The Adventures of J and K: Halloween 2014

I participated in the Fort Douglas Cemetery Ghost Tour again this year. Once more I donned the guise of Catherine "Kate" H. Bradley born in Worcester County, Massachusetts July 20th, 1859 and died Nov 8th, 1875 at the young age of 16.

This year I found out that she died of Typhoid fever during the Typhoid fever outbreak of 1875 in Salt Lake City. Because she was non-mormon she was denied burial in the Salt Lake City cemetery and had to be buried in the military cemetery at Fort Douglas. It probably helped that her father was Major James F. Bradley a Civil War veteran who served with the Minnesota 8th regiment company E and when he came to Utah joined up with the The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) a national organization of Union Army Veterans where he was promoted to Senior Vice Commander. Apparently he was a man of some reputation.

Michael McNamara - Union solider killed by Indians during a postal run.

It got so bad, about the denial of Salt Lake City non-mormon cemetery burials, that President Ulysses S. Grant signed an Act of Congress to establish Mount Olivet Cemetery in 1874 to designate a burial place for all people. The board of Trustees consisted of a minister and one layman from each of the five denominations having churches in Salt Lake City.

Two Washer Women buried at Fort Douglas. The first burial at Fort Douglas was in 1863.

When Kate's only sibling, her sister Hester E. Bradley (1863 - 1881) died her remains were re-interred next to her sister in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Charlotte and her infant baby died a few days apart and were buried together.

Mother Catherine A. Bradley (1822 - Ireland to Feb 13th, 1893) and Father Major James F. Bradley (Oct 25th, 1819 - June 16th, 1895) are also buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Fort Douglas had it's own mascot horse which, upon his passing, was buried up the hill near the cemetery.

It is sad, They only had the two daughters and the girls both died young. I found their plot number at Mount Olivet and plan on visiting my little family soon.

Governor James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was the 5th Utah Governor, appointed by President Lincoln himself and was the first Non-Mormon Governor. He helped bridge the divide between the Mormons, Non-Mormons, and the Injuns which caused trouble during the Civil War for the Utah Territories. See Battle of Bear River.

The Salina, Utah Massacre Ghosts. 9 German POWs held in Salina, Utah were shot by a drunken guard one night. The murderer was never convicted, found incompetent to stand trial, got out of the insane asylum and lived the rest of his life like nothing happened. Government conspiracy cover-up. Some of the relatives of the deceased did not even know their loved ones were murdered for 2 years after the event took place.

Jane Morris of the Morrissite War fame.

It was gorgeous weather and we had a good turn out this year. Hopefully I will get to do it again next year.

Then for Halloween I decorated the house. I normally put up the Pirate Flag in the window, but this year I went all out with the spider web. I love spiders. Giant spiders. You know, the ones that don't really exist because if they did they would be crushed by the weight of their own chitin shell and there is not enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support an arachnid that big anyway.

I even made a Halloween display table. J painted the skull and we found a pretty glass dome for it to enhance the creepy effect. The old-timey chemistry vials I have had for a couple of years now and finally have a place to display them properly.