Grave Hunter Ticker
PERE MARQUETTE
PERE MARQUETTE Page 1
Welcome to the beautiful river road. This is were everyone heads when the fall colors start changing and the eagles fly. Then there is the nice little towns that invite tourist to visit them. There is a lot to see in these little river towns and I love them all. In Alton there is the old Confederate prison, Elijah Lovejoy, Underground railroad, Gentle Giant, and so much more. Some say that Alton is also known for its Ghost! I took one of those tours and it was great. Did not see any ghost but I learned a lot of history about the town and it made me want to learn more. I even got to go to a cemetery at night and yes I did take pictures but forgot my tripod. Some of the photos turned out neat and I will bring them to you at a later time. The next town is Elsah, talk about a town time forgot, this is it. Its not a big town so you could park your car and walk it, I think this is the only way to enjoy this town. Elsah is like going back in time, there is a bed and breakfast there so maybe you would like to stay the night. Our next stop is Grafton IL., this is a wonderful little river town. There is a lot to see so park your car and get your exercise. Now to the little grave yard outside Grafton in Pere Marquette state park. This is the first cemetery that I photographed and was hooked for life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
This is the Great River Road.
Below is a very beautiful little church that sits next to the cemetery. Pere Marquette camp ground and lodge is next to this cemetery. There are many trails to walk and a lot to see. If you are a nature lover, well this is a place that you will not want to miss.
This is a little history on the church and the residents of the cemetery. I took a picture of this so I hope you can read it. Some vandals have broke out a few windows on the church and I guess I will never understand why they would do such a thing.
This is the Journey family plot. The father was William Journey , he was born July 31. 1861 and he left this world June 17, 1917 he was 44 years old. His wife was Velma Journey, she was born Aug. 24, 1852 and past away June 12 1900, she was 48 years old. If the markers are right that makes her 9 years older than him. Their first child William P Journey was born Nov. 1, 1889 and he died Feb. 14, 1897, he was 8 years old. She gave birth to Infant Journey ,born Nov. 17, 1891 and died Nov. 30, 1891 only 13 days old. Myrtle Journey was born March 13, 1894 and she passed away July 17, 1894 at 5 months old. Their last child was Raymond Journey born Sept. 11, 1896, and died April 17, 1899. He was 2 1/2 years old. It makes you wonder if William and Velma died of a broken heart.
A lot of the grave markers are hard to read, some are just stone to mark where someone was laid to rest. I visit this cemetery at least twice a year sometimes more. Hope to find out more about its history and residents and at a later date I can share it with you. Lets get on with the visit of this cemetery.