Woodland IOOF Cemetery
197 E. Scott Avenue
Woodland, WA
Vikki submitted the following newspaper article describing the establishment of the Woodland IOOF Cemetery.
The following article was originally published in the "History of Woodland Community", I do not know the author or the year. It was reprinted in the August 12, 1959 "Lewis River News" Newspaper.
This cemetery is the largest and most extensively patronized burial ground in the Lewis River valley. The fact that it is situated near Woodland, the center of population of the valley, accounts for this.
This cemetery had its beginning about 1876 when an acre of land was donated by John Shaw Bozorth and set aside for burial purpose. From 1853 to 1876 the burial ground for this vicinity was located on the bottom land somewhat to the southwest of the present tract. But, since the Columbia flood of 1876 put water over the graves there, it was decided the cemetery should be moved to higher ground. So it is that some of the stones of the cemetery show dates as early as 1853 and 1856 those of Squire and Millie Bozorth, respectively.
At a date too early for this writer to recall the Odd Fellows Lodge took charge of this cemetery and thereafter purchased two acres adjoining the original tract. This entire area of three acres is all but filled with graves with little possibility of increasing its size.
In times past these cemeteries have been the object of considerable neglect. This is due partly to the absence of an organization with the proper zeal to keep them in presentable condition due to the cost.
Years passed and in spite of the sporadic efforts of some of the interested ones, the unkempt appearance of the cemeteries of the several communities continued to irk the community-minded citizens of the valley.
A time for the better came however, with the formation of the Cowlitz Cemetery District No. 2 in 1954 by popular vote, which district assumed responsibility for the care of Kerns, Abel and Yale cemeteries