AMERICAN FORK CANYON — The white picket fence that used to protect the graves of those who lie buried in Graveyard Flat is gone.
It appears campers using one of the most rugged areas of American Fork Canyon have used the small wooden slats for firewood.
Snowmobilers and ATV riders have driven over what was left, and now even the fence posts are gone.
Nothing remains but a worn wooden sign at the site where there are at least 16 unmarked graves — graves of children and adults who died of diptheria or of injuries sustained in the mines adjacent to the one-time community of Forest City.
"There are no headstones. There's nothing. There's not a shred of the fence left," said Pleasant Grove Ranger District spokeswoman Pam Gardner. "I think it's just outrageous."
Gardner believes people either don't realize the historic cemetery is there or they don't care because not only do vehicles run over the graves but some visitors even camp right on top of the graves.
"We're hoping by getting the word out we can stop some of this," Gardner said.
The so called Graveyard Flat cemetery has at least 16 people, including 11 children, buried there, with some graves actually outside the fence's perimeter. Most succumbed to diptheria during an epidemic during the winter of 1872, a time when there was no doctor in the tiny community and no easy access to medical care.
Men from the Johnston's Army encampment in Fairfield first searched the canyon in the early 1860s for gold, lead and silver. Eventually a mining boom brought people to the mouth of Shaffer Fork about 15 miles east of the mouth of the canyon and built the community of Forest City located next to the Sultana Smelter. Forest City also served as a lumber town with several working sawmills. A narrow gauge railroad line ran from Deer Creek to Forest City to haul out the ore and lumber. There were about 150 permanent residents living there with about 3,000 that passed through over the years.
The cemetery is northwest of the former Forest City site. Those believed to be buried there, according to research done by Charmaine Thompson, Uinta National Forest archaeologist, include:
The children of Frank and Sarah Birk — James Frank Birk, Albert Birk and James Birk.
Frank Dockleman's wife.
Alex Teirnina's first wife.
A miner killed at the Silver Dipper mine.
A miner killed in an explosion at Bay State mine.
A snowslide casualty.
Beyond the names and the circumstances of their deaths, precious little is known about the graveyard's occupants. One account said miners "and a few Indians" are buried there.
No one is sure just how big the cemetery was or the exact locations of the graves.
"Someone just guessed and put that pretty little white picket fence in," Gardner said. "Now it's gone."
A 1971 Forest Service report said the preservation of Forest City should be a number one priority. Thompson said that document was part of an overall effort to gather information about the canyon's history and since that time, Forest City has been mapped and recorded. Some test excavations have also been done.
"We found there is quite a bit still there, foundations of buildings and such," Thompson said. "But other than that, we've not done much."
Thompson said the quality of the road into the area deteriorated and the goals for the canyon shifted focus to canyon areas more accessible to families and visitors.
"We're looking very seriously at putting the fence back up, though," Gardner said.
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