Susan was born on February 9, 1819. In 1860, she and her husband, Isaac left Illinois with their family, bound for California. Susan was pregnant with her eighth child.
Tragically, Susan died from complications following the birth. Her niece, who was present, later recounted her belief that Susan should have survived. But the men were eager to press on. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, they wrapped her in wet blankets — a decision that led to pneumonia.
Miraculously, their newborn son, Robert, survived and continued the journey to California with his father.
(Photo credit: University of California)
Along the trail, most who died were buried with little more than a wooden cross. Susan’s grave is rare because the party was traveling with Frank Dunn, a stonecutter. The night she died, Dunn stayed up carving her a headstone from local stone.
Today, Susan’s headstone is one of the few original emigrant markers still standing along the California Trail. Its exact location was lost for over 70 years until descendants rediscovered it. The family later placed a newer marker below the original.
Susan’s grave has been on my radar for several years. I knew it was a long, remote drive along the old emigrant trail — a real commitment. So it stayed in the back of my mind. Monday, we headed out to the Antelope Springs Graves to document two men killed while transporting freight between the Humboldt County mines and California. I was stunned to find Susan’s grave right there beside them.
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