Parking is readily available a few hundred feet east of the cache at the Historic Dougherty Farm. When you Approach the cemetery (and the cache) please walk though the field, it is not necessary or safe to walk on this stretch of road. Please only search for this cache during DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY as the cemetery and parking area close at dusk. While you are here please take your time and look around, and enjoy all of the history here, since the cemetery has been inactive since the early 1900's it is unlikely that you will run into any mourners, but please be respectful of the grounds and any possible visitors that might not understand what we are doing. The cache is NOT located near any graves.
This cache is in honor of the historic Cherry Valley Pioneer Cemetery. Placed with the permission of the Duvall Historical Society. Please visit their website for more information Click Here Parking is readily available at the History Dougherty Farm just east of the cemetery and the cache.
Photo of Cemetery sign taken by Acclaidia and uploaded on 8-23-10
This cemetery was the first cemetery for the Cherry Valley area. The land was donated by James O'Leary in 1886, it was believed to be a good location up on the hill to avoid flooding so common in the valley.
The first burial in the cemetery came from the town of Tolt (since renamed Carnation) unfortunately their name and burial location have long since been lost. The second burial is believed to have been Annie Duvall, second wife of the town's namesake James Duvall.
As it turned out flood waters were not a problem but the very high water table. It was very common for the grave digger to have to bail water out of a newly dug grave before a burial. Due to this water problem the cemetery was abandoned sometime between 1902 and 1905.
From 1909 though 1910 the Great Northern Railroad excavated a portion of the hill (where highway 203 now runs below the hill). About 20 bodies were moved at that time, many of them to the nearby Novelty cemetery.
After the site was abandon the cemetery records were kept by John Clark, who stored them in the attic of his home. In 1919 all the records were lost when his home burned to the ground.
As time passed the cemetery was nearly forgotten and became heavily over grown. The site was donated to the Duvall Historical Society by Bill Trulson, who had been maintaining it for his mother Edit Trulson prior to her death.
In 1994 with the help of the Eagle Scouts and American Legion #411 a massive clean up effort was made, all of the brush and under growth was taken out. In 2009 with the financial help of the Rotary Club of Duvall, a white picket fence now in closing the grounds was built and ground imaging was done. It was long believed only 11 graves remained, that most had been moved during the excavation by the Great Northern. However the ground imagining lead to a major discovery that instead of the 11 there were at least 44 graves. Only 2 appear to be still marked and only one, Mr. Pinkerton is still readable. Unfortunately with the records lost in the fire we may never know the names of any of the residents of this site.
When you Approach the cemetery (and the cache) please walk though the field, it is not necessary or safe to walk on this stretch of road. Please only search for this cache during DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY as the cemetery and parking area close at dusk. While you are here please take your time and look around, and enjoy all of the history here, since the cemetery has been inactive since the early 1900's it is unlikely that you will run into any mourners, but please be respectful of the grounds and any possible visitors that might not understand what we are doing. The cache is NOT located near any graves.
8-23-2014. Cherry Valley Pioneer Cemetery changed it's name to Spirit Quest - Cherry Valley Pioneer Cemetery thus officially becoming a part of my Spirit Quest Series of Cemetery caches.
Congratulations goes to logfinders as the first to find.