Tag: Lone Fir Cemetary

Lots of Walks, Lots of Flowers

Dear Liza,

Portland late spring is FULL. Full of sunshine, full of flowers, full of long walks to enjoy both.

Last week, Cynthia and I took the bus to the river and walked along the West Bank. The Iris Garden even made the Marquam Bridge look pretty!

We walked clear to the Tilikum Bridge, then caught the B loop streetcar and then the number 15 back home. I was well and truly worn out. Lunch and a lay-down put me right.

Which is good, because Auntie Bridgett wanted some exercise! We walked through the Sunnyside neighborhood, enjoying the roses that are just popping out.


We got inspired to go visit the dead people at Lone Fir Cemetery. I felt sure I could find the grave of Eloisa McLoughlin Harvey, Dr. John McLoughlin’s (“The Father of Oregon”) daughter, having heard Tammy Williams describe where it was. Well, I didn’t find it. But the cemetery was gorgeous.

Later that evening, we walked out again for dinner at a local favorite, Bluto’s Greek food. Sidewalk tables made for good people and dog watching along with our delicious skewers and pickled veggies.

And, walking home, more roses!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Spring Visit to the Dead People

Dear Liza,

You know I love our local Pioneer Cemetery, Lone Fir. It has been used for over 150 years and always brings me peace and perspective.

In the spring, it is full of dandelions and dogwood blossoms, birdsong and baby squirrels.

The very, very dead folks seem to balance out the newness of spring, reminding us that all this newness comes and goes quickly. “Enjoy the beauty!” They whisper. “It’s gone in a blink!”

This year is shaping up to be one of many adventures. Camping with SOAK, art boothing with Auntie Bridgett, and maybe even a visit to you. It’s good to know I can carry the perspective of Lone Fir with me.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Walk-Through with the Dead

Dear Liza,

At the end of this month, I will volunteer to help the Lone Fir Cemetery with its Tour of Untimely Departures. And this week, we had our first walk-through.
Our leaders of the day were Margaret and Katie.

These two fine ladies walked our group of about 20 volunteers around Lone Fir, explaining how the tour will work. We followed each of the two routes (called North and South) and stopped by each of the graves where an actor will play the person who untimely departed (that usually means they died young).

A few of the actors were with us, to get the feel of things and practice their speeches. The actress who plays Maude McCroskey even came in costume and make up! She told her sad tale of being murdered by her abusive ex-husband, and we were all sad. But then she got to the part where HE became the last person executed in Multnomah County.

On a lighter note, the woman portraying Chloe Connelly Boone Curry told the story of her life, more than her death. She was the great granddaughter of Daniel Boone and came west with her family as a young woman. She became the first teacher in Oregon outside the mission system. She had the perfect demeanor for a teacher… sweet, loving, and with an strong backbone. She reminded me a little bit of myself.

Four graves are visited on each tour, with lots of interesting stories in between. The afternoon walk-through went well, and I look forward to our dress rehearsal next week and then the main event on October 28!

P.S. I couldn’t resist this picture of Margaret and a fellow ghoul admiring a brand new headstone made for a recently-passed fellow. The etched portrait and the leaves are so colorful!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A New Friend at Lone Fir

Dear Liza,

Yes, you remember correctly, Lone Fir is our local Pioneer Cemetery. It was first used in 1860 to bury Mr. Emmor Stevens on his family farm. It was used by just the family for a while, then Colburn Barrel bought the land to bury victims of a disaster in which his steamboat The Gazelle blew up, killing many people. Mr. Barrel felt so badly that he gave plots to bury the victims for free, including his friend and business partner, Crawford Dobbins.

And now there is a new friend, with a shiny, colorful headstone. Joel Weinstein was a local writer and publisher. He helped artists and authors thrive, publishing a magazine called Mississippi Mud. He published authors like Ursula K. LeGuin before they were famous, and promoted visual artists, as well. He was much appreciated by Portland.

When he got sick with lung cancer, he and his family moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it was warm and sunny so he could be more comfortable. He died there in 2008, but he was brought back to the city he loved, and buried in our Lone Fir Cemetery.

I love the color and whimsy of the decorations if his headstone. Playful skeletons, as in Day of the Dead art, seem to say that death is big, but spirit is bigger. Art is bigger. We don’t run from death, we acknowledge it and even play with it.

And because death will always win, we might as well enjoy the game.

Love,

Grandma Judy