The Bozeman Cemetery

There are few plots of land in Montana that have as much history buried in them as the Bozeman Cemetery. The stories of the individuals buried here—their dreams, achievements, and failures —give us a rich picture not only of Bozeman’s history, but also the history of the West. Learn about the life and death of John Bozeman, Nelson Story, Ellen Trent Story, James D. Chestnut, “Lady” Mary Blackmore, Henry T.P. Comstock, Monroe “Beaver” Nelson, Frank “Doc” Nelson, and Chester R. “Chet” Huntley.

John Bozeman
b. 1835 in Georgia d. 1867
When gold was discovered in Colorado, John Bozeman left Georgia in 1860 and headed West, leaving a wife and three children behind. By 1862 Bozeman had traveled to the gold strike in Bannack in what was to become Montana Territory.

The 1860s were turbulent years in Montana’s history. The successive gold strikes brought thousands of fortune seekers within weeks of each discovery. The rich mining camps were terrorized by thieves and murderers; vigilante committees were organized. Meanwhile, the steady stream of wagon trains through Indian hunting grounds convinced the Sioux and Cheyenne that they must fight to keep their land. Back in the States the Civil War raged, creating tensions between Montana’s Northern and Southern emigrants as well as between Southerners who were Confederate Army veterans and those who had avoided military service. It was indeed, the Wild West.

The mining camps of Bannack and Alder Gulch (Virginia City) were dependent on potatoes and flour freighted in from Salt Lake City 400 miles away. The immensely fertile Gallatin Valley was only 60 miles from Virginia City, and it was here in 1863 that John Bozeman conceived the idea of starting a farming community that could supply the miners. Bozeman guided several wagon trains into the area on a trail that shortened the trip by almost two weeks. Over time, it became known as the Bozeman Trail, but after 1864 his energy went into fostering the growth of his town site.

John Bozeman did not fit the typical image of the frontiersman in fringed buckskins. Various contemporaries described him as over six-feet tall, strong, brave, handsome, kind, stalwart, and tireless, with “the looks and ways of a manly man.” He was a Southern gentleman, a well dressed Beau Brummel, and no doubt a heart throb.

He was murdered in 1867, only three years after the establishment of the town of Bozeman. While on a trip with Tom Cover to solicit business for the town’s flour mill, he was shot on the banks of the Yellowstone River. The accepted story has been that he was murdered by Blackfeet Indians, but inconsistencies in the information have over time resulted in a mystery that variously points the finger of blame at Tom Cover (an interesting individual who was himself
murdered under mysterious circumstances years later) or at a jealous husband of one of the few women in town.

John Bozeman’s death insured the survival of his town. Fear of Indian attacks led to the establishment in 1867 of Fort Ellis three miles east of the town which provided both protection and a ready market for Bozeman’s farms and merchants. Bozeman’s remains were returned to the town three years later. His friend, fellow Georgian William McKenzie, died in 1913 and is buried next to him.

Nelson Story
b. 1838 in Ohio d. 1926

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