According to county records, seventy-two people lie buried in the Potter’s Field at the Grantsdale Cemetery, southeast of Hamilton, but only 15 of them are buried in marked graves. Now, thanks to the interest of a young prospective Eagle Scout, all of those buried in the Potters Field will now have a memorial with their name etched on it.
Brandon Cleveland, a member of Boy Scout Troop 1976 in Hamilton, was looking for a good project to pursue as part of his Eagle badge requirement. When he mentioned his interest in the Potter’s Field at the Grantsdale Cemetery to his scout leader, he was referred to Larry Strate, who helped with the research at the Ravalli County Museum.
“To me a cemetery is a place to go and show respect for loved ones,” said Cleveland, “so I tried to make it a place where people could come and do that.”
Nothing much is known about most of the people buried there but their names. Brandon hopes that, by placing their names on a group memorial at the cemetery, he might stir up some interest and draw in some more information about the people buried there.
After getting permission from the Cemetery board, Brandon went about rounding up help for his project and found a lot of help from individuals and businesses. Earth and Wood, Donaldson Brothers, Elaine’s Engraving, Pacific Steel and Howard “the welder” all contributed materials and/or labor to the project. The Eagles Club and the Elks Lodge contributed funds. 