Susan O. Hail Grave
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To overland emigrants the rigors of the trail began with the "Coast of Nebraska," the ridge of sandhills separating the Platte Valley from the open prairie behind it. Thousands of emigrants passed this way during the peak emigration years of the 1850s. Hundreds died of disease, principally of Asiatic cholera. It is believed that a grave near here is of one such victim. Of all those who died, only a few graves are known. On August 3, 1859, a surveyor noted the grave and its marker:
Memory of Susan O. Hail
of Lafayette County, Missouri
Who died June 2, 1852
Age 34 Yrs. 5 months 12 days
of Lafayette County, Missouri
Who died June 2, 1852
Age 34 Yrs. 5 months 12 days
That marker, since destroyed, was of polished workmanship, unlike most trail gravestones. It is said her husband returned to Missouri, had the stone made, and brought it to this spot on the prairie. The people of the area have cared for the grave, and the land was purchased in 1958 and presented to Adams County by the Federated Women's Club of Kenesaw and the Adams County Historical Society.
