Mildly Spooky Cemetery Walk

 

The past is a ghost, the future a dream and all we ever have is now. 

Nothing says Halloween more than a nice walk … through a cemetery … after dark!  However, we've been known to walk through many cemeteries searching for gravestones of ancestors.   We’ve also been known to walk through cemeteries in search of ghosts!  This one was totally different.  The ghosts talked to us and shared their life story from the time they left the east coast and traveled across country to the Pacific Northwest.

A guide and lanterns illuminated the way through this mildly spooky historical presentation. We met some of the historic people from Clark County’s past, who are current residents of Vancouver’s Old City Cemetery.  Some knew exactly where they had been buried and others weren’t quite sure.  They just knew they belonged there and were in constant search of just exactly where.

We learned about the speed of the wagon trains taking 7 months to get their destination. That was a long trip but it was made in super fast speed – only 7 months.  We learned the wagon masters recommended the travelers take several pairs of shoes as they probably would wear them out walking.  They did!  Land grants were given away in this area but with the land grants came problems with the Hudson’s Bay Company, the French, the Indians and the weather.

We listened to the story of the only person to be “legally” hung but he was innocent.  Or, so he told us.  We  heard another story from a boy who had drowned and yet another from a soldier who was killed the day before Armistice. His body was brought back by his family to bury close to them.  

We learned of a grandson who searched for his grandmother and eventually discovered where she had been put.  She was moved next to her daughter and given a proper headstone.  The grandmother was a “nurse” who served in the Civil War.  However, she explained that she wasn’t really a nurse.  The nurses during that time period had to be older and plain so as not to tempt the men they were nursing.

In other words, we had a great time.  We met Tammi and her family at PANDA EXTRESS for a quick meal and then we were off to the cemetery.  The “ghosts” were in costumes and played their parts well.  What a fascinating way to teach history.  I bet if schools did it this way, the students would certainly be interested and remember more. 

We asked our RV neighbors, Steve and Carol to join us but they had other plans in the works.  Steve had some idea about installing a new gadget he had just received in the mail.  Carol was playing tennis.

We did discover a few things about dear ole’ Steve.  He was in Vietnam the same time Terry was.  He was also in Cam Ranh Bay the same time Terry was.  Carol and I sat around and listened to war stories of the many things they both remembered happening.  It was a fun and interesting evening.