DUANE
Duane's take
The marker's got the story, and here's my telling of it — so let me set the scene for you. About a mile and a half west of where you're sitting right now, on the south bank of Shafter Lake, there's a cemetery that most of the world has driven right past without ever knowing it was there. Established just after the turn of the century, two miles south of what used to be the settlement of Shafter Lake — a settlement that, I'll note, no longer exists.
The land out here has a way of swallowing things whole. The cemetery carries the name of Colonel William R. Shafter, born 1835, died 1906, who led a military expedition through this very region back in 1875.
That's the kind of country this was — wild enough to require a military expedition just to move through it. Now, the cemetery didn't start as a grand civic project. It became, quietly and by necessity, a resting place for the residents of remote ranches and for travelers passing through land that had precious little in the way of towns or help if things went wrong.
The oldest legible gravestones still standing are dated 1909 — two of them, belonging to Joseph Snively and Mrs. Lucy Woolsey. Whatever lives led them to this place, whatever roads they traveled to end up on the south bank of Shafter Lake, those stones are what remains.
Over the years, several remains were removed by relatives, and the site now holds twelve known graves. For a long stretch, the cemetery was neglected — out here in the scrub, out of sight, easy to forget. But Andrews County stepped in, and today that ground is cared for.
Twelve known graves. The oldest two going back to 1909. A name borrowed from a colonel who passed through a generation before the first burial.
Some places earn their quiet the hard way.
What the marker says
(1.5 miles West) Established just after turn of the century, on the south bank of Shafter Lake, and two miles south of the extinct settlement of Shafter Lake. Named for Colonel William R. Shafter (1835-1906), who led military expedition through region in 1875. It became the resting place for residents of remote ranches and travelers. Oldest legible gravestones are dated 1909; those of Joseph Snively and Mrs. Lucy Woolsey. Several remains have been removed by relatives; site now contains 12 known graves. The once neglected cemetery is cared for by Andrews County. (1973)