annotated photographic gallery

earliest known photograph of Lewiston, c. 1862
 
Lewiston was founded as a supply town for the gold rush in north Idaho.  
After the gold claims dwindled, the town remained as a shipping site for grain and timber.  
The city was incorporated in May, 1861, and served as the first territorial capital.

original city survey map of city cemetery, 1875

city cemetery, before the end of 1879
Earliest known photograph of the area.  The date of the photograph 
can be ascertained by the lack of any fencing around the cemetery.  
Fencing, which can been seen in another photograph below, was erected by December, 1879.

city cemetery, c. 1882  
The area around the cemetery came to be known as Normal Hill around 1900, 
soon after the construction of Lewiston State Normal School (1895).

Episcopal Church burial registry, September 1881 - May 1888
The registry begins with the funeral of Evangeline Vollmer (q.v.) and
indicates that three (3) distinct cemeteries were used: City, Masonic and Jewish.
This list represents the best original catalogue of deaths and burials in the old cemetery.
The Diocese of Boise ID has fragmentary records from the period. 
From these sources, a total of 23 persons have been identified  whose burials were 
recorded in the city cemeteries but whose graves cannot be found in Normal Hill Cemetery.

city cemetery, c. 1881-1882  
North end.  Four graves yet to be positively identified.  Preliminary investigation
points to the possibility that the photograph was taken at the grave site of Evangeline 
Vollmer (q.v.). The little girl in the center may well be her younger sister 
Bessie (1876-1963).  The boy on the left is now thought to be
Evangeline's brother Ralston (1874-1946).

city cemetery, c. 1889  
This was the first full year of use for the Normal Hill site, which can be seen as
a faint line running east to west in the upper right hand of the photograph.

Persons known to have been buried in the original cemetery and whose headstones are now found in the Normal Hill Cemetery

Evangeline Vollmer (1872 - 1881)  
Evangeline was the eldest daughter
of John and Sarah Vollmer, wealthy Lewiston residents.
Funeral invitation    Episcopal Church (Masonic Temple)
Dr. Henry Stainton's ledger showing his visits during her last illness.



Catharine McGrane (1834 - 1877)

Robert Newell (1807 - 1869)  
Newell was a signatory of the Champoeg Convention documents 
organizing the first provisional government of the Oregon Territory in 1843.
Liberty ship 2006 was built in 1943 and named for him.


Visit the web site dedicated to the
restoration of the Newell headstones.

Photographs and documents courtesy:
 Nez Perce County Historical Society 
Nez Perce County
John P. Vollmer Family Archives
Art Andrews Collection
Church of the Nativity
Ann Swinehart

Look at Lewiston with a panorama photographed c. 1903.
Requires Quicktime.