Lone Grave Traditional Cache

History
Highway 20 between Bear Valley and Nevada City largely follows the trace of the 1850 cutoff of the emigrant trail. Although it later became a toll road, and later a public turnpike, it was still referred to as the Old Emigrant Road. You can see signs of this road on either side of Highway 20 as it winds along Washington Ridge. The Pioneer Trail avoids most of the highway crossings, but many sections of the trail follow the trace of the old road. There are many historic sites along the way.

Lone Grave is the burial site of two-year-old Julius Apperson, who died in 1858. The Appersons were some of the first settlers along the Old Emigrant Road. In 1859, the family left the area, leaving the grave unmarked. A Nevada City resident erected a permanent marker and fence in 1863. Since then, volunteers have cared for the grave as a memorial to the many pioneers who lie buried in solitary, unmarked graves.