This book series will feature the stories of pioneer cemeteries in the western states, written by local authors, revealing the tales behind the intriguing, lost, abandoned, forgotten, and earlies pioneer cemeteries. Each book will include photos, essays, and stories of locations and individuals whose deaths and history have been forgotten-or at least, abandoned-and which tell a story about the region in which they lived. Many of these old sites are located on private land or are not maintained by cities, counties, or other agencies. Along with individual family stories and histories of these outlying graveyards, there will be a chapter on headstones, symbols, and burial traditions used by pioneers or early settlers. There will also be a chapter on some of the West's famous or infamous characters buried in the state's oldest cemeteries. The book will be illustrated with archival images and modern photos of graveyards. The first two states will be California and Texas, written by Gail L. Jenner and Cynthia Leal Massey (originators), respectively. States to follow will include Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, with the potential for more.