Hillside Cemetery is a historical cemetery in Reno, Nevada. It was established in 1875 and sits on a hill overlooking downtown Reno.
Hillside Cemetery – A Historical Treasure
By Frances K Tryon
I am not one of those people who habitually screeches to a stop when passing an old cemetery; however, on June 30th of 2014, I found myself doing that very thing. Something was whispering to me that day so I stopped and walked around the sad, neglected cemetery. I wanted to cry but held my emotions in check and reluctantly returned to my car. Why wasn’t something done to clean and fix this place of honor? Why were these people neglected?
A few days later, I headed for down town Reno to take part in Art Town Celebrations. My intentions were strong but I found myself back at the historical cemetery. Once again something was speaking to me – not a whisper but a call. Questions surfaced: Why? When? Who? Then I heard my name, but where would I start? I took a Wal-Mart bag from my car and picked up trash from the parking area.
Who were the people buried here? What did they do? How did they come to be in Reno? There were very few headstones but I knew the names on the existing stones – Plumb, Gould, Cassidy, Haymer, Haydon, and Abbee. I had to learn more.
That is how my journey began, a simple human instinct to learn. I discovered a walking tour and instead of thinking about it, I went. I met people from the Historical Society and the owner. The cemetery was yelling at me: “If not you; than WHO?” I spoke up and gave my phone number to the owner. “I want to help, please call me.”
Now, I am not a patient person and the cemetery had waited long enough. I was going to start cleaning. I wasn’t waiting for permission. So, my next trip to the sacred ground was met with a huge gasp of reality “Where do I start?” I walked through the cemetery and took notes on the families that had headstones and monuments. Then I cleaned the parking lot, it was a good beginning and I felt happy and content.
