Spent a couple of hours at the 1st townsite this morning to hunt between two streets where houses once stood. As I went to the area I wanted to hunt, I found a nice 1900 V nickel. I started my long zig zag pattern and found the tool tag, lead ornament, hose bib valve handle, and what I think is a WWI collar pin.
Since it was getting hot, I started to swing back to the truck, and got a very nice high tone and dug this plate. After I cleaned it off a bit I realized it was a grave marker
First one ever!
WTH? So was someone buried here
A man that we got to know was driving by to get his mail, so I showed it to him. He was familiar with the last name, and told me his family was friends with Benjamin's son who lived at the townsite. I have a relative who is a historic researcher at the library, and she found, and printed off the obit for Benjamin F Ketchum, WY pioneer.
The family is well known in Sheridan, and by using the name I was able to pinpoint the home he lived in at the townsite, with a map key where a last name is associated with a number.
In this case it was house #80 (circled) that can be seen at the center of the pic, and where I found the grave marker. What we can gather is that dad (Benjamin) had come to live with his son in house #80, but we're not sure if he worked at the mine. We think that he was buried at the townsite cemetery a half mile to the east, where this grave marker apparently was. His casket was later moved to another cemetery in a nearby small town after his wife passed on there. We think that the son had this marker with him at house #80, but must have lost it, or left it in the house when it was abandoned and possibly destroyed.
My goal is to clean it up, and see if I can return it to a close family member. His son had died in the early 2000's, but I think his siblings are still around. The local historical society wants to look at it since theyre in the process of cleaning up the townsite cemetery, and making repairs.
Thanks for looking, and HH!
Since it was getting hot, I started to swing back to the truck, and got a very nice high tone and dug this plate. After I cleaned it off a bit I realized it was a grave marker
First one ever!WTH? So was someone buried here
A man that we got to know was driving by to get his mail, so I showed it to him. He was familiar with the last name, and told me his family was friends with Benjamin's son who lived at the townsite. I have a relative who is a historic researcher at the library, and she found, and printed off the obit for Benjamin F Ketchum, WY pioneer.The family is well known in Sheridan, and by using the name I was able to pinpoint the home he lived in at the townsite, with a map key where a last name is associated with a number.
In this case it was house #80 (circled) that can be seen at the center of the pic, and where I found the grave marker. What we can gather is that dad (Benjamin) had come to live with his son in house #80, but we're not sure if he worked at the mine. We think that he was buried at the townsite cemetery a half mile to the east, where this grave marker apparently was. His casket was later moved to another cemetery in a nearby small town after his wife passed on there. We think that the son had this marker with him at house #80, but must have lost it, or left it in the house when it was abandoned and possibly destroyed.
My goal is to clean it up, and see if I can return it to a close family member. His son had died in the early 2000's, but I think his siblings are still around. The local historical society wants to look at it since theyre in the process of cleaning up the townsite cemetery, and making repairs.
Thanks for looking, and HH!
