The Old Wooden Gravestone LbNA #75683
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Add Location| Owner: | Hello From Bakersfield  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Aug 7, 2021 |
| Location: | Shandon Cemetery |
| City: | Shandon |
| County: | San Luis Obispo |
| State: | California |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | NonMuggleFam |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Mar 26, 2023 |
| Status: | FF |
| Last edited: | Aug 9, 2021 |
Head to the Shandon Cemetery. The Shandon Cemetery is located on a hill just east of the town of Shandon over looking Highway 46. From US 101, take State Route 46 East to the second Shandon town site turnoff. Take immediate left on Cemetery Road. This pioneer cemetery is situated on about an acre of land surrounded by open chaparral, farmland and vineyards. The cemetery appears all but abandoned upon first glance.
The Shandon area is rich in history. As you stand at the top of the hill on which the cemetery is placed, look out over the highway to the hills. As far as the eye can see these lands used to be ranched and farmed initially by the San Miguel Mission and then later sold privately and was at one time called the Cholame Rancho. In the 1917 book, History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, California by Annie L. Stringfellow Morrison, biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county and area are written. These local pioneers are forgotten in present times.
Walk into the cemetery and observe the gravesites. You will find it not abandoned at all and even recent burials from 2020. There are antique gravesites with civil war soldiers and look for one on the far right of the cemetery, SSGT Ambrose Speer. He was in the U.S. Air Force and present for WWII, Korea and Vietnam conflicts!
There are several old wooden gravestones in this cemetery and we cannot know who was buried there as time has whittled the wood down to almost toothpicks. Head to the east of the cemetery towards the back near a fancy metal fence enclosure and look for one of these wooden gravestones next to a plain cement curved bench. Sit down at the curved cement bench facing west and give greetings to Rafael Ochoa in front of you. To your right is an old wooden marker that is worn down but a metal marker in front of it marks this as the grave of Mercedes Tomasson who died in 1912.
Take 12 steps from the bench north to the front of the metal gate.
The metal gate area is for the Meng family. Sebastian and Anna and their son, Albert and his wife, Etta.
This is one of the most expensive and elaborate markers in the cemetery and upon reading Morrison’s book, it was found out that Meng was a powerful land owning family of Swiss extraction. Sebastian Meng brought is family to San Luis Obispo County in 1886. They amassed a great amount of land and farmed as well as raised Durham cattle and English Shire horses. Their brand was an M with a quarter circle above it. Albert Meng married into the Truesdale family by marrying Mrs. Julia Railing Truesdale, who went by Etta. Etta’s first husband, Mr. Truesdale died. Etta had had 5 children with Mr. Truesdale and with the move to San Luis Obispo county from Ohio, these children set up the Truesdale name in the area. Look for the Truesdales in this cemetery. They are Etta’s family.
Turn and face an old tree within the confines of the metal gate. In the stump of the tree look down and remove the rocks from the stump. Beyond the rocks, you will find the Old Wooden Gravestone letterbox.
Hike length: 0.1 miles
The Shandon area is rich in history. As you stand at the top of the hill on which the cemetery is placed, look out over the highway to the hills. As far as the eye can see these lands used to be ranched and farmed initially by the San Miguel Mission and then later sold privately and was at one time called the Cholame Rancho. In the 1917 book, History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, California by Annie L. Stringfellow Morrison, biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county and area are written. These local pioneers are forgotten in present times.
Walk into the cemetery and observe the gravesites. You will find it not abandoned at all and even recent burials from 2020. There are antique gravesites with civil war soldiers and look for one on the far right of the cemetery, SSGT Ambrose Speer. He was in the U.S. Air Force and present for WWII, Korea and Vietnam conflicts!
There are several old wooden gravestones in this cemetery and we cannot know who was buried there as time has whittled the wood down to almost toothpicks. Head to the east of the cemetery towards the back near a fancy metal fence enclosure and look for one of these wooden gravestones next to a plain cement curved bench. Sit down at the curved cement bench facing west and give greetings to Rafael Ochoa in front of you. To your right is an old wooden marker that is worn down but a metal marker in front of it marks this as the grave of Mercedes Tomasson who died in 1912.
Take 12 steps from the bench north to the front of the metal gate.
The metal gate area is for the Meng family. Sebastian and Anna and their son, Albert and his wife, Etta.
This is one of the most expensive and elaborate markers in the cemetery and upon reading Morrison’s book, it was found out that Meng was a powerful land owning family of Swiss extraction. Sebastian Meng brought is family to San Luis Obispo County in 1886. They amassed a great amount of land and farmed as well as raised Durham cattle and English Shire horses. Their brand was an M with a quarter circle above it. Albert Meng married into the Truesdale family by marrying Mrs. Julia Railing Truesdale, who went by Etta. Etta’s first husband, Mr. Truesdale died. Etta had had 5 children with Mr. Truesdale and with the move to San Luis Obispo county from Ohio, these children set up the Truesdale name in the area. Look for the Truesdales in this cemetery. They are Etta’s family.
Turn and face an old tree within the confines of the metal gate. In the stump of the tree look down and remove the rocks from the stump. Beyond the rocks, you will find the Old Wooden Gravestone letterbox.
Hike length: 0.1 miles