Fraser Cemetery

A Brief History

Established in 1915, the Fraser Cemetery began as a privately owned, for-profit cemetery founded by Frank Carlson Sr. on land he owned near the old tubing hill on County Road 72. Over the decades, it has become far more than a burial ground. It stands today as a lasting record of the people, stories, and hardships that shaped the Fraser Valley.

The cemetery’s first burial was Colonel (Captain) Gaskill (1840–1915), a Civil War veteran who operated the first post and stage stop in what would later become the Town of Fraser. The second burial was Nellie Gaskill, who passed away in 1910 and was later exhumed and reinterred in Fraser.

Many of the Fraser Valley’s earliest pioneers are buried here, including families whose names remain woven into the area’s history, such as Goranson, Carlson, Clayton, Benson, Florquist, Morrow, and Just. The cemetery also reflects the region’s deep ties to ranching, logging, railroads, and early tourism.

Other notable burials and historic stories found within the cemetery include:

• Jim Quinn, a gambler from the Dead Horse mining district and former Grand County Commissioner

• Ella Quinn, remembered as a barroom dancer from the area’s early days

• Numerous Norwegian and Swedish loggers who worked throughout the Fraser Valley

• Approximately 75 formerly unknown graves, many believed to belong to flu epidemic victims and impoverished loggers. Markers have recently been installed for these sites.

• Several infant burial sites, reflecting the high infant mortality rates common in early mountain communities

• Veterans representing every major American war, honored within the cemetery’s veteran section, where qualifying veterans receive burial plots at no cost

In 1975, the Fraser Cemetery Association was established through a gift from Frank Carlson Jr., transitioning the cemetery into an incorporated nonprofit organization.

Today, the Association’s Board oversees cemetery operations, including the sale of 6' x 10' burial plots, maintenance of the grounds, enforcement of cemetery rules and regulations, and the planning of future improvements and preservation projects.

The cemetery currently offers: Traditional casket burials, Cremation burials and Green burials.

Projects and Improvements Since 1986

Over the years, the Fraser Cemetery Association and community volunteers have completed numerous projects to preserve and improve the cemetery, including:

• Construction of the stone entryways and log beam entrance, led by Dwight Miller

• Installation of flagpoles and stone benches

• Placement of headstones for all known unknown gravesites

• Construction of the log fence surrounding the two-acre Johns parcel, with materials donated by the Leonard family and labor provided by the Lions Club

• Installation of the cemetery kiosk, built by Charlie Teichman

The Fraser Cemetery continues to serve as both a peaceful resting place and a living piece of Grand County history.