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Oregon Historic Sites Database

address: Upham St historic name:Linkville Pioneer Cemetery
Klamath Falls, Klamath County current/other names:
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:38S 9E 29
resource type:district height (stories): total elig resources:12 total inelig resources:1
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1885 second date:1931 date indiv listed:07/11/2014
primary orig use: Cemetery orig use comments:
second orig use:
primary style: Not Applicable prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Earth siding comments:
secondary siding:
plan type: architect:J.E. Van Camp (Supervisor)
builder:
comments/notes:
Owned by City of Klamath Falls; interested in NR listing; HRR on file (ck 04/05/11). Established in 1885. Listed in 2014. DJP
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
NR date listed: 07/11/2014
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date:
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
The Linkville Pioneer Cemetery is located on a hillside within the city limits of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon, approximately one half miles north of the downtown area. It is located on Tax Lot R-3809-029DB-00100-000 and is surrounded by single-family residential neighborhoods. The cemetery is 18.22 acres in size and has approximately 5,700 known and 300 unidentified burials, in addition to an undetermined number of burials in the Potter’s Field. It has three main parts: the main cemetery; the I.O.O.F. cemetery to the north, which was deeded to the main cemetery in 1951; and the Potter’s Field and related grassy area to the west. It contains primarily tablet-style markers within its rectangular boundary. The majority of markers were placed facing west and east. At the south end of the cemetery are two significant stone portals that mark the primary entrances, as well as two other minor entrances with iron gates. The majority of the rest of the cemetery is enclosed by a wire fence. Planted landscaping is prominent in the design of the cemetery, with several lanes, paved and unpaved, named after and mostly bordered by specific types of trees. These trees include maples, elms, and birches, among others. The design of the cemetery reflects the evolution and civic aspirations of the city of Klamath Falls in the early 20th century.
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Linkville Pioneer Cemetery is locally significant under Criterion A for Community Planning and Development and for Social History, with a period of significance of 1885 to 1949. The 1931 redesign of the cemetery represents the concerns of the Klamath Falls citizenry with improving their image. The city of Klamath Falls aspired to create order from what was initially organic development. The cemetery was part of this vision, because it suffered from a lack of fencing and informal burial techniques. The new design, which was much more formal, reflects a time when the city became concerned with planning and design, as well as civic amenities. Representing the social history of the range war conflicts, this cemetery has multiple graves that relate to the disputes that defined the culture of feuds over land and animals for the ranchers. This group of grave markers within the cemetery is a vivid, graphic reminder of these events. The cemetery also portrays the social history of racism associated with events surrounding World War II. It contains markers from the Tule Lake Segregation Center, observing the incarceration of Japanese-American citizens during World War II, as well as a marker from an African-American veteran whose burial caused controversy and reform. In the early 20th century Klamath Falls was one of the fastest growing communities in Oregon. Having been connected to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1909, and due to its strong timber industry, Klamath Falls grew exponentially at this time. The 1931 redesign of the cemetery coincided with this period of growth for the city. It was a time when the city aspired to civic improvements to better represent its newfound status. The cemetery’s improvements represent a landscape aesthetic whose goal was to formalize the cemetery and create a park-type environment for visitors. The previously rural cemetery design was engulfed by the city’s growth by the late 1920s and early 1930s. The new improvements included built structures as well as a formal landscape scheme that turned an unkempt space into a desirable location within the city. The majority of features that were developed during this time are still extant and retain a high degree of integrity, including such design features as formal, tree-lined lanes and stone portal entries. This design was felt to more appropriately represent the young community.
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:Oregon Institute of Technology
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Aper, Beverly. Linkville Cemetery Founding. From Klamath Basin Genealogical Society meeting, 1994. Block 32 Lot 5 map, February 15, 1946. Accessed through City of Klamath Falls Parks and Recreation Department on 7/2/2013. Burns, Bridget and Elizabeth Budy. “Balloon Bomb Victims.” Last modified 2013. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/balloonbomb.pdf. City of Klamath Falls. “History of Klamath Falls.” Accessed August 21, 2013. http://ci.klamath-falls.or.us/visitors/history. “City is Modernizing Linkville Cemetery,” Evening Herald, March 4, 1931. “Cemetery is Typical Abode of Desolation,” Evening Herald, August 10, 1921. Donnelly, Robert. “Klamath Falls, 1941.” Last modified 2003. http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=1AAD47E1-9B93-5D22-5C8F95A3DB254096. “Grave Yard Disturbed, Horses Trample Plots,” Evening Herald, November 10, 1925. Gross, Joan and Janet Nishihara. “A History of Difference, Power, and Discrimination at Oregon State University.” Last modified June 28, 2012. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/dpd/history-difference-power-and-discrimination-oregon-state-university. Helfrich, Devere. “It Happened in Cloverleaf Country,” Klamath Echoes, 10, edited by Klamath County Historical Society, 86-87. Klamath Falls: Klamath County Historical Society, 1972. Helfrich, Devere. “Linkville Hotel,” Klamath Echoes: Centennial Issue, Part 1, edited by Klamath County Historical Society, 22-24. Klamath Falls: Klamath County Historical Society, 1967. Helfrich, Devere. “The Founding of Linkville,” Klamath Echoes: Centennial Issue, Part 1, edited by Klamath County Historical Society, 13-14. Klamath Falls: Klamath County Historical Society, 1967. Jette, Melinda. “Central Oregon Range Wars.” Last modified 2004. http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=8A032B61-99BB-85F8-059105E03E7F13D6. Juillerat, Lee. "Japanese-American Internees Remembered," Herald and News, July 4, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2013. http://www.heraldandnews.com/news/article_fa126248-873a-11df-b9c1-001cc4c03286.html?mode=jqm. Klamath Falls Mausoleum Company, “Klamath Falls Mausoleum to be Erected in Linkville Cemetery, Klamath Falls, Oregon,” Evening Herald, April 23, 1929. Mattos, Carol, “The Amon Shook Family.” Last modified 2013. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/shookfamily.pdf. Mattos, Carol, and Elizabeth Budy, “Houston Hotel Fire, September 6, 1920.” Last modified 2012. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/houstonhotelfire.pdf. Mattos, Carol, “Mary Wilcox and Maggie Jones.” Last modified 2013. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/wilcox-jones.pdf. Mattos, Carol, and Elizabeth Budy, “Owen McKendree (1875-1918).” Last modified 2013. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/owenmckendree.pdf. Mattos, Dave and Carol Mattos, “American Legion Plot.” Last modified 2013. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/americanlegion.pdf. Meinig, D.W. The Great Columbia Plain: A Historical Geography, 1805-1910. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1968. The Oregon Historical Society, “African American History in Oregon.” Accessed August 21, 2013, http://ohs.org/education/focus/african-american-history.cfm. Rizzo, Johnna, “Japan’s Secret WWII Weapon: Balloon Bombs.” National Geographic. Last modified May 27, 2013. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/05/130527-map-video-balloon-bomb-wwii-japanese-air-current-jet-stream/. Rodgers, Mary Ellen, “Mitchell Recreation Area National Register of Historic Places Registration Form,” Salem, OR: State Historic Preservation Office, 2002. Roosevelt, Franklin D., “Executive Order No. 9066.” http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5154. Shaver, F.A. et al. An Illustrated History of Central Oregon. Spokane, Washington: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1905. Takei, Barbara and Elizabeth Budy, “Burials from the Tule Lake War Relocation Authority Prison Camp, 1942-1946.” Last modified 2012. http://www.co.klamath.or.us/museum/linkvillecemetery/relocation.pdf. Takei, Barbara and Judy Tachibana, “History.” Last modified 2012. http://www.tulelake.org/. Turner, Stanton B. “Japanese-American Internment at Tule Lake, 1942 to 1946.” In The Journal of the Shaw Historical Library, Volume 2, Number 1, edited by Oregon Tech Development Foundation, 1-34. Klamath Falls: Oregon Institute of Technology, Fall 1987.