Unknown Soldiers

Ten soldiers lie here, and no one knows their names. During and after the First World War, troop trains ran through Montello, and men who fell ill in the influenza epidemic of 1918—which killed more Americans than the war did—were unloaded and treated by a Southern Pacific doctor in a makeshift hospital at the town hotel. Ten died. Fire later destroyed the records that bore their identities, and their graves stood unmarked for decades. Through the efforts of a Montello couple and a Las Vegas veterans' group, the graves were marked in 1975. The dead remain unknown, but remembered.

What the plaque says

Ten soldiers who died during the 1918 Influenza Epidemic are buried here, but their identities are a mystery. During and after World War I, troop trains regularly ran through Montello. Ill soldiers were unloaded and treated by a Southern Pacific Railroad doctor in a makeshift hospital at the town hotel. Crucial government documents identifying the men were destroyed by fire. The graves were unmarked for years. Through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs William Kimber of Montello, and a Las Vegas service organization, The 40 and 8, the previously unmarked graves, although still without names, were marked in 1975.

Where it stands