St. Joseph Cemetery in Foresthill

            Shortly after the discovery of gold in Coloma, Ca in January 1848, the largest human migration in history began to form. People from all over the world heard of the rich ore deposits in the Sierra Mountains on the eastern border of California. Hoping to secure wealth and freedom, people flooded the canyons carved out by the three branches of the American River and its tributaries. Just two rugged mountainous divides away from Coloma was what became known as the Foresthill Divide and the town of Foresthill.

           By 1857 thousands of Europeans, including many Irish, had settled in the area. There was need for a Catholic Church and Cemetery. Accordingly, Dennis and Bridget Hyland deeded three acres of land to Archbishop Alemany on December 26, 1857 for five dollars.

         On this land, which is along Foresthill Road just east of Foresthill, less than a year later, Fr. Thomas Dalton blessed the first Catholic Church in Placer County. The church was on the east end of the property. The oldest surviving tombstone is dated July 27, 1858. The Cemetery remains the only active Catholic cemetery in Placer County.

         The original church collapsed under the weight of snow in 1885. A new church was built upon land just west of the cemetery. On a Sunday after a Mass prayed by Fr. Ronan Brennan in 1952, that church burned down. A young George C. Grant was the altar server. It is believed any records of burials which may have been kept prior to the fire were consumed along with the church.

           Many of the older grave plots are decorated or marked by ornamental brick iron. Much of the iron was stolen in 1996. Fortunately, most all of it was recovered and reset in place by dedicated volunteers.
Henry J. Ford and his family are buried in the cemetery. He was the uncle of Henry Ford of Ford Motor Company. Uncle Henry owned a blacksmith shop in Foresthill.

          In the 1980s the cemetery, after years of neglect, was overgrown with brush and trees. Members of Foresthill’s American Legion Post 587, led by Gene Thomason, Frank Nafziger, and Fred Travnikar worked many hours to clear the land and perform long overdue maintenance.

          In 2007, led by SK Ron Roussey, members of the Knights of Columbus Council 6149 took over management and maintenance of the cemetery. Burial plots were surveyed and marked. Sales of plots generated funds to continue much needed maintenance work. Records of plots and burials are maintained in St. Joseph Parish Office in Auburn.
In December of 2014 an “Endowment Fund” was established for the cemetery. The fund requires part of the purchase price of each plot to be set aside for future needs. It is maintained by the Diocese of Sacramento. Parochial Administrator Carlo Tejano, Deacon Mark Ruiz, and SK Ron Roussey signatures formally established the fund.

          Today the cemetery is known for the spectacular and iconic chainsaw carvings of an angel, the Holy Family and a Johannine Crucifix. The carvings were the inspiration of SK Ron Roussey and Pastor Emeritus Cesar Ageas. The creativity and hard work of Jeff Turpin brought them into being as he turned fourteen foot tall stumps of Douglas fir trees into works of phenomenal art.
Not just Catholics but anyone who is not a known anti-Christ may be interred in the cemetery.
 
SK Ron Roussey, Manager
St. Joseph Cemetery.
March 19, 2017
 
Sources:
“Catholic in the Gold Country” Copyright 1986. St. Joseph Parish
Frank Nafriger, Lecture to Foresthill Historical Society, June 22, 1999