History
Bearcreek Cemetery, located in Carbon County, Montana, serves as a poignant reminder of the region's coal mining heritage and the community it once supported. Established in 1909 with the interment of six-year-old Helen Markovich, the cemetery reflects the hardships and demographics of early 20th-century mining towns. At its peak in 1920, Bearcreek's population was ethnically diverse, with a significant portion being immigrants or children of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Finland, and France, as evidenced by the various surnames and Cyrillic lettering on headstones.
A significant event in the cemetery's history is its connection to the Smith Mine Disaster of February 27, 1943, Montana's worst coal mining tragedy. A large red granite monument, installed by the United Mine Workers of America in 1947, commemorates the 75 miners who died in the explosion. Twenty-two of these victims are buried in family plots within Bearcreek Cemetery, their grave markers bearing the tragic date. The cemetery also reveals the high infant mortality rates and prevalence of childhood diseases of the era, with 107 of its 473 burials being children.
After the Smith Mine disaster, Bearcreek transitioned into a near ghost town as many residents left, seeking to escape the painful memories. Today, the simple rural cemetery, with its sandstone, granite, and marble headstones, stands as a silent testament to the lives and struggles of the coal mining community. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving its historical significance.
Landscape and markers
The cemetery is a physical record of the harshness of the frontier. The dates carved into the markers tell a story of brief booms and sudden collapses, of winters that took the young and mining accidents that took the strong. To walk among these graves is to feel the immense weight of the past pressing down on the present landscape.
Who is buried here
The stones here tell the story of the settlement. Helen Markovich (died Nov. 21, 1909, age 6): First person interred in the cemetery. John Hodnik (Born Dec. 4, 1911 - Died Feb. 27, 1943): Smith Mine disaster victim, worked for Montana Coal & Iron, part owner of Bear Creek Coal Mine. Edward Laird (died Feb. 27, 1943, age 55): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Scotland. Edward J. Laird (Born Mar. 3, 1803 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 49): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Armadele, Scotland, worked in mines for 22 years. Ignac Marinchek (Born July 1, 1885 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 57): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Zazorjc, St. Peter, Yugoslavia, came to Bearcreek in 1909. Abraham McDonald (Born Oct. 19, 1883 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 59): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Haywood Scotland, came to Washoe from Ohio in 1913. Joseph McDonald (died Feb. 27, 1943, age 42): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Ohio. John Meiklejohn (Born Mar. 21, 1889 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 63): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Oakley, Fefeshire, Scotland. Frank Mourich (Born Dec. 3, 1900 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 42): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Austria, came to America in 1903, worked for Montana Coal & Iron. Jack Phillip Mourich (Born Feb. 28, 1907 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 35): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Bearcreek. David Murray, Sr. (Born Dec. 2, 1886 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 56): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Stevenston, Ayrshire, Scotland, came to America in 1906. William Noble (Born Feb. 2, 1874 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 68): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Vitrona, Iowa, came to Washoe 1913. William Pryde (Born May 21, 1910 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 32): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Bearcreek. Frank Ferdinand Rasborschek (died Feb. 27, 1943, age 61): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Yugoslavia. Martin Ratkovich (died Feb. 27, 1943, age 46): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Yugoslavia. Lawrence W. Reid (Born Feb. 15, 1901 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 42): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Cambridge, Ohio. George Thompson, Sr. (Born Sept. 24, 1877 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 65): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Scotland, came to Washoe in 1907. Adam Lee Wakenshaw (Born Feb. 17, 1871 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 72): Smith Mine disaster victim, born Swalwell, county Dublin, England, oldest man killed in the explosion. Robert Lee Wakenshaw (Born June 16, 1903 - Died Feb. 27, 1943, age 39): Smith Mine disaster victim, born in Helena, son of Adam Lee Wakenshaw. Walter Brown (died 1923): Victim of a pool hall murder. Joe Naglich: Accused in the 1923 pool hall murder of Walter Brown. Chris Bonovich (died 1921): Shot and killed in a boarding house brawl.
Visiting
Bearcreek Cemetery is located in Carbon County, Montana, approximately one mile west of Bearcreek, Montana. It is situated at the end of an unsigned, gravel road south of Montana State Highway 308. The GPS coordinates are 45° 9.491′ N, 109° 8.356′ W. The cemetery is a rural site, featuring sandstone, granite, and marble headstones, including a large red granite monument commemorating the victims of the Smith Mine Disaster. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While specific hours are not mentioned, it is generally accessible as a historical site. Visitors can expect to see a well-maintained historical cemetery reflecting the area's mining past and immigrant history.