The sign above is located in what are the originally burial grounds for the residents of Marysville; a community located a mile east. Known as the Marysville section, it is located in the southwest corner of the cemetery on State Highway 47 between Ashton and Marysville. Obituaries will reference the cemetery as the Ashton Cemetery, Ashton-Marysville Cemetery or Pineview Cemetery.

Pine trees stand as sentinels at the Pineview Cemetery near Ashton. If these trees could speak, they would tell about the early development of the cemetery. It was financed entirely by two women’s club in Ashton. The Study Club organized in 1910 and the Utility Club, organized in 1915, co-sponsored the project, which began in 1916. They raised money mainly by serving dinner at the old Ashton Dog Races. It took 13 years to raise the $2,000 of which $1,800 was used to put the first pumps in for water for irrigation and $200 for fencing the area and seeding the grounds. The clubs also gave dances and held rummage and food sales. Forty dollars was raised at the first Dog Race dinner, charging $1.00 per meal. The grounds had been called the Marysville Cemetery previously and had no water or fence. Many times wandering livestock tipped over stones and ruined plants. According to an article published in the Fall River Review in January 1990, the first grave was Mary Lamborn. I found some who were buried before the turn of the century, under the pine trees on the crest of the grounds, of which the cemetery gets it name. There used to be a “potter’s field” along the west side with some early Chinese being buried there, also. Land has been added to the present cemetery a few times, both on the north and east sides. The original fence was torn out except the ornamental gate and the remaining fence on the south side. Trees have replaced the fence on the east.

Pineview Cemetery Located East of Ashton on Highway 47.

By Margaret Hawkes Lindsley
There was great excitement up and down this Upper Snake River Valley on February 14, 1906. The Oregon Short Line Railroad, Fess Fuller and Charlie Moore had created a town and February 14 was both its natal and christening day. Old timers who were present in their best bib and tucker recall it as a bang-up celebration. Special trains brought hundreds of people for the opening of the Miller Brothers Elevator. A non-stop dance was free (and potent) refreshments added to the festivities. And thus Ashton officially ushered into the world. Nat Putman, a man in his in 70’s, was the resident engineer for the railroad construction. He and his wife made their home in a private railroad car, fitted up so elaborately it would put a modern day trailer house to shame. A large share of the painting and decorating in it was done by the father of Kyle Worrel of St. Anthony. As the railroad progressed the Putmans and their home on rails moved with it. The late H. G. ‘Fess’ Fuller has been called the father of Ashton but it was named for Bill Ashton, Chief Engineer of the Harriman railroad system at that time. A tall man, about six four, with a good build and dark eyes and hair, he was close to sixty when Ashton was born. He and his son, Jim, had faith in the new town filed on a homestead, which is now owned by Gust Steinmann. The Ashton’s built the house that still stand there and the farmland now belonging to John Warnke but moved to Salt Lake City before their namesake was very old. Stradley was the locating engineer and ‘ran the line’ for the OSL before any work began but a younger engineer did the cross sections. Three surveys were made, beginning with one in 1881, which was finally used. On the other, one went through a cemetery and the other through the Snake River Canyon north of Marysville, Originally, the railroad was scheduled to go through Marysville but local speculators bought up land along the right of way and asked an inflationary price in the opinion of the railroad company. Therefore, the officials decided to use the 1881 survey, which the easiest of the three routes and the new town of Ashton was planted two miles west of Marysville.

The area surrounding Ashton is full of colorful history, as evidence in the names of early pioneers chose. Ashton, of course, was founded in 1906 and named after Bill Ashton, the chief engineer on the Oregon Short Line Railroad, which passed through the town. Originally, Marysville was called Springville because of the number of springs in the area. The name was changed to Marysville in 1890 after city officials were told by post office officials that there were already too many Springvilles. Marysville was chosen because of five prominent Marys in the area and because Mary Baker was the first postmistress there. Hugginsville corner is 4 miles east of Ashton on Highway 47. It was named after John Huggins, an early settler. For unknown reason sometimes later was called Svea Falls. Originally, spelled Green Timber, it was named because of the green wood that could be found in that area. It is northeast of Ashton along the Cave Falls highway. Warm River, along Highway 47 northeast of Ashton was so named because the river does not freeze over in the winter and steam often rises from the water on cold days. The area surrounding it was once noted for a big dance hall, a swimming pool and resort facilities. Across Fall River, to the south of Greentimber is Squirrel. It was named for the vast hordes of ground squirrels that used to plague the area. The squirrels died off suddenly after overpopulating themselves. Kelley is east of Squirrel just up the road from the Paul Bolland residence. The Kelly Schoolhouse still stands there. Kelly was named for Judge Kelly, who was Mrs. Elmer Duke’s father. Highland is east of Squirrel and was named because of the Highland Ranch located where Larry Orme now lives. The ranch specialized in registered hogs, sheep, cattle and horses. Many people came to Ashton to work on the Highland Ranch. Located along Highway 32, the little town was named after one of its earliest settlers, Lou Lamont. Lou was Ben Lamont’s grandfather. The town of Drummond is nearer to Ashton than Lamont and was named after the engineer who succeeded Bill Ashton in the construction of the railroad into Teton Basin. Grainville was a shipping point on the Oregon Short Line Railroad between Ashton and Drummond. It was named for the acres of wheat surrounding the stop. It is located near the Scafe and Bergman residences. France Siding is now just an elevator along Highway 32 between Drummond and Lamont, France was a loading area for the train. It was originally called Franz Siding after Bob and Max Franz, the first homesteaders. The name was changed during World War I when feelings against anything German ran high. Lillian is across the road from the Blaine Baird home on Highway 32, west of Drummond and was named for its postmistress, Lillian Newby. Farnum is east and south of Ashton. It was named for Mary Farnum, the mother of the first postmaster, Silas Green. Going west of Ashton is Ora, named after Ora Kerr, the wife of M. J. Kerr, a county commissioner in 1898. The post office was located in their home next to the schoolhouse on the old Reynolds place. Sarilda, northwest of Ora, was originally to have been Sadoris, but a choice of two names was submitted when applying for a post office – Sarilda and Sadoris. The name was taken from Sarilda Sadoris who had the first school in her home. Vernon, south of Ora and southwest of Ashton, is where the first Methodist Church was located and is across the road from what is now the Lynn Loosli residence. No reason could be found for the name of the area, although it is thought there could have once been a Vernon family living there.

The Marysville section of Ashton's Pineview Cemetery was the original burial grounds for residents of the area before 1906, when the Oregon Short Line Railroad, a branch of the Union Pacific Railway, established the village of Ashton.

Map of memorial and the different additions through the years.