The Snowflake Cemetery
The R.V. “Mike” Ramsay Memorial Cemetery, known to most as the Snowflake Cemetery, is the final resting place of the people who built this town. It is owned and operated by the City of Snowflake and sits at 4th Street West and Schoolbus Lane. The Heritage Foundation works alongside the City as a volunteer steward of its history.
The cemetery carries the name of Mike Ramsay, who looked after the grounds for many years. That is a small clue to what sets it apart: this is a place that has always been kept by neighbors.
What Sets It Apart
- The founders are here. William Jordan Flake, who settled the valley in the 1870s and for whom Snowflake is partly named, is buried in this cemetery, along with many members of the Flake family and other families of the first settlement.
- Pioneer lives, not just names. Among those laid to rest is Samuel Hollister Rogers, a member of the Mormon Battalion. Settlers in this high-country town came from many walks of life, and their stories are tied to the homes our tours still visit.
- Generations of service. Records list more than 2,800 burials, including roughly 500 veterans, so a single walk through the rows crosses the whole span of the town’s history.
- A community-kept place. From Mike Ramsay’s years of care to today’s volunteers, the cemetery has been maintained by people who knew those buried in it, or knew their families.
Our Goal: A Living Cemetery
The Foundation’s stated goal is to turn the Snowflake Cemetery into a living cemetery: a place that is not only kept up but visited, read, and talked about, where each grave connects to a person whose story can still be told.
That begins with getting the basics right, and we have been working on three things.
Getting the Map Right
Volunteers have been checking that every grave is in the right place on the cemetery map and that each name matches its location. Older records and markers do not always agree, and untangling them means families can find their ancestors and the town can trust its own records.
Cleaning the Headstones
Decades of sun, wind, and lichen have dulled many markers. The Foundation has cleaned headstones by hand so inscriptions can be read again.
New Headstones: Adopt a Grave
Some of the oldest headstones have eroded past the point where cleaning helps. The Foundation has designed new, elegant headstones to be placed in addition to the original markers, which stay where they are. The old stone keeps its place in the story, and the new one makes sure the name is not lost.
We are looking for sponsors. A $75 donation sets one headstone. Gifts of any size help, and every one goes toward the next grave on the list.
Please note “Adopt a Grave” with your donation. Other ways to give are on our donate page.
Upcoming: Stories Among the Headstones
October 31, 7:30 PM, Snowflake Cemetery. $5 per person, including the tour, spooky donuts, and hallowed hot chocolate. Local storytellers share the lives of early residents at graves throughout the cemetery, and proceeds support the Adopt a Grave program.
Questions? Text Sarah Brimhall at 928-243-0545.
Other Ways to Help
Do you have a photograph, letter, or family story about someone buried here? We would like to hear it. Call the museum at (928) 536-4881 or stop by the Stinson Museum.