Yellow Smoke Cemetery — Macy

Yellow Smoke Cemetery stands on a hilltop in Blackbird Bend, in the south-east corner of Thurston County, about five and a half miles from Macy and seven tenths of a mile north of the Thurston and Burt county line on Highway 75. About thirty graves are recorded, and the views from the hill are considerable.

It is named for Shudenzi, Yellow Smoke, the last keeper of the Sacred Pole — the ancient cottonwood that is among the most important objects the Omaha Tribe holds.

The entrance is narrow and unmarked and easily missed, and the way in is a rough track through trees and fields. A pickup is advisable, and it should not be attempted in wet weather.