Custer City in Custer County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Custer Cemetery
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 25, 2017
1. Custer Cemetery Marker
Yankee Fork residents found few comforts and many hardships due to their remote location. Snow slides, work-related accidents, and disease combined with the lack of medical services created a difficult lifestyle. Evidence of this location is the tragic story of young Julian Riley Thompson. At the age of three months, Julian began to show stress at feeding time, which often led to convulsions. Relief came when his mother immersed him in warm water. As a result, a kettle of hot water was alway at hand. On one occasion the child's seizures rushed the mother to the kettle only to find it empty. A visiting friend mistakenly used the water to rinse dishes. Panicked, the mother ran into the nearby McGown Saloon. Finding the hot water she searched for, she returned to her child only to find it too late. Seven month old Julian Riley Thompson was buried on April 18, 1881! When travel to the main cemetery at Bonanza was difficult or impossible, people were buried here at the Custer Cemetery.
Erected by Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation; Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is April 18, 1881.
Location. 44° 23.58′ N, 114° 41.052′ W. Marker is in Custer City, Idaho, in Custer County. It is on Custer Motorway Adventure Road - Yankee Fork Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 27748 Custer Mtwy, Stanley ID 83278, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Idaho Sawtooth Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pfeiffer Residence (approx. 0.6 miles away); Stamp Mill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Assay Office (approx. 0.6 miles away); General Custer Mill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Arrastra (approx. 0.7 miles away); Stone House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Blacksmith (approx. 0.7 miles away); Chilean Mill and Jig (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Custer
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 25, 2017
2. Custer Cemetery and Marker
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 25, 2017
3. The grave of Julian Riley Thompson
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 25, 2017
4. Grave of Colonel H Sprague
Credits. This page was last revised on February 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 537 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 8, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
