Levi Tower’s Grave Site
Levi Tower died on November 13, 1865 at age 45 in San Francisco. Tower had gone to see a doctor about a lingering illness, later identified as typhoid fever. Typhoid Fever, or Salmonella Typhi, lived only in humans and was carried in the bloodstream and intestinal tract. The disease was caused by eating food or drinking beverages that have been contaminated by a species of salmonella or sewage that gets into the water supply.
Upon his death, the Masons, the law enforcement during the gold rush, and a charity to help widows, orphans, and new emigrants, brought Levi home and buried him beside Willow Creek a short distance from the Camden lily pond.
Levi’s life never was a smooth one. Mary Shuffelton left Tower after one year of marriage and never returned. It is rumored that she left with a stagecoach driver. Tower lost the hotel, and all his other properties and money.
Walking from the Camden House to Levi Tower’s grave under the trees, the old apple trees beside the carriage house are approximately 150 years old, still producing fruit today.
