The casual observer might think Cemetary Barren to be a mess, but to one who studies plants it is a wonder to behold, a microcosm of a grassland ecosystem that at one time comprised an estimated seventy thousand acres in Harrison and Washington counties. Today there is probably less than a hundred acres left of this prairie which supported herds of bison, elk and deer as well as many species of small mammals and birds. Cemetary Barren is the most diverse of the barren remnants with well over one hundred species of native forbs and grasses. The bison and elk are gone but this precious remnant should be preserved for future generations. In my opinion it is a fitting memorial to the early settlers and to those who are buried there. Howell Curtis