According to legend, in 1790 a young Spanish couple seeking food and lodging arrived at Don Guillermo Castro’s hacienda. After eating, they were directed to a lone tree atop a nearby hill to enjoy the view, and later that day an elderly Spaniard claiming to be the young woman’s father asked about them and was sent to the same place. A few hours later the old man returned alone and bid Don Castro farewell. Fearing for the couple’s safety, Don Castro sent his vaqueros to investigate, and they found the couple lying side by side beneath the oak tree, shot dead. The murder was never prosecuted, and the story inspired the establishment of this place as a final resting place for those who came later. Lone Tree Cemetery was established in 1868, a fireman’s plot honoring fallen firemen was dedicated in 1882 by William Hayward, the city of Hayward’s namesake and a volunteer fireman, an armed forces veteran’s plot was established in 1901, and in 1994 an iconic statue of praying hands was carved from a tree trunk. To date, there have been over 19,500 internments, including 4,000 veterans.