Welcome to the Union Pioneer Calvary Cemetery!
We adopted the original Spirit Quest cache from SirKarp in April 2025; it had a good nine year run as a traditional with 400 logged finds and nine favorite points. We thank him for the historical information noted below. To add to the caching inventory, we're archiving the original and introducing a Letterbox Hybrid.
When you drive into this cemetery, you will need to drive through the Mills and Mills Funeral Home and Memorial Park. Continue to the left and you'll enter the historic Union Pioneer Calvary Cemetery. This cemetery was formally dedicated in 1867; with a few burials from the early 1850s as well.
The back portion of this cemetery, where the cache is located, started out as the Pioneer Calvary Cemetery. Established in 1873, this was the first Catholic cemetery in the area. It remained separated from the front portion of the cemetery until 1909, when a new cemetery was established on Cleveland Ave. At that time, the burials from the Pioneer Calvary Cemetary were exhumed and moved to the new location, which allowed the Union Cemetery to expand into that area.
The cemetery fell into disuse, and by the 1970s had suffered from periodic vandalism and had become overgrown. In 1975, there was a movement to get the city of Tumwater to take action to preserve the cemetery, and in 1977 the city took over ownership. The merged Union Pioneer Calvary Cemetery was operated as a cemetery permitting new burials until 1991 when it was closed to new burials. The city, teamed with students and local organizations, completed a major cleanup in 1992. The city still maintains the cemetery.
While there are no posted hours, please limit your search during daylight hours only. The neighboring cemetery is active and can be very busy. Be aware that you may see mourners or other visitors who might not understand our geocaching game. The cache is NOT located on or near any graves. This should be an easy find and the hint will lead you right to it.
This is a Letterbox Hybrid and there is a stamp in the container; it is not an item intended for trade and is meant to remain in the cache so that visitors can use it to record their visit. While, this is a self-inking stamp, you may need to bring your own stamp pad if you intend to stamp your own book.
Please return the container to its original hiding spot.