East End in Boise in Ada County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Pioneer Cemetery
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 26, 2023
1. Pioneer Cemetery Marker
First Burial: August 22, 1864
Established as a Masonic/I.O.O.F. Cemetery
September 14, 1872
Restored during the Centennial Year by
Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery
Boise City Celebrations, Inc
May 28, 1990
Erected 1990 by Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery, Boise City Celebrations, Inc.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Rotary International series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location. 43° 36.625′ N, 116° 11.356′ W. Marker is in Boise, Idaho, in Ada County. It is in East End. It is on East Warm Springs Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boise ID 83712, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Idaho’s Snake River Plain. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dona Larsen (within shouting distance of this marker); History of Dona Larsen Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Julia Davis House (about 300 feet away); Civil War Memorial (about 400 feet away); Cynthia Mann (about 700 feet away); Childrens Home Society of Idaho (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named
this page online
Also see . . . Pioneer Cemetery.
The area now encompassing Pioneer Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in continuous use in Boise, north of Warm Springs Avenue, first came into unsanctioned use as a burial ground soon after the area was settled in 1863. The cemetery is located north of Warm Springs Avenue.(Submitted on March 7, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)
There are 1,796 marked graves at Pioneer Cemetery, though it is the final resting place of many more than that. Deaths were not recorded in Idaho until after the turn of the 20th century. Often, deaths were not listed in newspapers, leaving only grave markers and mortuary records to determine the earliest burials. The very first interments were likely the task of family or friends, and many markers, particularly those constructed of wood, have disappeared with time.
The earliest recorded burial in Pioneer Cemetery was Carrie Logan, daughter of Thomas and Caroline Logan, who died Aug. 22, 1864 on the Camas Prairie, at age of five years, 11 months and five days. Hers is the oldest legible grave marker in the cemetery.
For many years, the cemetery was little used and neglected. A fence builtby the lodges disappeared, headstones were stolen and many vandalized. A century or more of exposure to the elements has taken its toll on other headstones. As a centennial project in 1990, the Boise Metro Rotary Club and the Parks and Recreation Department worked together to restore the cemetery, install a new fence and create an interpretive park area outside the cemetery.Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 26, 20232. Pioneer Cemetery Marker
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 26, 2023
3. Pioneer Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 173 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 7, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
