Historic Plum Creek Cemetery Information & Directory

Historic Plum Creek Cemetery Information and Directory. . , 1. You are here at Historical Plum Creek Cemetery. This historical cemetery has over 200 unmarked graves. The burials extend 17 feet beyond the cemetery fence line. Pioneers traveling on the Oregon Trail (later known as the Overland Trail) and Military soldiers are buried here., 2. Plum Creek Stage Station was one of the Overland Stage Line's stops. It was also used by the Pony Express which traveled through here along the Overland Trail., 3. Plum Creek Ranch (Thomas Ranch) was owned and ran by Frank Thomas who managed the stage station or stage house near Plum Creek. The ranch was located on the Overland Trail between Fort Kearny, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado and was well known by the freighters who camped there. Thomas P. Thompson, brother of Benjamin Franklin Thomas of Thomas Ranch, was Post Master at Plum Creek from December 12, 1863 to July 23, 1865. Plum Creek Post Office was in existence from October 7, 1861 to January 25, 1867., 4. Plum Creek Post was built north of this cemetery in 1864 to protect travelers from the Indian War that occurred between 1864-1868. On November 1, 1864 Plum Creek Post was activated with 105 "galvanized soldiers" being assigned to the Post. These soldiers were captured Confederate soldiers who were given the choice of being imprisoned or becoming Union soldiers to fight the Indians on the Overland Trail., 5. Freeman's Ranch was moved here by the Freeman family about 1865 to be near Fort Plum Creek for safety reasons. They originally lived further west. Here they built a log house and the necessary corrals and stables for their cattle and horses., 6. Plum Creek Massacre Site is the actual burial ground of the victims of the August 8, 1864 Indian attack., Plum Creek Massacre Monument was first erected in 1991 by the Phelps County Historical Society. After a theft, the monument was replaced in 2014., 8. Oregon Trail Ruts can still be seen here just west of the Plum Creek Cemetery., [Captions:] , To the left is an old drawing of the Plum Creek area. This is the same area that is highlighted above on the modern map., To the right is a drawing of the footprint of the military's Plum Creek Post showing the Officer's Quarters, Men's Quarters, Hospital, Quarter Master, etc. This Post was built with sod and was located just north of the Plum Creek Cemetery.