Yuma Pioneer Cemetery

Crosses and stones will
bear witness to lives lived here
in Arizona

~ carliewired

It is neither the first nor the oldest cemetery in the city of Yuma. The entrance sign explains that it was started June 24, 1895. If you check the Find-A-Grave website you will see that it is described as in poor condition. There are more than 5000 graves in this cemetery that is apparently owned by the city of Yuma. It is in current use.

I was a bit surprised to see that some plots have been tended with great care. Some even have green grass which is a rare commodity in the Sonoran Desert. Some headstones are elaborate, while others are aged wood without inscription. I have never seen so many artificial flowers in one place before.

Although there are signs indicating sections to the cemetery, it would seem that there has been no consistency as to what can be planted or how the graves are to be configured. It was, overall, a little chaotic to me. There didn't seem to be much attention to weeding or grooming, in general. I wondered what role the city of Yuma played.

We found some shade under a large salt cedar where we could park the truck while we wandered around. Little birds flittered in and around the headstones.
We were curious to know who had left a painted rock at so many gravesites. Was this the contribution of just one person or has it become a local custom to decorate graves in that way?

As the temperature rose past 80 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided to end our tour and go find a large lemonade.