Grove C. Cook Grave
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California
Overview
Grove C. Cook of Kentucky came to California in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson Party. This was the first group of overland emigrants to travel from Missouri to California along the route that became the main California Trail. Cook worked for John C. Sutter at Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento for several years, settled in the Santa Clara Valley, and took part in the war with Mexico and in California’s bid for statehood. He was active in California’s political affairs. Cook died on February 15, 1852 in Santa Cruz and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery near several other early emigrants to California.
Location
The grave is in Evergreen Cemetery, located on the west side of Harvey West Municipal Park in Santa Cruz, California.
Take the River Street off-ramp from California 1 and proceed 1 block north on River Street. Turn left on Coral Street. Drive west and south to the end of Coral Street and then turn right on Evergreen Street. The cemetery is located on the left along the base of the hill; Harvey West Park is to the right. An OCTA marker is located toward the center of the cemetery, above the main walkway.
The site is open to the public and is owned by the City of Santa Cruz, California.
Source: Randy Brown and Reg Duffin, Graves and Sites on the Oregon and California Trails, OCTA, 2nd edition, 1998, pp 130-131
To learn more: This publication is available for purchase.