History of Ft. Bridger Cemetery where Bonnie is buried:

SE ¼ SW ¼, Section 4, Township 15 North, Range 115 West, Uinta County, Wyoming.

The Ft. Bridger Cemetery dates from the days when Fort Bridger was active.

From “History of the Fort (Bridger)”, p. 17, film #H79a, Wyoming State Archives, Cheyenne, WY:
“There is an old cemetery in the valley ½ mile northeast of the Post but no longer used. A new one was started in 1868 on higher ground about a mile southeast of the Post. It is properly fenced and neatly kept. There are 71 graves; they are numbered and marked legibly except two which are unidentified. A record of interments is kept by the Post Quartermaster in the prescribed form.”
[Note: The record of interments was placed in this file because of the number of citizens on the list – the citizens were NOT moved to Fort McPherson National Cemetery as the soldiers were. It should be pointed out that the above references do NOT state that any of these bodies were MOVED to the NEW cemetery; rather, it states “It is no longer used.” Therefore, it is quite safe to assume any civilian graves are still at the old site and probably no longer visible.]

A letter from Brev. Brig. Gen. & Inspector Jas F. Rusling to Major A.S. Burt, 18 Inf. And A.A.Qu.M. at Fort Bridger, U.T. 11 Oct 1866, gave detailed instructions to Maj. Burt to locate and identify those buried outside the Fort, plan and make a new cemetery, and rebury the dead, keeping an accurate record. The old cemetery had been ascertained to be entirely unfit for a burial site – low and damp, and in the spring of the year the graves filled with water.

The new cemetery is situated on a bench south of the town of Ft. Bridger. To get to the cemetery you take the Fort Bridger exit off I-80, turn south to the town of Fort Bridger, Wyoming. When you are almost through the town, turn right at the new post office onto Highway #219. Go approximately 1 mile south, passing several homes, until you reach the top of the hill. The cemetery is located on the west side of the road and the sign is Visible from the road.

The cemetery has four distinct parts. At the northern most end are the very old graves taken from the old cemetery. There are many other graves in this part. The second part is the Woodman of the World Cemetery which was surveyed in the summer of 1917. Many people had an insurance policy with Woodman of the World and were given a headstone as part of the policy.

This part has ninety 20’x20’ family plots. The third was added in 1941 when a map of the first addition to the cemetery was drawn. This added 142 more plots. In the 1980s, more land was acquired on the southern end. This added many more gravesites which can be used in the future.

From the beginning until 1980, there was no water available to the cemetery. It had a “Boot Hill” feeling and was a very desolate place. Families had tried to do many things to improve the plots; they fenced their areas, and some cemented the gravesites and painted them green, but the area was desolate with only some natural grass growing. When a Cemetery District was formed in 1979, they began planning for tax money to become available to pay for a pumping system to water the cemetery. When funding became available, a caretaker was hired and they took care of the entire area. Grass was planted, and Mrs. Pauline McCullough planted all the trees around the cemetery. She planted a lilac and honeysuckle bush/hedge that divides the old WOW part from the new addition. The cemetery has changed into a beautiful and peaceful location.

Bonnie Jean Fillin with her three daughters and her granddaughter.

Clockwise: Bonnie; Wendy (Pete) Aimone; Fort Bridger; oldest daughter, Tanya (deceased); Sommer Walker Tysver, and Robin Walker Johnston

Bonnie Jean Fillin with her grandchildren, Lance Walker & Sommer Walker Tysver

Dec 28, 2011 - Bonnie, far right, with her two living daughters & granddaughter:
Left to Right:
Sommer Tysver; Wendy (Pete) Aimone, Fort Bridger; Robin Walker (Carl) Johnston, Lyman; and Bonnie