The following teaser is from a heartwarming article posted in the November 27, 2011 edition of the Billings Gazette. This is a great read. Please let this teaser lead you to the full article.
STROMSBURG, Neb. — Alexandra Grant traveled halfway cross the country with a special passenger riding along in her Prius.
The 37-year-old artist from Los Angeles brought a tombstone with her. Along all the stops she made on the way from California to Nebraska, Grant took special care of the ivory-colored marker, carefully carrying it into hotels she stayed at, ignoring the odd looks she got when curious people ask what she is carrying in the wooden box.
She has been what she calls “the caretaker” for the tombstone belonging to Lena E. Davis, a baby who died July 19, 1880, in Polk County.
Eleven years ago, Grant was on a road trip passing through Buffalo, Wyo., when she stopped at a consignment store called The Rendezvous. It was there she spotted the tombstone. History behind the marker was shady at best. From what Grant was told, it was from a ranch in eastern Wyoming, and the cemetery it came from didn’t exist any longer.
She said it looked forlorn and out of place at the store. As an artist who incorporates the written word into her pieces, Grant was drawn to the beauty of the tombstone. So, three days after she first came across it, Grant decided to buy it for $150.
