A Remote Desert Grave - The Hunt for Susan Coon

[Sagebrush Reconnoiterer]

In the lonely reaches of northern Nevada, there is path once utilized by emigrants to make new lives in northeastern California and Oregon called the Lassen-Applegate Trail. Along the way are found lonely graves of men, women and children. Few are marked. But there is one marked grave not far from my home, a woman named Susan Coon, who died bearing a child. Not only is her grave found, but there are two others within yards. These are of two prospectors who were attacked and killed by native peoples just shy of two years after. Come and join my search for Susan Coon.

 

[Sagebrush Reconnoiterer]

Addendum: At the cemetery in the semi ghost town of Unionville, 26 miles southeasterly, is the grave of the wife of James Bailey. Her stone reads:

"IN MEMORY OF DOCIA LUCAS BAILEY
19 MAR. 1830 - 7 OCT. 1863
WIFE OF JAMES BAILEY
KILLED BY INDIANS
8 JULY 1862"

I first found and photographed her grave the year previous to my search for Susan Coon's grave. A couple years later, when going through photo files I found it again and thus solved my quandary if Cook and Bailey were those killed by native peoples.

I have revisited the site of the graves several times in the years since my first visit.

 

[ski3pin]

I would like to give a hearty welcome to WTW to our friend, the Sagebrush Reconnoiterer. He has been frequently mentioned in our blog. With his incredible historical research skills and memory, he has sent Julie and me on many treasure hunts. In response to our InReach "Camped here for the night" messages, we often receive a reply back along these lines, "Since you're in the area, you might look for..........." As I said, many treasure hunts.

Here is our trip to the lonely grave along the Overland Trail -

Northwest Nevada - May 2022

More recently, he send us down the rugged eastern escarpment of the Panamint Mountains to find this -

The story is here -

Death Valley - April 2023

Sagebrush Reconnoiterer, welcome to Wander the West!

 

[Sagebrush Reconnoiterer]

Thank you for the welcome!

An aside, the trip reports I'm currently putting up are my old website files (1999-2018), but converted to .pdf format. I've plenty more trips to tell about.