Auburn Cemetery
Auburn was a mining town and was the seat of Baker County from 1862 to 1868. It is reached by taking State Highway 7 south out of Baker City for about 7 miles to its junction with a dirt road south of Baker City (at end of Bowen valley south of Baker City). Turn right on this road in the Blue Canyon about 3 miles. Auburn is to the right and the cemetery is one mile beyond on a hill overlooking the no-longer existsent ghost town. High ground was chosen for the cemetery so it would not be mined out later, the canyon being of very rich ground. This is one of the earliest cemeteries in the county.
Originally there were three cemeteries in this vicinity, one for whites and two for Chinese. One Chinese cemetery was just over the hill from the Auburn Cemetery, the other was a later cemetery north of Auburn. Most bodies from these Chinese cemeteries had been shipped back to China and buried in their homeland.
There were over 100 burials in the Auburn Cemetery, established in 1862 but many of the graves are now unmarked and cannot be identified. Only 1 is visible today. Names of the first 5 men to be buried are not known as none of them died of natural causes and stone markers were not erected. There are no known records maintained for this cemetery. Grounds are abandoned to the wilds. The acreage is .05. Photograph of the field wanted.
View of Auburn in 1901 before the entire area was forested over.
Known burials are as as followed:
BROWN, Alma .. ... .... .. ... 1894
from Akron, OH - shot by Joe SEARCY in Auburn
grave marked by plain board, now gone
DESMOND, J. .. ... 1825 18 Nov 1862
in Falls River, MA, killed by Spanish Tom.
French Pete .. ... .... .. Nov 1862
alleged murderer who was hanged.
GOZINE, John .. ... 1860 28 Oct 1862
son of S. & M.; aged 2 years 4 days.
(Name also spelled as COSINE).
GRANT, Dr. Charles .. ... .... 01 Aug 1866
grandfather of Maud ALEXANDER of Hermiston, OR.
GRANT, Mary W. .. ... .... 27 May 1863
wife of Dr. Charles Grant
GRIFFIN, Henry H. .. ... .... 03 Jan 1883
discoverer of gold in Eastern Oregon. born 1824 or 1834
GRIFFIN, Mrs. .. ... .... 05 July 1876
wife of Henry H.
GRIFFIN, son .. ... .... 04 May 1876
son of Henry H.
JONES, John J. 11 Sep 1822 06 Dec 1877
born in Warren Co KY - died Auburn
LABARREE, H. M. .. ... 1832 18 Nov 1862
killed by Spanish Tom. From Indiana
PARKINSON, Eliza Elizabeth .. ... .... 14 Oct 1865
3 year old daughter of Mrs. David Littifield
(then Mrs. Grant).
Spanish Tom .. ... .... .. Nov 1862
alleged murderer who was hanged.