Baby Vale - Eldorado, OK - Out of Place Graves on Waymarking.com

KOTV, the CBS outlet in Tulsa, OK, ran a nice story about the Vale baby on December 20, 1995, and it summarizes most of what you'll find online, such as a 1995 story in The Oklahoman and the "Railroad Gravesite" listing on the Oklahoma Cemeteries page, the latter of which can also be found on the baby's Findagrave page. A YouTube comment on the KOTV story suggests that her parents may have been Herman W. and Bertha Vahle, who were recorded in the 1910 census as living a few miles away in Olustee.

The story is that the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway had only recently arrived here, with construction's having been completed in 1903, followed by Eldorado's incorporation in 1904. The Vales were itinerant farmers whose baby girl died at birth -- Mrs. Vale apparently had contracted measles -- and while Mr. Vale initially planned to bury her in a corner of the farm they were renting, the railroad section foreman, William Lane, understood that the grave might be lost over time. He suggested the railroad right-of-way as a more suitable location, and Mr. Vale and Mr. Lane built a coffin and buried the baby here. The Vales then moved on after a few years and left the narrative, while Mr. Lane and the Frisco constructed a fence and maintained the gravesite, ensuring that flowers were in place on Decoration Day -- "Memorial Day" in today's parlance. Sometimes, the train would even stop to leave flowers, but over time, memories faded and eventually, the Frisco merged with Burlington Northern in 1980. Apparently, William Lane's son, Perry, continued to maintain the gravesite until his passing that same year.

In 1989, children from the local elementary school began a tradition of visiting the grave and decorating it during the Christmas holiday. The cross that once accompanied the headstone appears to be missing, although there are some stakes outside the fence that may have been part of a makeshift replacement.

The metal fence could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but it's in otherwise very good condition, and there are plenty of signs of visitors, including those who maintain the gravesite. The headstone is square and made of concrete, with "Vales Baby 1906" as the inscription. The story in The Oklahoman indicates that it was created by one of the many visitors to the grave, and there had been some talk of placing something more permanent, which unfortunately didn't happen.

First Name: Baby Last Name: Vale Born: 01/01/1906 Died: 01/01/1906

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.