Welter Family Cemetery

Route 2 / US 30

Welter Cemetery from Modern US 30Photo by A. F. Litt, March 22, 2014

Barb Heflin, USGENWEB Archives: Welter Family Cemetery, June 2006

In 1898, the Frank Welter family rented 400 acres of land from the railroad and operated a dairy did commercial fishing. They had 13 children, my grandmother being one of them.

In 1916, the railroad sold the land to the trojan power company. Family members continued to live there until the trojan company sold the property to the Portland General Electric company and the reactors were built.

USGENWEB ARCHIVES: WELTER FAMILY CEMETERY, GOBLE, COLUMBIA COUNTY, OREGONhttp://files.usgwarchives.net/or/columbia/cemeteries/welterfamily.txt Accessed: November 21, 2022

Angel and CrossPhoto by A. F. Litt, August 3, 2022

Jonathan, 4-H outing to Trojan Park and Welter Cemetery, Wild Columbia County, April 27, 2021

In 1967, PG&E chose the site to build a new nuclear power plant and the Welters left. The plant was completed in 1976 but faced design problems and public opposition from the start. In 1992, a crack in the steam generator led to a radioactive water leak and the plant was shut down for the last time. After an expensive transfer and storage of the nuclear waste and demolition of the cooling tower, we were left with the park we have today.

All that time the Welter Cemetery remained active just across from the plant.

https://wildcolumbia.org/2021/04/27/4-h-outing-to-trojan-park-and-welter-cemetery Accessed: November 21, 2022

"I’m a Welter, Eric Welter. I love our cemetery! My mother is Shelly Welter and her dad was Jerry Welter. I’m digging a little deeper to find out his side of the family, history, origins."

Eric Welter, Google Maps, Welter Cemeteryhttps://goo.gl/maps/unGJ9aBC64rYxeZp6

Past and Present Views Along the Columbia River Highway

Jenn Shaw, April 5, 2020:

I have been visiting this area for several years and the story of the Welter family legacy is fascinating. I love that they still take care of their ancestors and are still able to utilize this as their family cemetery. We should all be so lucky.

Mark Buffington, April 5, 2020:

I am an acquaintance of Lonny Welter. He does a lot of work in the cemetery.

Garey Fouts, April 5, 2020:

It is nice to see what could easily have become an abandoned location being cared for. There's a "lost" cemetery up Burn Rd. out of Mist that looks like no one other than me has been there in decades. Of course, I don't know if that's true, but it certainly isn't maintained in any visible way. And I probably have some relatives buried there.

Mark Buffington, April 5, 2020:

About 5 years ago, a Columbia County Work release crew was sent up the the old Mist cemetery off of Burn Rd to do some cleanup. Not sure what it looks like now.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/483015922488601/permalink/689422465181278 Accessed: November 21, 2022

"East end of what was Welter family land on old highway"Taylor, Michael C. Road of Difficulties: Building the Lower Columbia River Highway. Wallowa, Oregon: Bear Creek Press. 2008. 68.