Pioneer Cemetery
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Used from 1870s to 1914. Settlers buried here include: Mr. and Mrs. Diedrick Dutchover, immigrants from Belgium and Spain; their surname, coined by a recruiter in the Mexican War, is borne by many descendants. Dolores, who on her wedding eve lighted a signal fire for her fiance, later found scalped by Indians; she became mentally ill and (until her death 30 years later) burned fires on mountain near town for her lost lover. Two young Frier brothers, who were shot by a Ranger posse as horse thieves and were buried in only boothill grave in county. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Used from the 1870s until 1914, this Fort Davis graveyard holds the memory of the frontier: the Belgian-and-Spanish Dutchover family, whose coined surname still endures among their descendants; a bride named Dolores, said to have burned mountain signal fires for a lost love for thirty years; and two Frier brothers shot as horse thieves. It reads as a roll call of the hazards and legends of far West Texas settlement.
Why it matters
Pioneer cemeteries preserve the human texture of the frontier — its immigrants, its violence, and its enduring legends — better than any official record.
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Related people
- · Diedrick Dutchover
- · Dolores
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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