Edward Engen / Joan Patzke / Dick Patzke - Klamath Falls, OR - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

Interred at Linkville Pioneer Cemetery are three young people who were killed along with four other people on May 5, 1945 at a picnic area east of Bly, Oregon from a Japanese balloon bomb. These tragic victims were the only people to be killed on the continental U.S. by enemy action in World War II. Wikipedia highlights this tragedy and reads:

On May 5, 1945, Reverend Archie Mitchell took his pregnant wife and five Sunday school children, from the Christian and Missionary Alliance church where he was minister, on a picnic and fishing trip. The group found the logging road they followed blocked, so they stopped next to Leonard Creek, eight miles (13 km) east of Bly near Gearhart Mountain. While Mitchell was unloading the food, he heard one of the children say, "Look what I found!" His wife and the children ran to see what had been found. Moments later, there was an explosion. Mrs. Mitchell and all five children were killed instantly.

The children had found the remains of a Japanese balloon bomb, one of approximately 9,000 balloon bombs launched from Honshu, Japan between November 1944 and April 1945. The balloons drifted across the Pacific Ocean to North America via the jet stream in about three days. The hydrogen-filled balloons were 33 feet (10 m) in diameter and carried five bombs, four incendiaries and one anti-personnel high explosive. It is believed that as many as 1,000 balloons may have reached the United States and Canada. However, there were only 285 confirmed sightings on the west coast, and two balloons were later found in Michigan. Except for Elyse (aka Elsie) Mitchell and the five children killed near Bly, the bombs caused no injuries. These six individuals were the only Americans killed in the contiguous United States during World War II as a direct result of enemy action.

The Mitchell Monument was erected by Weyerhaeuser (a lumber company) in 1950 who owned the land at the time of the accident and donated the site as a public recreation area. It was designed by Tom Orr, a Weyerhaeuser forester. The Mitchell Monument was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as possessing great historical value.

Type of Death Listed: Killed by something Website (if available): [Web Link] Cause of death inscription on headstone: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
When posting a visit to an unusual grave, please include the minimum of one picture of your visit as proof that you were there in the flesh.

Although not required, please include your personal experience of this location.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.