Old Snyder Graveyard
Snyder, Scurry County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Formerly state land until common usage established it as a cemetery in 1880's. Legend says first burial was an Indian. Early-day transients were often buried in unmarked graves. Tract closed to further burials, 1902. Many bodies have been moved elsewhere. Only 14 graves are now identified. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This patch of former state land became a burial ground through common use in the 1880s, on the raw edge of West Texas settlement. Legend holds the first grave was that of a Native person, and many drifters and transients were laid here in unmarked plots. Closed to new burials in 1902, the graveyard saw many bodies removed elsewhere, leaving only fourteen identified graves today.
Why it matters
An improvised frontier graveyard like this preserves the anonymous, transient population — the drovers and drifters — usually left out of a town's official history.
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Themes & tags
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