Adelaida Cemetery
Adelaida, San Luis Obispo County, California
Legend:
ADELAIDA – Adelaida (pronounced Adelaid) was founded in the hills west of Paso Robles in 1878. Today, only a graveyard, schoolhouse, and the ghost of “The Pink Lady” are all that are left. Legend has it that when two young children died here in a diphtheria epidemic in 1887, they were buried here in Adelaide. The mother visited their graves every Friday. Despondent, she reportedly committed suicide shortly afterward and was buried next to her children. Over the years, some say that they have seen her on Friday nights between ten and midnight, wearing a pink dress and roaming the grounds. She became known as the “Pink Lady." The graves of Mrs. Ray and her two children are in Row F on top of the hill. The grave of Mrs. Ray has a large rock with no name on it. Next to her are Guy Ray, 6, who died on January 20, 1887 and Nellie Agnes Ray, 5, who died on February 15, 1887. Their names and the words "Crowned with the Conflict," are inscribed on their stones. The cemetery is located on Adelaida Road not far from where it dead ends with Chimney Rock Road. Once inside the gate, which is usually open, a road turns left then circles around and up the hill and makes a complete loop. Much of the grounds are covered with oak trees, poison oak and weeds. The original site of Adelaida, which once had a population of 700, was located at the NW corner of Klau Mountain Road and Vineyard Drive, the school is on the south side of Chimney Rock Road just before you get to Vineyard Drive going west. On December 10, 1922, a William Antrim died here in Adelaida at age 80 and was buried here. The stepfather of the infamous “Billy the Kid," he was later moved to the San Miguel Cemetery. From Paso Robles, drive 12 miles west on Mountain Spring Road; it turns into Adelaida Road. Turn right on Klau Mine Road and drive about a mile north. The gates are on the right, near Chimney Rock Road.
History of the Indexing Process for the Adelaida Cemetery:
In September of 1984, the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society walked this Cemetery and recorded the Cemetery Inhabitants and their locations. SLOCGS walked the Cemetery again in the Spring of 2001 and added to the existing information. In September of 2009, SLOCGS was contacted by Nate Maas [History Teacher at Liberty High School in Paso Robles]. He and his Students have photographed Cemeteries in SLO County as part of their Historical and Genealogical Studies. It was decided that Nate and his Students would photograph the Adelaida Cemetery. Nate contacted Nancy Curtis-Dubost for permission to do the photo shoot.
The Cemetery was photographed between October 2009 and May 2010.
An updated Index was completed by Martha A Crosley Graham, SLOCGS Project Chair.
Because there are so many old Temporary Mortuary Markers and unreadable Wood Markers, extra care was taken with the new Index to attempt grave location identities. Additionally, the History of Adelaida was consulted as it has a list of burials as well as Biographical data. Those notations can be found on the updated Index.
With Thanks to 'those who walked' this Cemetery:
Michele Busi & Shirley Tharaldsen [1984]
Marilyn Johnson, Michele McCaffrey, Leona Mastan, Lolita Christian, Bob Christian [2001]
Nate Maas and the Liberty HS Students: Photographers [2009 & 2010]
All of the photos and databases that are contained on this
site and in linked directories are watermarked and are the
property of SLOCGS [
Site Updated: 31 October 2015