Mount Adams view on a spring day

Our Story

The Inspiration

Most of us don’t think about death, much less our own death and what will become of us when it happens. I didn’t either, but when my younger brother Robert died in 2009 that changed. My brother was cremated, and his ashes were distributed among several family members. I felt that one of the biggest shortcomings of how we dealt with his passing was that there was no specific place to memorialize him, no place where I might go to think about him and find another friend of his doing the same. It left a yearning for solace that continues with me to this day.

My brother’s passing brought back memories of my grandmother’s interment at a conventional cemetery years earlier. The stark, manicured lawns and the dense layout of graves, rather than offering solace, to me, felt unfriendly and impersonal. It wasn’t a place that was enjoyable for me to visit, and it gave me no comfort.

handcrafted live edge wood picnic table with view at Great River

Find solace at Great River

Making Plans that Align with Values

It was after my wife Stephanie and I moved my aging mother closer to us, that we began talking with our parents about their end-of-life plans. Stephanie and I then took the next logical leap. We looked at each other and, for the first time in our lives, asked, “What are we going to do?” We loved this land, where we have lived since 1990. We were married here, raised our children here, and intended to stay here “forever”. While the answer to the question seemed clear, we wondered whether we wanted to be buried on our residential property. Questions arose, like what would become of the property in a hundred years and who would own it?

The quest for answers to these questions led us to the re-discovery of traditional, or natural, burial. The concept immediately struck a chord with us. It aligned with our values of simplicity, respect for the environment, and a desire for a more organic way to say goodbye. The idea of a final resting place in harmony with nature, where the land is left as untouched as possible, was not just appealing – it felt right.

Connecting the Dots

We met Suzanne Wright Baumhackl, a caring and connected community member who wanted to serve the living while honoring the dead, in nature, in ceremony, and with deep reverence. After Suzanne attended her grandmother Emily’s burial service and several other memorial services, she had a suspicion that people might seek more natural, intimate, and purposeful end-of-life celebrations and environmentally sound burial practices. Her passionate quest for answers guided her toward Orphan Wisdom School, where she is a graduate scholar.

Suzanne was instrumental in helping to found Great River as part of her purposeful path, guiding people towards conversations about loving, living well, dying wise, and befriending grief. Together we envisioned a place where others who felt a similar connection to nature and a desire for a more meaningful end-of-life experience could come together. A place where the circle of life continues, people and nature connect, and where every life is honored in a way that is both simple and profound. Trails would provide access through the cemetery, and visitors would be invited to explore the land. It would be a place that was interesting for the living as well as peaceful for the deceased.

Thus, Great River was born. We invite you to be a part of this story – a story of respect and a lasting connection with the earth, which sustains us all.

Russell Hargrave
Co-Founder, Great River
President, Great River Oregon Non-Profit
Vice President, Board of Directors of the Cemetery Association of Oregon

Great River road sign and Mount Adams view

Land Acknowledgment

The Mosier Valley area falls within the traditional land inhabited by the Wasco Tribe of native people, who have had a historical, cultural, and spiritual connection to this land for generations. In 1855, the Wasco, and other tribes, were pressured by the U.S. government to cede approximately 10 million acres in exchange for 464,000 acres (about 1/20 of their original land base), and for the rights to self-govern, fish and gather foods in the ceded lands. The Wasco people in the areas of Hood River and The Dalles signed the treaty and moved to the new Warm Springs Reservation.

As we reflect on this acknowledgment, we pledge to continue our work to steward and preserve this natural space through natural burial and outdoor learning which connects people to the land, honoring the indigenous peoples who have called this land home.