Pioneer Cemetery, Coloma

It'll be no surprise that there is a pioneer cemetery in Coloma. What did surprise us is that it is perhaps the best one we've visited. Lots of great stones here.

I suppose that the folks here made money gold prospecting. Yet, there are lots of markers here dated to long after the surface gold found here was gone.

It seems it was a thriving community with an Odd Fellows and a Mason's lodge. Naturally, there were people here from many countries.

And there were tragedies documented here as is the case in all cemeteries.

There is even a rich family that erected an iron fence around their plot to show off their wealth.

The fence and it's finials are replete with the usual Victorian symbolism of weeping willows and draped urns. 

the weeping willow is a pretty common motif in this cemetery. This is an especially well done instance of this symbol.