YORK — A local Eagle Scout candidate is leaving a lasting mark on the York community — one shovel, trail marker and restored gravesite at a time.
“They didn’t have a proper graveyard walk-up. They needed a proper way to get up to the graveyard,” said 12-year-old scout Simon Jensen, who helped on the project.
Trenton Atkinson led Scout Troop 214 through a weekend of hard work rebuilding the trail leading into York Cemetery, clearing overgrowth and helping restore dignity to a historic cemetery that had fallen into disrepair.
“Well, I just love history,” Trenton continued, “and York is an amazing town. We try to keep that historical aspect of it, just keeping the same as it's always been since 1866. Preserving it would just be a great project.”
Groundskeepers and York residents approached scoutmaster Doug Wheeler with the idea, hoping to restore the trail and make it accessible for those looking to visit relatives.
Wheeler took to heart the 87-year-old resident who approached him, hoping the cemetery could be cleaned up before his time comes.
“He expects that he's gonna be buried here in the not too distant future,” Wheeler explained, “and he said that he really wanted the trail improved to make it easier for his loved ones to come up and visit him.”
The York Cemetery sits above town — but for years, getting here wasn’t easy.
“The amount of people that, even just in conversations he's had, that weren't aware that there was a cemetery up here, or had heard about it but weren't quite sure where it was or how to find it,” said Trenton’s mom, Allison.
Scouts with Troop 214 spent two days widening the trail, cutting brush, weeding and creating a clear path through the cemetery itself. They even added new markers to headstones that had become too worn to read and removed graffiti to honor those buried.
Volunteers said it was a lot of work and quite the task, one that Trenton was ready for.
“There was no talking him back from it,” Allison stated. “He knew he wanted to do something with a greater impact, something that was more challenging for him so that he could test himself.”
The project covered an 850-foot trail with about 150 feet of elevation gain. Fourteen volunteers worked each day — eight hours Saturday, six more Sunday — camping out overnight in true scout fashion, all under Trenton's leadership.
“The project itself was a huge undertaking for Trenton, just executing the project and leading it. It was quite a bit of labor, it was quite hot out, but he wouldn't let us stop. No, he gave us breaks… occasionally,” Wheeler joked.
“Overall I think that he has done amazing,” Allison said. “He's shown a lot of growth and achieved a lot that was just really impressive. I’m proud of him.”
While Trenton and the other scouts gained a lot from the experience, scoutmaster Wheeler says he’s most proud of the life lesson these projects teach scouts.
“Community projects are so important,” Wheeler said. “If we didn't have people out volunteering and doing things for the community, our communities would not be nearly what they are.”
Participants say projects of this scale couldn’t be done alone, and they appreciated support and resources from the York Community Association and Prickly Pear Land Trust.
Trenton has a few more steps before becoming an Eagle Scout, but it’s safe to say he's well on his way.
“This project was really great, just helping out the community,” Trenton said. “Just showing that scouts are awesome, they can do a lot of service, they can do a lot of great things.”
What started as an Eagle Scout project became something much bigger — a chance for young people to preserve history, serve their community and leave a lasting impact for generations to come.
