Graveyards of the Wild West: California

Explores the state's rich history through its forgotten cemeteries, where pioneers, miners, and outlaws rest.

California is one of several states that make up the Wild West in the United States. It was first established as a U.S. a territory in 1848. The state that would become California was, like so much of the West, originally inhabited by Native Americans and, in the sixteenth century, colonized by Spain as part of Mexico. After the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the United States acquired the land that eventually became Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. As with other Southwest states, precious metals were found in the late nineteenth century, and pioneers, miners, cowboys, and outlaws converged on "The Golden State." California attained statehood in 1850. Of course, with an influx of residents comes a new need for graveyards. The cemeteries of the pioneer and mining towns carry on even as the towns have fallen to ruins. Many California graveyards linger in obscurity in out-of-the-way places (Garlock-Goler, Keeler), while others are popular tourist attractions (Bodie). Regardless of their conditions, the cemeteries offer powerful and precious reminders of California's wild history. Graveyards of the Wild West: California invites you to learn not only about California's past, but to see it and meet the people whose spirit of adventure led them to live and die in an idyllic and untamed territory.