Bryant Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 38.582642, -120.967703
County: El Dorado
Record count: 141

Ownership: El Dorado County

Directions: From Sacramento travel east on Hwy 50 east, taking the Ponderosa Rd, Shingle Springs turnoff. Turn right onto South Shingle Rd and continue south/southwest for 5.7 miles. About a mile after you pass Dugan, turn right onto Heffren Drive. The cemetery is on the left side of the road shortly after the turn.

Background: Bryant Cemetery (aka Brandon’s Station and Bryant’s Station) is located off South Shingle Road in Latrobe and is a little over one acre in size (1.05 acres). The cemetery is no longer active and since 1992 has been open for pre-needs (previously purchased plots) only.

Between 2003 and 2005 there were three cremation burials at the cemetery. The cemetery provided plots for ground burials for full body and cremations. The cemetery contains approximately 208 marked graves (full and cremated) and 299 unknown graves found with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

Bryant Cemetery was founded in 1850 by the landowners of William Springs Ranch who gave local families permission to bury their loved ones there. The historical Bryant House and Brandon Station were nearby, situated on the first road going from Sacramento to Placerville. The cemetery was probably established in 1849 and is one of the oldest Gold Rush burial grounds in El Dorado County. Unfortunately, there are no markers from this period.

The earliest marked headstone is from 1855. There were several road houses in this area for people to stop at since this was part of the main road from Sacramento to Placerville before Highway 50 was built. People who died while staying at the road houses were often buried at Bryant as well. No physical deed was required by law to pass responsibility to the County since the title was vested to the public in 1872 by way of what is now known as the Health and Safety Code Section 8126.

The cemetery was officially deeded over to the county by the property owner in 1912 and shortly after, the Board of Supervisors appointed a committee to supervise the cemetery. In 1988, Bryant was listed as a Public County Cemetery by the State Cemetery Board. Bryant Cemetery is a “natural” cemetery and, as such, it is not sprayed with herbicides. The cemetery has an abundance of deciduous trees and major landscaping efforts include leaf removal and weeding at least once a year.

Burial Records

• Tombstone Transcription, compiled by Candis Ward, November 30, 2004, (141 records)

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