landowner,
suspecting an emigrant grave, immediately called in local archaeologists
to do the excavation. Snodderly had been buried in a full casket, which
was most unusual for trail burials. The casket had since disintegrated.
Inside the grave, however, a headstone was found bearing the name Quintina
Snodderly. Although the stone had been fully scored, it was never completed.
That it was then buried adds to the many unknowns about this burial.
No diary references to Quintina Snodderly could be found. However, Bill and Kathy Fritts refused to give up. Whenever they traveled, they checked the phone book for Snodderlys. They finally found Quintina’s elderly grandson living in Scio, Oregon. According to the family Bible, Quintina died on June 25, 1852. She, her husband, and eight children were moving to Oregon with their "hell fire and brimstone" preacher, Joab Powell.
What caused Snodderly’s death remains unknown. Because her ribs were crushed, it was originally believed she had fallen under the wagon. Subsequent study, however, suggests the ribs became crushed when the grave collapsed. Snodderly’s remains were placed in a simple wooden casket and reburied in 1987 by the Oregon-California Trails Association.
National Park
Service Comprehensive Management Plan
The NPS CMP recommends that a replica of the headstone be placed at
the site.
No known threats. The site is not listed on the National Register.
Ownership
Private. [Dennis and Brenda Ford, 12333 Geary Dome Road, Evansville,
WY 82636. (307) 789-5616]
Directions
Natrona County, Wyoming. T34N/R77W
Located about five
miles west of the Ada Magill grave,
the Snodderly grave is not easy to find
.
From the Magill site, turn north off Highway 20/26/87 onto County Road
21 (Coal Shadow Road). Go about one mile across the river and railroad
tracks. Turn west on an unnamed county road and proceed about 3.2 miles
to a gate on the left.
Or, from I-25, exit on the Hat Six Road, turn north and cross the river. Continue 2.5 miles to Geary Dome Road. Turn right and proceed five miles to a gate on the right. Drive through the gate and proceed .3 mile to the bottom of the hill. At the log house there, ask for permission to visit the grave.
Additional Information
Randy Brown & Reg Duffin, "Quintina Snodderly," GRAVES
AND SITES ON THE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TRAILS", pp. 54-55
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