About
SCOTTY PHILIP CEMETERY – Tina Stallman,
N44° 24.120' W100° 24.245'
The Scotty Philip Cemetery is located in Fort Pierre, Stanley County, SD, Township 5,
southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 8, Range 31 east of the Black Hills
Meridian. This is land that belonged to James "Scotty" Philip, well known figure in South
Dakota history who is perhaps best remembered for his successful effort in saving the buffalo
from disappearance in this country.
Five of Scotty Philip's children preceded him in death and were buried in the locations in
which the death occurred. In order to have the children buried together, Scotty selected a site on
his ranch west of the Missouri River. He laid out his family's resting place, completing the work
on July 22, 1911. Early in the morning of July 23, Scotty Philip himself died. Three days later,
on July 26, he was laid to rest in the family plot.
Scotty had belonged to the Masonic Lodge in Ft. Pierre. In 1934 his widow, Sarah Philip,
granted the land on which the Cemetery is located to the Hiram Lodge #123 A.F. & A.M. of Ft.
Pierre with the understanding that at least a portion of the premises would be used as a Cemetery.
In 1937 the Masonic Cemetery Association was formed. The land was divided into 3 sections,
Masonic, Protestant and Catholic. It is easily reached by a gravel road from Highway 1804.
There in a shaded, fenced plot are buried many members of the Philip family. There too, can be
found names of many of the Ft. Pierre area residents. All rest on the hillside overlooking the
Missouri River. —Tina Stallman
