Just for special interest, I was reading in the October 2000 WildWest Magazine an article on Gunfighters. In this particular article they were discussing the death of California Constable Johnny Powers . Although he wasn't from our area of research ... the story about the mysterious disappearance of the headstone was rather interesting, and I wonder how many of our family headstones have ended up lost under similar circumstances. Constable Powers body was buried in a tree-shaded Cottage Grove Cemetery. A small white marble headstone was put up . It was ornamented with clasped hands and in the shape of a law officer's badge, it read: In memory of John L. Powers. Died July 3, 1891. Aged 27 yrs 9 mos 6 d's." He was the first lawman killed in Kern County in the line of duty and his name was inscribed on monuments to slain police officers in Bakersfield and in Washington D.C. However the story I wanted to get to was this .... 80 years after he was buried, and after South Fork County (a book) was published several Cottage Grove headstones turned up missing, including Johnny Power's stone. Bob Powers, who was a resident of Kern Valley was very shocked and very angry at what had happened and in the 1990's (through the Kern Valley Historical Society he posted a $1,000 reward for information to Constable Powers headstone whereabouts'. No questions asked. Luckily the very next day a woman called him and the headstone was found. She was met by Bob Powers and a friend, Al Landry, in Twin Oaks and she led them to a shed on her property. Twenty two years had gone by when some vandals had broken the headstone in two near the cement base, and the base was being used as a step into the shed, which was about 40 ft. from the road Bob Powers had driven past a hundred time. The remainder of the stone had been shoved into a space beneath. So the lost headstone was found twenty two years later, mystery was solved. It is now back in the family, and Bob Powers has his peace of mind, finding his lost relation. I guess I wanted to share this, to encourage each of you to not give up ..... sometimes there are happy endings!