Utah Adventures with Maverik: Take a cemetery tour this Memorial Day to find famous historic figures

The Memorial Day holiday is usually the traditional opening weekend to Utah's higher elevations. With this year's heavy snowpack, many of those high-country destinations remain inaccessible. So if you are looking for an adventure that matches the spirit of the holiday, consider exploring Utah history with a cemetery tour.

There are scores of historical and religious figures, inventors, authors, artists, and politicians buried in cemeteries around the state.

Before heading out on your cemetery tour, make sure to fuel up at Maverik. With refreshments, food, and some of the best soda fountains around, you won't find a better place to gear up for an adventure while filling up your tank!

Here are nine famous grave sites found in the Beehive State.

Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971)

The American inventor was born in Beaver, raised in Rigby, Idaho, and buried in the Provo City Cemetery, Find A Grave reports. According to MIT, Farnsworth came up with the basis of his pioneering television component as a teenager in chemistry class. In 1927 at the age of 21, Farnsworth completed the first fully functioning electronic TV system. He is credited by most historians as one of the "fathers of television."

Porter Rockwell (1813-1878)

Porter Rockwell is a controversial and mythical figure. His legacy is part bad-boy outlaw, part devout General Authority and protector. Rockwell—who was known for his long hair and deadly shot—was a personal bodyguard to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Danielle B. Wagner writing for LDS Living said Rockwell killed more outlaws than Wyatt Earp and Doc Holladay combined, earning him the nickname "The Destroying Angel."

He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery according to Find A Grave.

Billy Casper (1931-2015)

ESPN describes Billy Casper as one of the most prolific winners on the PGA Tour. He won 51 times on the PGA Tour, as well as scoring the championship in the 1966 U.S. Open and winning the 1970 Masters.

"Casper was a genius with the short game, considered one of the best putters in golf," ESPN writes. The golf legend was buried in his green jacket from the Masters and Augusta National, USA Today reports.

Find A Grave lists Casper's burial site at Evergreen Cemetery in Springville.

7 family adventures you can do in a single day

The list includes some trusty, old standbys as well as a few wild cards you might not have tried before. Each of the family-friendly locations is within a few hours of Salt Lake City, which means you can squeeze them in on a weekend or whenever you've got the time.

Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932)

Martha Hughes Cannon is widely heralded as a trailblazer for women's rights and education.

Cannon was the first woman in the United States elected to a State Senate, according to the National Women's History Museum. Her focus in her legislative career was public health, which also included starting the Utah Health Department. Cannon attended medical school and was the first physician in residence at Deseret Hospital, now known as St. Marks Hospital.

A statue of Cannon is slated to reside in the National Statuary Hall in Washington D.C.. Until it makes its way to the nation's capitol, the finished statue resides in the Utah Capitol, Lisa Riley Roche writes for the Deseret News.

Cannon is buried in the Salt Lake City cemetary. You can find her exact spot on Find A Grave's website.

Gene Fullmer (1931-2015)

Another one of Utah's winning athletes, Gene Fullmer, lived and died in the Beehive State. According to the Washington Post, the boxer won the world middleweight championship twice and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

When he wasn't winning championships or boxing (and often beating out) Sugar Ray Robinson, Fullmer was a mink rancher and welder at a copper mine in Utah.

Ancestry.com says Fullmer is buried near his hometown in the South Jordan Cemetery.

Marie Windsor (1919-2000)

Utah may be known for its beautiful backdrops for films and television shows, but it's rare to find Hollywood stars who lived and choose to be buried in the state. Actress Marie Windsor was known for her villainous roles in westerns and film noirs, some referred to her as "Queen of the Bs," according to a Fox News article.

The actress, born Emily Marie Bertelsen, grew up in a farming community in Marysvale. She took acting lessons as a child and won beauty pageants. At Brigham Young University, Windsor studied drama. Eventually, her parents drove her to Hollywood to learn from an acting instructor.

At one point in her busy career, she was a director for the Screen Actors Guild over the span of 25 years. Find A Grave says she was buried in her hometown of Marysvale in the Mountain View Cemetery.

Ivy Baker Priest (1905-1975)

Born in Utah, Ivy Baker Priest made a name for herself throughout her life. The Utah Women's History website describes her as "...one of the most prominent political organizers of women in the 1950s…"

She lived a good part of her life in Utah and spent many years working for various political organizations. After playing a major role in electing Dwight D. Eisenhower, he appointed her to Treasurer of the United States—the second woman to ever hold that title.

Priest also served alongside Ronald Reagan as State Treasurer of California for eight years. In 1968, she became "the first woman to formally nominate the presidential candidate of a major political party when she nominated Ronald Reagan at the Republican National Convention."

According to Find a Grave, Priest is buried in Millcreek at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park cemetery.

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John Moses Browning (1855-1926)

If you're familiar with guns (or have ever heard of them), you'll likely recognize the iconic Winchester rifles, Remington shotguns, or the renowned Colt pistol. Those were all designed by John Moses Browning, an American gunsmith who pioneered designs for firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, according to Britannica.com.

The Ogden-born Browning made his first gun at the ripe age of 13. At just 24 years old, he patented a self-cocking single-shot rifle that sold to Winchester, the Britannica article says. Browning's weapons were used by the U.S. Military in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. History.com claims there have been no "further fundamental changes in the modern firearm industry" since Browning's death in 1926.

Though Browning died in Belgium, he is buried in Ogden at the Ogden City Cemetery, according to Find A Grave.

Brigham Young (1801-1877)

Utah's founder, Brigham Young, has a storied history. The History Channel says Young became the new prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after founder Joseph Smith died in 1847. He is most known for leading the population of believers across the country to what is now Utah.

Besides his iconic facial hair, Young is widely known as the man with dozens of wives. A PBS article says Young originally hated the idea of plural marriage and said "he would rather die," but eventually embraced it. He had 57 children.

After building up the territory of Utah for years, Young eventually died in 1877. According to the PBS article, 50,000 people came to pay their respects.

According to the Church website, Young is buried in his family cemetery on 140 E First Avenue in Salt Lake City.

Start every Utah Adventure with Maverik

Wherever your Utah adventures take you, make sure to fuel up and grab some food at your closest Maverik. Right now Maverik's revved-up Nitro Card saves you 10 cents off every gallon every day. You'll also love the huge selection of tasty drinks and snacks—including breakfast and lunch burritos, made-to-order tacos, quesadillas and nachos.

To save on every gallon of gas and get special offers, download the Maverik app to join the Adventure Club.

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