George Eliot wrote “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” The Extreme History Project hopes to remember some of our dearly departed in Bozeman and surrounding region by sharing with you the stories of people buried in our local cemeteries. Watch this space to learn just who those people are in the cemetery. They all have lifetimes of stories to tell. We begin this blog series with the story of Mary Blackmore, a woman whose death brought about the creation of Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery.

Mary Blackmore: From England to Sunset Hills

We begin this blog series with the story of Mary Blackmore, a woman whose death brought about the creation of Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery.

Mary Sidford, born in 1822, married William Blackmore in 1851 at the church of Saint John the Baptist in Bishopstone near Salisbury, England. Purportedly a confidant of Queen Victoria, Mary was described as a, “kind and friendly individual” and a prominent social leader, who entertained such 19^th century celebrities as Mark Twain and Charlotte Bronte at their extensive country estate. William was a frequent traveler of the American West and had made quite a fortune promoting the frontier. As a wealthy man with interests in anthropology and Native American customs, he helped to fund explorers and photographers like William Henry Jackson and Ferdinand Hayden. In 1872, William and Mary decided to travel to the United States with their nephew to visit Yellowstone National Park during its inaugural year. Before they left, the Blackmores agreed that if either died on their journey, the other would arrange for the burial at the place where the death occurred.

Unfortunately, while traveling by stagecoach from Helena to Bozeman, Mary fell ill. As hotel accommodations in that day were not abundant, the Blackmores stayed with the Willson family in their log cabin on Main Street. Mary stayed behind with the Willson family, while William and their nephew traveled on to Yellowstone. Soon after they left, Mary took a turn for the worse. A messenger was sent for William Blackmore, and he quickly returned to Bozeman, but Mary expired shortly before he arrived.  Mary was buried in the Bozeman Cemetery, which was on private land. William learned from Nelson Story that Daniel Rouse owned the cemetery land, so he purchased five acres and as reported “donated it to the people of Bozeman for a cemetery. The deed is made out to a board of trustees, consisting of the following gentlemen: N. Story, C. Rich, J.S. Mendenhall and L.S. Willson, Esqs. A costly monument, from the works of Morris & Evans, of Salt Lake, which will mark the resting place of his wife, is now completed and will soon be shipped here.”

It is believed that the gravestone is shaped like a triangle to look like Mount Blackmore, which is named in memory of Mary Blackmore. Mount Blackmore can be seen from Mary’s grave in Sunset Hills Cemetery.

Look for our next Cemetery Story on Charles Hoffman.

Do you have a suggestion for future installments of this blog? Please contact us at info@extremehistoryproject.org.

Sources:

“Collecting the American West; The Rise and Fall of William Blackmore”
“Facts you should know about Sunset Hills Cemetery”
Helena Weekly Herald Thursday, January 2, 1873.

Relevant links: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Blackmore&GSfn=Mary&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=28&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=45220757&df=all&