Desert Graves

Summary

Arizona is an interesting place. Even today, there is much remote country, and as I’ve wandered through its deserts and forests (yes, we have forests!), I have been surprised by how many times I’ve come across cemeteries and graves in the most out-of-the-way and unexpected places. I did a survey of place names on Arizona’s topographical maps and found a total of 147 named cemeteries, but I also found 9 places where there was just a “grave” or “graves” shown (I know there are many more than that, though – most are obscure and unknown). Here’s one that’s well-known to desert travelers. Located along the infamous Camino del Diablo, it’s shown on the map as O’Neill’s Grave. It sits in O’Neill Pass in the middle of the O’Neill Hills. It is said that one Dave O’Neill, a prospector, died in 1916 and was buried here. Passers-by leave coins and even bullets on the grave, maybe for good luck? US, Mexican and even Euro coins have been left there. O’Neill’s grave. Offerings. There’s an obscure memorial to the Oatman family hidden deep in the desert. If you know where to find it, here’s what you’d see. Oatman family memorial. The plaque Sometimes, there’s just a simple marker like this one, a cross remembering someone with the initials CMB, who apparently lived from June of 1912 to April of 1996. This was found atop the remotest of summits in the Clanton Hills. I have been to places in the desert that bring to mind a possible death, but all I knew for certain was the curious name without any details. Deadman Gap; Charlie Died Well; Cemetery Ridge; Suicide Valley; Skeleton Mesa; Dead Mexican Creek; Slaughter Mountain; Canyon del Muerto; Skull Canyon. One of my favorite parts of the state is the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. There are many small villages there, each with its own graveyard. It was obvious that, as a people, they highly respect their dead. It is their custom each year on November 1, the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, to go to every burial place on thei...