In Blackpowder Cartridge News #73 Leo Remiger's article on Ira Harold "Bearface" Dodge suggests that it is a story that Ira Dodge is buried in the Kemmerer cemetery. It is a fact. His year of death is given as 1920 and Sarah E. (1867-1908) is also buried there. HOW he died I can't determine. It is known as the Kemmerer City Cemetery and is also known as the South Lincoln Cemetery, Kemmerer.
Ira Harold Dodge and Sarah Elizabeth Slate Dodge had sons Raoul E., Harold Hazelwood, and Feron and daughters Irene and Muriel. Son Raoul E Dodge is ALSO buried in the Kemmerer cemetery. The daughters were living with Ira in Pocatello in January 1920. In that same census Ira is a farmer and Irene is a Deputy Assessor employed by Bannock county. There are a number of descendants so I'm presuming that there might still be family in Wyoming or Idaho.
The one story was that Ira was killed in a blasting accident in Pocatello. Apparently the family believes that Ira did die in Lander, Wyoming 30 Mar 1920. That gives a lot of credence to Lander being the place of death. However, Lander is a long way from Pocatello, ID which the census shows as Ira Dodge's residence in 1920. I can only wonder at the journey he must have had if injured in Pocatello and moved to Lander (presumably for care by somebody) before dying in Lander. It is conceivable even with 1920 roads for him to have been moved about 300 miles (road miles not as the crow flies). They might even have traveled through Kemmerer to get to Lander. If so they would also have likely traveled through Granger where his son Harold (single) lived in 1920. So why to Lander for care? I know that in 1916 (just 4 years earlier) my great grand aunt made a "circumnavigation" of the country in a car and it was considered big news. I don't know anything about the history of the roads between Pocatello, Kemmerer and Lander. It would be believable that he died in March where he was living in January but it isn't really believable to me that in the winter in 1920 he was moved from Pocatello, ID the 300 some miles to Lander for care. I can believe that he went to Lander for some business or personal reasons and died there.
This is pretty darn fascinating.
Bits and Pieces
Ira Dodge of Cora, Wyoming, for example, reported that 20,000 elk passed his place in the fall headed for the Red Desert just north of the Green River (Commission on the Conservation of the Jackson Hole Elk 1927). From " Historical Elk Migrations Around Jackson Hole, Wyoming" by Christina M. Cromley Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative
1 comment:
"My Great Grandfather" My Grandmother was Muriel Dodge his daughter, she loved him very much and missed him so much. There's a book that's unaffordable to me about his life story, does anyone have a copy of the book that can be donated to the decendants would be greatly appreciated."
Contact: Steve Entwisle @ sentwisle90@hotmail.com. Much appreciated
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