History
The Virginia City Cemetery, also known as Hillside Cemetery, serves as the community burial ground for Virginia City, Montana. Established around 1865, it became the primary interment site after citizens opted to bury their loved ones away from Boot Hill, where five road agents were interred in January 1864. Some remains were even relocated from Boot Hill to Hillside, reflecting a desire for a more respectable resting place. The earliest marked grave belongs to Joseph Watkins, who died on March 22, 1865, though many early burials were unmarked.
The cemetery's history is deeply intertwined with the Alder Gulch gold rush, which began in 1863. Virginia City quickly grew into a bustling mining town, becoming the territorial capital of Montana in 1865. At its peak, Alder Gulch was known as "Fourteen-mile City" due to the numerous settlements lining the gulch, with Virginia City itself reaching an estimated population of 5,000 by mid-1864. The cemetery reflects this boom, housing the remains of many prominent pioneers and early residents.
The Hillside Cemetery features a diverse collection of grave markers, including wooden headboards, elaborate mail-order obelisks, and symbolic tree trunk monuments, which represent lives cut short. These markers offer a glimpse into the evolving gravestone art of Montana. A dedicated section at the eastern end of the cemetery was reserved for Catholic burials. In the late 1920s, William Boyce Thompson donated the fence and gate in memory of his three young siblings buried there, contributing to the cemetery's preservation. Unlike many other mining towns, Virginia City was spared from destruction by dredging operations because it was not built on gold-bearing gravels, allowing its historic structures, including the cemetery, to remain largely intact.
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. Joseph Watkins (died March 22, 1865) William Fairweather (Alder Gulch gold discoverer) Thomas Dimsdale (author of The Vigilantes of Montana) Sarah Bickford (African American businesswoman) Henry Elling (wealthy banker) Ray Edward Adams (17 Feb 1921 – 9 Mar 1988) Ruth Shogren Adams (28 Oct 1920 – 15 Aug 2008) Frances Emma Gilbert Albright (18 Dec 1861 – 21 Jul 1949) Henry Gilbert Albright (13 Jun 1896 – 12 Jun 1961) Jacob Albright (17 Jul 1860 – 17 Nov 1933)
Visiting
The Virginia City Cemetery is located on East Douglas Street in Virginia City, Madison County, Montana. It is situated northeast of the town. Visitors can expect to find a variety of historic grave markers, including wooden headboards, obelisk-style monuments, and symbolic tree trunks. The cemetery is enclosed by a fence and gate donated by William Boyce Thompson in the late 1920s. Road conditions to the cemetery are generally accessible, leading to a well-preserved site that offers a tangible connection to the region's rich gold rush history.