Klondyke Pioneer Cemetery

Klondyke Pioneer Cemetery

The Klondyke Cemetery is where the Powers Family, of Powers Cabin Shootout fame, is buried.

I had intended to stop here on my May visit to the Turkey Creek Cliff Dwelling and the east end of Aravaipa, but was not sure where the cemetery was. This time, I knew. There is no place to park, so my wife dropped me off, and I made my way up the hill to the cemetery. (Some fences may have been involved … :mrgreen: )

I found 14 graves, three unmarked. Only nine are listed on Find-A-Grave, of which three — Frank Landsman, Joseph Gosnold Bleak and Fidencio Moraga “Phil” Quijada — I did not find. I wonder if they are the three unmarked graves? The most recent marked grave was a 1981 burial for a Vietnam vet. The cemetery had a nice gate, with a small picnic area outside. Nice views of the ranches in the valley — which the topo says is part of Aravaipa Canyon — Klondyke and the Galiuros.

Afterwards, we headed up to the TNC property at Cobra Ranch for a presentation by the manager, Mark Haberstich. He said that Aravaipa’s watershed is 520,000 acres in the Pinalenos, Galiuros, and Santa Teresa’s, but that 40% of the flow comes from just 20,000 acres in the Santa Teresa’s. They are working on restoring native grasses, which should help increase the water table. Also, as we would later find out, the wild turkey introduction has been doing so well that some of them have managed to migrate all the way west to the San Pedro River.

Distance: 1.46 miles

AEG: 164 ft


Cemetery Video

Klondyke Cemetery from Preston McMurry on Vimeo.