San Bernardino’s storied past came to life Saturday morning as volunteers re-created scenes for attendees of the first annual Pioneer Memorial Cemetery Tour. Despite the scorching sun, roughly 60 people participated in the Oct. 3 event and helped raise $1,800 in donations for future improvements. 

Youth and community volunteers staged scenes at five monuments throughout the cemetery, portraying moments connected to the pioneers buried there. The tour also served as a fundraiser for restoration work at the roughly 175-year-old cemetery, according to event coordinator Jenon Anderson-Reise. 

Among the families highlighted was the Ralphs family, whose history in Southern California began with English immigrant Richard Ralphs. According to the event program, Ralphs arrived in California with Mormon pioneers in 1851 and settled in San Bernardino, where he established the region’s first brick factory. He later acquired a large ranch. His son, George Albert Ralphs, later entered the grocery business in Los Angeles. Eventually, George and his brother Walter opened Ralphs Bros. Grocers in 1873. 

The cemetery contains the remains of pioneers from an era when San Bernardino was the region’s principal settlement. Notable figures include Celia Mounts Hunt, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Flake Rowan, William Henry Seccombe and his son William Carpenter “Will” Seccombe, Virginia Ann Cooksey Earp and Nellie “Bessie” Bartlett Catchim-Earp. Many arrived by wagon train, predominantly with members of what is now the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

“We are bringing awareness to the needs of this cemetery … when you’re that old, you need a little help,” Anderson-Reise said, adding that donations help to return the cemetery to its prior glory.

Organizers said proceeds from the event will help repair and resurface damaged or sunken monuments.. 

Tawnya Rhoades-Hensley, president of the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, said the collaborative project grew from a partnership involving local organizers, the Rotary Club, Arrowhead United Way and the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society. 

“Every donation that comes to this, every person that pays for their tour, everyone that does the work, the money goes back into restoring the cemetery,” Rhoades-Hensley said.

The cemetery’s needs extend beyond aging headstones. Anderson said organizers hope to improve lighting and security after incidents of vandalism, including theft of brass plaques and pieces of monuments. She said the cemetery currently has no electricity and only one light at its entrance. 

“We need volunteers,” Anderson-Reise said, adding all future improvements need to avoid damaging the buried remains and their monuments. “We need folks that have ground-penetrating radar so we can map the sprinkler system.”

The tour highlighted those who helped shape the San Bernardino Valley. Stephanie Young, whose ancestor came to the region in “wagon trains,” said the event allows residents to see the past in a new light and understand the community’s origins. 

“We’re able to bring to life these ancestors with a few narrations,” Young said, “and bring their ancestors here to really tell our community why it’s important and the meaningful purpose of what San Bernardino can represent.”

Organizers began planning the project two years ago. They plan to continue the cemetery tour next year while seeking additional funding and volunteers for the upcoming restoration efforts.