo was taken. It could have been anywhere along the St. Croix.

Park naturalist Dave Crawford would be pleased to hear from anyone who can supply useful information on the "lost" pioneer cemetery or any of the people who were laid to rest there.

He can be reached at Wild River State Park, 39797 Park Trail, Center City, MN 55012, or by e-mail at dave.crawford@dnr.state.mn.us.