Rebecca Sonniksen
On a windy day in late May, volunteers from the High Prairie community gathered at “The Lone Pine” Hartland Cemetery for the Memorial Day clean-up. This normally serene setting was alive with the sounds of buzzing weedeaters and chain saws, as volunteers of all ages trimmed and weeded around the marble and granite stones dating back to the mid-1800’s.
Organized by Barbara Parrish for the Cemetery Board, the cleanup crew included HP residents Doug Taylor, Madelon & Rob Taylor, Sharon Edwards, Susan & Chris Sattem, Bill Stallings, David Strait, Scott & Rebecca Sonniksen, and Barbara & Ben Parrish. The Parrishes were aided by daughter Michelle Gallanger and children Lynnea Gallenger and Keith Gallanger, and their friends, Laura Atkin and Andy Busse.
It was a community effort that was also quite personal. For some, the names on the stones were family or neighbors. For others, these pioneering family names were recognizable by road names like Morris Road, Harms Road, and Schilling Road, or by landmarks, like Stacker Butte named after the Stacker family.
As the overgrown grasses and weeds were cleared, the hardships of living on the high prairie also became clear. Among the impressive granite markers, with names that included Kure, McCoy, Dickerson, Berry, Taylor, Clark, Stacker, and Morris, were those smaller white marble stones etched with lambs and doves, marked simply, “Our Baby” or “Our Son” or “Our Mother.”
Now, thanks to High Prairie families and friends, these stories will continue to resonate with the community.
