Savannah Memorial Park, Pioneer Cemetery

In about 1846 Henry Dalton, owner of Rancho San Francisquito, found two graves on his property that were protected by a cactus hedge. He set aside two acres surrounding the graves for a cemetery. The location of the cemetery was desirable because the water table in other nearby areas was too high for burial purposes. In the early days, this part of Rosemead was considered El Monte. There's more to it but the name refers to an "Island or Oasis" So El Monte was literally an island in the middle San Gabriel Valley between two rivers.

Savannah Memorial Park is possibly the oldest protestant cemetery in Southern California and has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1850.

Savannah Memorial Park served El Monte, the first American settlement in Southern California (California Landmark No. 975) and the end of the Santa Fe Trail, as well as surrounding areas.

When you step inside the gates of this park, you will be standing on the same grounds that our Pioneers stood upon. The surrounding businesses and streets have been re-arranged, but not this park...it's where the past tells their stories to the present.