Death in a Small Town

Author

Christine Cooper, Utah State University

Date of Award

5-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

History

Abstract

Today, those who experience the loss of a loved one are far removed from the process of nursing the dying and watching over the dead. These tasks are relegated to professionals with specific education, certifications, and licensing. With advances in medical technology and hospitals in most communities staffed with well-trained doctors and nurses, the process of dying is more prolonged than that of the late-19th and early-20th centuries in rural small towns. Additionally, with the rise of the death care industry family involvement is often limited to choosing a casket and organizing services. In some ways death has become an invisible and taboo process.

The further removed modern society has become from death and dying the more uncomfortable we have become discussing wishes for end-of-life care, advanced directives, and the disposition of remains. The avoidance of the topic leaves family members with questions about what their loved ones want regarding heroic life saving measures and funeral plans. Recently though, there has been a resurgence in the idea of the “good death,” one in which the dying individual may choose to remain at home, passing without medical intervention.

This project examined the rites, traditions, and practices of death and dying in a small rural western town. Using Vernal, Utah as a case study I built a virtual museum exhibit using ArtSteps, 3-D Models, and images. The exhibit presents information about how citizens of Vernal and the surrounding area treated death during the late-19th and early-20th centuries, a time when death was commonly discussed in private and public. Symbols of death and remembrance were often on display in the family parlor. Many thought about and wished for the “good death,” a peaceful passing at home surrounded by loved ones. While not all deaths were peaceful, most took place in the family home. For much of history death was a family event: loved ones were cared for by families during illness and after accident. After a passing, women would wash and prepare the body for interment. In in the early days of settlement in remote small towns like Vernal, burials would often be on the family property. There was an intimate and personal relationship with death. Grief was expressed outwardly through strictly prescribed dress, social customs, and behavior. While Victorian and Edwardians put an immense amount of pressure on families to demonstrate grief properly, through examining their attitudes some more healthy attitudes can be adopted therefore, at the end of the exhibit visitors are asked to question their relationship with death and given resources to better know how to discuss their wishes with their loved ones. Though this exhibit relies on the more macabre interests in the public, it can be a useful means to open an important dialogue that will benefit families. Being prepared for the circumstances of loss can make the transition more manageable.

Recommended Citation

Cooper, Christine, "Death in a Small Town" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects. 1035.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/honors/1035