Cassia-Twin Falls County ID Archives History .....Milner History July 26, 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Christine Story chrissy@magiclink.com and Lisa Martin July 31, 2006, 6:25 am Book Title: Liza Martin HIST 337 July 26, 2006 The Milner Cemetery Milner, Idaho was a boom town founded in 1903 with the beginning of the Milner Dam project. It began as a tent city housing the work crews, and later became a full fledge town with stores, hotels, a school, churches, and families. Milner was once the hub of social activity in South-central Idaho. However, although Milner had a favorable start as a resort town, it did not last. The town of Milner officially left the map in 1927 with the closing of the Post Office. All that remains today of the City by the Dam is the Milner State Bank vault and a small cemetery. An article in the Twin Falls Weekly News, highlighting the activities in Milner and praising the benefits of the Milner Dam, states: “The army of progress is marching through the land, singing triumphant songs of peace, prosperity, and good will. The victory is all the greater because it is bloodless, bringing to the human family gladness, hope and happiness.” The tiny cemetery on the slope to the south-west of the dam is a reminder that the victory over the desert through the completion of the Milner dam and canal system was not “bloodless.” Construction workers and pioneers both risked their lives to create the great irrigated empire of southern Idaho. The Milner cemetery contains twenty-two graves, designated with wooden head markers. Three of the twenty-two graves have engraved stones. The remaining graves are unnamed. In this paper I wish to give names to nineteen of the faceless graves in the forlorn cemetery by the great Milner Dam. Although the Milner town site began to take shape in 1903 and the construction of the dam was completed in 1905, I could find no records of burials in Milner until 1907 when construction on the North Side Canal began. It is probable that most of those who died at Milner before this time were construction workers recruited to do a job and therefore their remains were sent to their previous homes, as was often the custom. Much of the information I have gathered of burials in Milner has come from the Twin Falls newspaper, the Twin Falls Weekly News, which was not founded until October of 1904. Additional information has been gathered from headstones, Twin Falls coroner reports, Twin Falls County Court House Death Register, and the Lincoln County Death Index. The State of Idaho did not begin keeping death records until July of 1911, and the County records in a newly settled and somewhat isolated part of the state are understandably incomplete. With these limitations in mind, I will endeavor to accurately represent each of the individuals buried in the cemetery by the dam. The first burial I have found record of is of Elsie Grisham, died Aug. 6, 1907. The Twin Falls Weekly News reports: “Elsie, the 14 months’ old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Grisham, died on Tuesday morning of cholera infantum. The funeral was held Wednesday morning from the home of Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Larimer, internment in the Milner cemetery. The service was conducted by Rev, John Gourley and Undertaker H.E. Hunt directed the obsequies.” Cholera infantum is; “A common, non-contagious diarrhea of young children, occurring in summer or autumn. Death frequently occurred in 3 to 5 days.” Elsie is listed in the Twin Falls County Death Register; however her last name is spelled Gresham on this report. Elsie does have an engraved headstone. Sharing the headstone with Elsie Grisham is Alpha Davis died 1907. I could find no other information about Alpha. She is not listed in the Twin Falls County or Lincoln County Death Registers or the Twin Falls coroner’s reports. I found no mention of her in the newspaper, either. However, the Twin Falls Weekly News does report that “Mrs. W.A. Grisham’s mother and father Mr. and Mrs. Davis, and family have come to Milner to live.” It is my belief because of the shared stone that Alpha Davis is either a cousin or an aunt of Elsie’s. The Twin Falls Weekly News reports on Aug. 9, 1907: “One of the Greeks employed by the Faris-Kesl Construction company fell off the barge “Mary McLane” while unloading sand at the north side canal gates and was drowned. The body was recovered today.” The Twin Falls County Death Index lists a James Bokalis of Milner drowned on August 8, 1907. I believe Mr. Bokalis to be the drowned Greek. Both reports indicate that the death occurred in Milner, but neither state that the body is interned in the Milner cemetery. It is possible that Mr. Bokalis’ remains were sent to his family and buried elsewhere. Another Greek casualty occurred shortly after the death of Mr. Bokalis. The Twin Falls Weekly News, states: “The Greek who was injured by a blast on the canal work two weeks ago died last night from his injuries.” I believe this is the same canal worker who is remembered by Mrs. Bertha Belmont, in her Memoirs of Milner and the blasting of the north side canal: “After the explosives was carefully placed, public notices were spread, and announcements widely made as to the time it would be set off, with ample warning to the public. People came from far away to see and hear the big boom. ... Everyone stayed safely back except one workman who stood too close and was hit. He later died from the injury. “For the funeral, “Mother” Longenberger picked sweet peas from her garden and made a lovely floral pillow for the casket. Men placed the casket in the grocery delivery wagon – it made a fine hearse – and as the funeral procession passed by the store, the pallbearers walking behind the hearse, Bertha noticed that every one of them had a nice sweet pea in his buttonhole. To them this was a way of honoring their comrade. The man was buried in the cemetery south of the main canal where only a few others lay, several of them children.” The name of this unfortunate worker has not been remembered in either of these accounts, although it is clear that he had the respect and friendship of his co-workers and the other members of the Milner community. I had thought his name was forgotten forever, when I was very excited to find Epthemios Pantgori, a Greek, died September 5, 1907, in Milner, hit by rock blasting, in the Lincoln County Death Index. This must be the same man who was so caringly buried by his comrades in the Milner Cemetery. “A man by the name of Sullivan was found dead in Webb & Henry’s Saloon Tuesday morning. He was sitting upright in a chair and had evidently died some time during the night,”reports the Twin Falls Weekly News. According to the Twin Falls County Death Register, C. Sullivan died of heart failure on Dec. 10, 1907. The Twin Falls County Coroner’s Record confirms that Mr. Sullivan “died of natural causes,” and was “buried by local Undertaker of Milner.” A.E. Wolfe died of alcoholism on January 24, 1908. His death was not reported in the twin falls newspaper. However, the Twin Falls County Coroners Records state: “death due to heart failure due to excessive drinking.”No other information is available about Mr. Wolfe. On Feb. 13, 1908 the Twin Falls Weekly News reported the birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Mouatt, “the first child to be born on the Twin Falls North Side Land & Water company’s segregation. It is the hope of all the settlers that the boy may grow up to become governor of his native state.” However, the Twin Falls County Death Register lists a Baby Mowat of Milner died February 15, 1908, of assimilation. The spellings are not the same but this could easily be a clerical error. The Twin Falls News does not report the death of Baby Mowat or Baby Mouatt. It is also probable that Baby Mouatt was buried on his parent’s farm, rather than in the Milner cemetery. In 1908, tragedy again strikes the Grisham family. The Twin Falls Weekly News reports: “The infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Grisham was buried Sunday afternoon.” Neither the Twin Falls County Death Register nor the Twin Falls Coroner Report contains any information about Baby Grisham. However, I believe she is the sister of Elsie Grisham, listed above, and as such was buried in the Milner cemetery on April 7, 1908. Just one week after Baby Grisham’s funeral, follows the funeral of Baby Weldon. “The infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Weldon was buried Wednesday morning,” reports the Twin Falls Weekly News. Baby Weldon was buried April 15, 1908. For the third week in a row, the citizens of Milner had a funeral to attend. This one was for Fred H. Northmore. The Headline in the local news section of the Twin Falls Weekly News, reads “Drowned in the Canal at Milner” and reports: “A sad incident occurred in the death of F.H. Northmore, whose body was found in the South Side canal near the bridge at Milner early Monday morning, having been in the water for sometime. The coroner decided that occurred either through accident or suicide. The remains will be shipped to his former home in the east this evening. Undertaker H.E. Hunt prepared the remains for shipment.” The gets sadder, however, as it appears that Mr. Northmore’s family was not able to pay his fare home. The Twin Falls County Coroner’s records state: “Burial at Milner, citizens of Milner paid for the burial. Buried April 23, 1908. Age about 49 years.” On New Years Day, 1909, the Twin Falls Weekly News, reports: “The infant child of M. J. Coreoran of the first segregation died last week.” I can find no other reports of the child. It is very possible that Baby Coreoran was buried on its parent’s farm. However, it is also very possible that Baby Coreoran was brought to the Milner cemetery for burial. James M. Prisler or Presler died March 19, 1909, of lagrippe, which is influenza. His obituary reads: “James M. Prisler died at his home in Milner on Friday, March 19, aged 60 years. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Lamona Prisler, and eight children, four boys and four girls. The funeral occurred on Sunday afternoon from the residence, under the direction of H.E. Hunt & Co. The people of Milner sincerely sympathize with the sorrowing family in its bereavement.” Due to the report that the funeral took place “from” Mr. Prisler’s residence, I believe that he too, is buried in the Milner Cemetery. “Died – On Tuesday, January 11, 1910, Henry J. Grant, aged 50 years, very suddenly, at Milner, Idaho. He was taken very suddenly sick at Webb & Henry’s pool room at Milner, Monday evening. Dr. W.F. Duchett was called in and said he had a paralytic stroke. Coroner Charles J. walker was called up and after examining Wm. O. Daniels, James Bennett, Jas. Hippard, John Bolen, J.P. Smith and Frank Sizemore, they pronounced death due to paralysis. The doctor and Mr. Walker examined everything thoroughly and could find no indication of foul play. The funeral was held at Milner at 4p.m.” The Twin Falls County Coroner’s Records agree with the obituary except Mr. Grant is listed as Henry Brant. “Brant, Henry – Paralytic Stroke, Age about 50 years old. Buried Milner.” As the obituary was reported in The Twin Falls Times, and the Coroner, Mr. Walker, personally cared for the body, I tend to believe the Coroner’s Records that his name is Henry Brant. In the Milner Cemetery, laying side-by-side, are the Presslers. Their stone reads: James M. Pressler, born 1850, died 1911; Lonora S. Pressler, born 1860, died 1911. Unfortunately that is all the information I have been able to find about the Presslers. They are not listed in the Twin Falls County Death Register or the Twin Falls County Coroner Reports. I have also checked the Cassia County and Lincoln County Death Index’s, and have not found any mention of them. The only other grave in the Milner Cemetery with a stone is that of Frank M. Anzai. In the Twin Falls County Coroner Report, it is reported that Mr. Anzai was a Japanese man who died from alcoholism. James J. Lynch is reported in the Twin Falls County Coroner’s Report to have drowned in a canal on Nov. 3, 1911. He was 20 years old at the time of death, having been born on May 3, 1891. I was not able to find an obituary for Mr. Lynch. By 1911, Milner has disappeared from the local news. I was unable to find any Milner news in the Twin Falls Weekly News, The North Side News, The Lincoln County News, or the Burley News. Listed on a report of the Milner Cemetery is Monetta Robeson, born Nov. 6, 1911, died March 6, 1912. Monetta was four months old when she died. Listed on the same Milner Cemetery report as Monetta, is James L. Lynch, born December 28, 1858, died June 16, 1912. No further information is available about Mr. Lynch. However, it is entirely possible that he is the father of James J. Lynch who was drowned the previous year. The Milner Cemetery report states that there are “22 graves, all marked with wood head boards,” but only lists thirteen names of people interned there. The list is as follows: Anzai, Frank M. Brant, Henry Davis, Alpha Grisham, Elsie Lynch, James J. Lynch, James L. Northmore, Fred H. Pressler, James M. Pressler, S. Lonora Robeson, Monetta Sullivan, C. Weldon, Infant Daughter Wolfe, A.E. At the conclusion of this report, due to the information I have provided above, I wish to add the following names to the list of people buried in the Milner Cemetery: Bokalis, James, a Greek drowned August 8, 1907 Pantgori, Epthemios, a Greek hit by rock blasting, died September 5, 1907 Grisham, Infant daughter buried April 7, 1908 Prisler, James M., died of lagrippe, March 19, 1909 In addition to these names, I wish to add Baby Mowat and Baby Coreoran as early settlers and casualties in the name of empire building at the great Milner Idaho dam, whether buried in the Milner Cemetery or on the newly irrigated desert. The battle of Southern Idaho was fought between men and nature. It is apparent to the casual observer today, that man has won a victory over the desert. This victory was the result of ingenuity and determination. It did bring “to the human family gladness, hope and happiness,” but it was not without great sacrifice. The flesh and bones of many pioneers and visionaries lay beneath the desert sands before water ever caressed them. It is for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice that I have done the research to create this report, for the nineteen included in these pages and the many who are not. May they never be entirely forgotten, and may we ever be grateful of the life their lives have brought to our desert home. Additional Comments: Accompanies the Pictures of Milner Cemetery File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/cassia/history/other/milnerhi3nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/idfiles/ File size: 15.2 Kb