In the fall of 1850, a wagon trek from Iowa fought its way over the snowy passes of the Sierra Nevada, following the call of the gold. Times were hard and not everybody made it to golden California. Amongst the casualties was a young girl named Rachel who was put to rest on a meadow near Tragedy Spring at the base of a large fir tree. Many years later, her mother returned and tried to find the grave but was unsuccessful. However, some guests at the nearby Kirwood Inn, heard about the Mother's futile search. They knew about a grave only two miles west of Tragedy Spring and wrongfully assumed that that must be Rachel's grave. They also remembered that the grave was originally marked with a wooden board listing the name Melton and the date of October 4, 1850. They donated a headstone for what they thought was Rachel Melton's resting place and for decades to come, the place along the Emigrant Trail was known as "the Maiden's Grave" and eventually became one of California's first Historic Landmarks.
Again many years later, in 1986, Steven Ferrari, the landowner of this meadow discovered the rock outline of a grave when he was clearing brush and burning some fallen trees. As it turned out, this was the real grave of young Rachel, whose last name remains a mystery since her mother never returned to the place. Mr. Ferrari erected a headstone and those who know the location can now go to the right place to pay tribute to an unfortunate pioneer girl.
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