Our local Highland cemetery is one of many Highland cemeteries around the country, but to us it is an integral part of our community. We would like to share some information about our history.
Highland Cemetery, located in Great Falls, Montana, began as a 240-acre section of land owned by Paris Gibson and James and Annie Lewis. When the city was being laid out in the late 1800s, this land was selected for a cemetery. The original entrance was on the eastern portion of the property, in what is now called “Old Highland”. From there, the cemetery has developed to the west, north, and south.
In 1911, the Great Falls Cemetery was founded as an association of lot owners with by-laws and a board of directors. When someone purchases the rights to a lot, they, or their descendants, are a part of the association. That is still how the cemetery functions today.
Over the years, many improvements have been made, including the installation of the water tower, irrigation system, and the building of an office. The cemetery has records of over 32,000 persons buried on its grounds. The information and stories regarding those people have shown many eras in the development of Great Falls. From the mining era, to the arrival of the trains; through the Great Depression, wars, the arrival of immigrants, homesteading, the Native American culture, multiple civil organizations, and many veterans who served in various wars.
There are several well-known individuals who are interred at Highland Cemetery, including artist C.M. Russell, “town father” Paris Gibson, actor George Montgomery, and soldier Sergeant Royal Caufield.
One of the most recent research projects at Highland Cemetery has been locating the “Potter’s Field” on the cemetery property. Until about 3 1/2 years ago, the whereabouts of this section was unknown and information was limited. The office files show that there were 1,063 persons buried there between 1894-1946. With the help of the Great Falls Genealogy Society, we found resources leading to the original land transaction, wherein Cascade County purchased a 5-acre section of the cemetery from Paris Gibson and James and Annie Lewis. In the original deed, there were specific descriptions of the location, and the Cascade County surveyor was able to overlay that on a map of the cemetery. Its location is in our “Old Highland” section. Since then, the research has continued using our old files, old newspaper articles, and some modern-day equipment to find more information about this section.
There were a variety of reasons for people to be buried in “Potter’s Field” during the era of 1894-1946. With 45% of the burials being children, many families used this section because they couldn’t afford a grave. Other notations in the cemetery files for those buried give descriptions as “colored”, “Indian”, “lived at County Poor Farm”, “unknown person”, or they simply had no family.
There were various causes of death for these individuals. Some died because of their mining jobs (most were at the Sand Coulee mines). Some died from accidents with the railroad, some drowned in the river and others met their end in farming accidents. Numerous people succumbed to pneumonia each winter. Other descriptions showed “suicide”, “shot while running from the law”, or “acute alcoholism”. Most of the children’s records mentioned “stillborn” or “premature birth”. Many of those with the description “Indian” also stated that they resided on “Hill 57”, or at “the West Side Indian Encampment”.
This year (2025), with approval from the Great Falls Cemetery Association Board of Directors, Highland Cemetery had a large sign made with the names of all 1,063 people who are interred in “Potter’s Field”. It was unveiled during the “Waking the Dead” tour in June, and is a way of acknowledging the lives who were in our community, but were never given markers.
Although Highland Cemetery was established well over a century ago, the lives of those buried here still hold stories today. The Great Falls Cemetery Association has the on-going goal to maintain a peaceful, beautiful, and reverent location for the community to pay their respects to loved ones.
By Renee Phillips: November 3, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Author: Staff
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