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HISTORY Sterlingville Cemetery cleanup will include insight into pioneers' hard lives Learn more about the hard life of early settlers during Saturday's cemetery cleanup By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 @ 3:35 pm By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 @ 3:35 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Life in the hardscrabble mining town of Sterlingville was harsh and unforgiving in the late 19th century, and no day was more unforgiving to George Yaudes than May 23, 1884. Diphtheria had been working its way through the bustling town, and when it reached Yaudes' door, it took less than two days to claim his three children, age 5, 9 and 11. Each child rests under a white headstone in the Sterlingville Cemetery, all buried the same day. "Diphtheria was one cause of loss for a lot of families in Sterlingville," says Cheryl Henderson, a local resident and cemetery historian. "It was pretty disheartening for a lot of people." Diphtheria is virtually non-existent in developed countries now, but it remains a piece of history tied to Sterlingville and its cemetery, one of the early burial places for gold-thirsty miners and their families who settled Southern Oregon in the 1800s. Now area residents can learn a few more stories about the former town and the cemetery that still bears its name, as well as help spruce up the three acres of plots off Sterling Creek Road. The federal Bureau of Land Management will hold a historical presentation and stage a cleanup here beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday as part of the annual Oregon Archaeology Celebration. The event will start with a presentation on the Sterling Mine that sprung up along Sterling Creek in 1854 and created nearby Sterlingville, which boasted more than 1,500 residents before it became nearly a ghost town by the turn of the century. Groups will then rid the cemetery of debris, downed sticks and logs and old plastic flowers left along gravesides in a cleanup done every few years at the cemetery, located six miles from Sterling Creek Road's intersection with Cady Road just outside of Jacksonville. "We're going to rake it, clean it and make it a little better," says Lisa Rice, a BLM archaeologist working on Saturday's efforts. Rice says she plans to discuss some of the symbolism on the gravestones in this cemetery that dates back to 1883. If time allows, participants may be able to view a portion of the old Sterling Mine still active, Rice says. Participants should dress for the weather and bring a sack lunch, but water, snacks and tools will be provided, according to the BLM. Since there is little parking at the cemetery, Rice asks that participants meet at nearby Buncom at the intersection of Sterling Creek and Little Applegate roads. The cemetery is loaded with some of the who's-who families that settled the Applegate Valley, such as the Cantralls and Saltmarshes, says Henderson, whose parents and in-laws are buried in the Sterlingville Cemetery. While the headstones tell a story about the region's storied mining past, they also reveal how harsh and unforgiving life was there. It's not unusual to see several children buried before their parents later joined them. "A lot of death happened in Sterlingville," Rice says. "Some of the families lost quite a few children." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 @ 3:35 pm » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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