Elisha B Smith's Grave A teamster in the Mormon Battalion |
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On December 6, 1846, Elisha Smith died. From the
description of the Camp site given by Sgt. Daniel Tyler*, Marvin W.
Follett began his search for Elisha’s grave on the Christiansen Ranch,
12 miles west of Douglas. The next time Follett saw Albert Christiansen,
he asked him about a grave being on the ranch. Christiansen’s comment
was, “You did not find it because you were looking for a grave, covered
lengthwise with rocks the size of a football, black in color as if burned
by a fire, right?” Christiansen went on to say that when his father
homesteaded the ranch in 1880, the grave was found. The area was fenced
for a horse pasture. Before his death, Albert’s father asked him to take
care of the grave as it was a Christian grave. In 1945, the gas pipe line
went through the area. Albert would not give them a right-of-way until
they promised not to destroy the grave. However, the line men did removed
the rocks from the grave to weigh the line down across a creek. Albert
showed Follett the grave and wagon tracks that were there in 1880 when the
fence was built. Later Follett built a iron rail around the grave and
erected a concrete marker with Elisha Smith and the date of his death. |
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Elisha B Smith's Grave A teamster in the Mormon Battalion |
|
On December 6, 1846, Elisha Smith died. From the
description of the Camp site given by Sgt. Daniel Tyler*, Marvin W.
Follett began his search for Elisha’s grave on the Christiansen Ranch,
12 miles west of Douglas. The next time Follett saw Albert Christiansen,
he asked him about a grave being on the ranch. Christiansen’s comment
was, “You did not find it because you were looking for a grave, covered
lengthwise with rocks the size of a football, black in color as if burned
by a fire, right?” Christiansen went on to say that when his father
homesteaded the ranch in 1880, the grave was found. The area was fenced
for a horse pasture. Before his death, Albert’s father asked him to take
care of the grave as it was a Christian grave. In 1945, the gas pipe line
went through the area. Albert would not give them a right-of-way until
they promised not to destroy the grave. However, the line men did removed
the rocks from the grave to weigh the line down across a creek. Albert
showed Follett the grave and wagon tracks that were there in 1880 when the
fence was built. Later Follett built a iron rail around the grave and
erected a concrete marker with Elisha Smith and the date of his death. |
|
|
