Bear Cemetery

Located on Smith Ranch, 30-40 miles northwest of Council

Bear cemetery came about when in 1897 Frank Smith had stepped on a broken doll’s head, cutting his foot and died of blood poisoning. He was buried on a flower-covered knoll on his own ranch. Soon after Ben Wolverton was found dead in his cabin. No relatives were known so the neighbors buried him near Frank Smith. Thus the cemetery was started. The Smith Family gave one acre for the cemetery. By 1931 there were eighteen graves.

From Highway 95 in Council go to Mosher Ave., right on Railroad St. and follow the road, which turns into Council Cuprum Rd., about 30 miles of paved road. Just before the cemetery road you will see a sign that says pavement ending (a few yards before the junction of Landore Rd. and Council Cuprum Rd. There is a homemade metal sign on the right side of road by a dirt road going across Bear Creek. The cemetery is at the end of road on top of a small hill overlooking a meadow.

Anderson, Franklin Mohler – born 21 Nov 1930; died 13 Mar 2016

Bartenhagen, James Lee – born 07 May 1951; died 12 Jan 2001
Bennion, Birch Forest – born 1 Jan 1899; died 29 Sep 1982; "Children - Boyd, Jay, Rex"; same headstone as Mary E Bennion
Bennion, Boyd R – born 09 Jul 1926; died 18 Nov 1993; US NAVY WW II
Bennion, Mary E Powell – born 30 Jul 1905; died 13 Mar 1997; "Children - Boyd, Jay, Rex"; same headstone as Birch F Bennion
Brown, Ed – born Jul 1870; died 1917
Bushman, Linda K Wallace – born 28 Mar 1950; died 09 Mar 2016
Bushman, Thomas James – born 18 Oct 1943; died 13 May 2007

Carson, Ralph – born 10 Nov 1943; died 20 Oct 2017
Cornell, Larry W – born 19 Jan 1943; died 04 Dec 2016

Dibble, Baby – born 20 Sep 1922; died 27 Sep 1922

Edwards, Joseph Almer – born 14 Oct 1887; died 07 Feb 1978; Father of Tina Warner PVT US ARMY WW I

Fagerstedt, Gordon Dean – born 2 Sep 1926; died 15 Aug 1994
Fenton, Tristan J – born 04 Dec 1999; died 17 Oct 2015

Gaarden, Peter L – born 05 Apr 1860; died 06 Apr 1929
Germer, Doyle A – born 17 Mar 1922; died 21 Aug 1931

Haines, Vernelia – born 30 May 1915; died 1915
Hogan, Kathleen A Bushman – born 27 May 1946; died 02 Feb 2016

James, Nancy Finch – born 1868; died 1930
James, W Edgar – born 1895; died 1910; "Son of W & N James"
James, Walter E – born 1863; died 1927; "Woodsman"
Jones, T G – born 1836; died 1912

Lake, Eva Inez – born 02 Feb 1938; died no date; same headstone as J Harry Lake
Lake, J Harry – born 28 Jun 1935; died 15 Sep 1985; same headstone as Eva I Lake

Mack, Lowell Dean – born 26 Sep 1939; died 12 Oct 1990
Magnuson, Betty J Garrett – born 10 Apr 1927; died 10 Jan 2014
Magnuson, Donald L – born 5 Sep 1926; died 5 Jul 2003
Magnuson, Larry L – born 1949; died 2006
McFadden, Carrie (Parker) – born 14 Nov 1888; died 29 Jan 1927; date of news ACL, 4 Feb 1927 p5c4; same headstone as D F McFadden
McFadden, F D – born 29 Dec 1876; died 16 Mar 1957; same headstone as Carrie McFadden
McFadden, James R – born 07 Jun 1923; died 18 Nov 2012
McGahey, Jerry Dee – born 1944; died 1952
McGahey, Mavis Inez – born 1918; died 2007; same headstone as Oscar E McGahey
McGahey, Oscar E "Bud" – born 02 May 1918; died 16 Jun 1994; date of news CR, 23 June 1994, p3; same headstone as Mavis I McGahey; s I US NAVY WW II
Mink, Herb – born 1 Jul 1927; died 17 Jul 2004
Mink, Myron D – born Jun 1954; died Aug 1975

Neeley, Clark H – born 27 Dec 1912; died 23 May 1990; of Cuprum CAPT US AIR FORCE WW II KOREA

Robertson, babies – died 1909
Rudge, Edith Opal – born 1895; died 1973

Saling, Alice Zipporah Webb – born 1843; died 1903
Scriven, Roy C – born 1907; died 15 Oct 1982; "Friend" of Cuprum
Shelton, Belle – born 1870; died 1936
Shelton, Earl M – born 1893; died 1936
Shelton, Frank – born 1859; died 1940
Shelton, Lucinda I Saling – born 18 Jul 1870; died 14 Nov 1936
Smith, Amy P – born 1867; died 1927; same headstone as Frank J Smith Birth date is from old cemetery records, Genealogy Library, Boise
Smith, Frank J – born 1860; died 1897; same headstone as Amy P Smith Death date is from old cemetery records, Genealogy Library, Boise (died 7 Jul 1897)
Smith, Frank J – born 1915; died 1989
Smith, Harold O – born 1921; died 07 Jun 2008; "Married 5 Sept 1967" same headstone as Opal A Smith
Smith, Jesse F – born 18 Mar 1888; died 30 Apr 1974
Smith, Opal A Van Fossen~ born 1919; died 21 Jan 2021; "Married 5 Sept 1967" same headstone as Harold O Smith
Smith, Orson – born 18 Feb 1893; died 05 Jul 1942; IDAHO PVT 306 INF 77 DIV
Smith, Patrick Evans – born 28 Jul 1984; died 28 Jul 1984
Stanton, Elmyra Thompson – born 1882; died 09 May 1918
Stinnett, John – born 25 Jul 1952; died 09 Mar 1986

Warner, Amos A – born 1875; died 1906
Warner, Amos – born 9 May 1839; died 14 Apr 1906; same headstone as Phebe E Warner
Warner, Bert J – born 1923; died 2009
Warner, Beth – born 07 Oct 1914; died 27 Aug 1984; same headstone as Clarence Warner
Warner, Charles N F – born 1882; died 1957; Birth and death dates form old cemetery records, Genealogy Library, Boise (died 9 Nov 1957)
Warner, Clarence M – born 15 Sep 1909; died 03 May 1992; same headstone as Beth Warner
Warner, Elizabeth P Kampeter – born 1914; died 1984
Warner, Eva D Shelton – born 1889; died 1929; same headstone as Joe R Warner
Warner, Joe R – born 1877; died 1939; same headstone as Eva D Warner
Warner, Lawrence – born 1916; died 2008
Warner, Millie Smith – born 1919; died 2013
Warner, Nancy M – born 1947; died 2014
Warner, Phebe E Harding – born 23 Aug 1845; died 02 Sep 1909; same headstone as Amos Warner
Warner, Tina M Edwards – born 1924; died 2017
Warner, Toby – born 1914; died 1937; date of news ACL, 28 May 1937 p1c4 4 June p1c3; Birth and death dates from old cemetery records, Genealogy Library, Boise (died 24 May 1937)
Webb, Lois Francisco – born 15 Aug 1840; died 12 Mar 1911; "Mother"
Wilburn, Erma J Warner – born 1939; died 2015
Wilson, Charlie – born 1951; died 2021
Wolverton, Ben – dates unknown

Original research contributed by Dale Fisk and updated by Sharon McConnel. Updated a bit more 2022 Jan 28 by Norma Hass from information available at FindAGrave.com where more info and some photos are available. Note: Additional info is available online in the IDGenWeb Adams County Archives.