The Roadside Memorial, Litter or Holy?

You see them everywhere. Along roads, against buildings, by beaches, on the sidewalks, just about anywhere that people go you will see a makeshift memorials. They can be a simple cross or a very elaborate creation. They can be handmade or store bought. Regardless, they all share one thing in common they mark the place where someone has died.

It is unknown exactly how the tradition of erecting these memorials began. They are called Descansos which is a Spanish word for resting place. This gives us a clue to one of the origin stories of the tradition. One theory says that the tradition started when the body was being carried from the church after the funeral to the cemetery for consecration. The pall bearers would stop and rest, putting the body down on the ground. These spots were marked as sacred. A small plaque would be erected on the spot of resting.

Another theory has the origin coming from the migrants workers of New Mexico who would mark the roadside graves of their loved ones as they traveled the highways. Other people credit the beginning off this tradition to the Crusades and others to the time of the black plague.

However, the tradition came to us it is here and it is a part of everyone's travels today. Regardless of your mode of transportation you are bound to encounter a Descansos.

They are hard to ignore. A makeshift cross emblazoned with a bunch of balloons gets your attention. The same as a heap of teddy bears piled along side a building does. They are bound to provoke some sort of emotion. Some people want to outlaw them as litter and distractions along the highways. Others see them as a warning to drive safely.

When I see a Descansos I regard that spot as holy. Someone has died there. Someone has died suddenly on that spot and left their loved ones behind. Someone with a life to live and a story still to tell has died with no warning. When I see a Descansos I see a place of grief, where family and friends have gathered to ask why.

I recently traveled west on route 2 through Montana and could not help but notice the many white crosses. They were all of uniform size. These memorials were placed exactly the same distance from the road and at the same height. Sometimes there were two crosses on one pole and once I saw five crosses all on one pole. There were even a few Stars of David in place of the crosses. I had to find out what was going on with these Descansos. What I discovered was that the memorials were all maintained by the American Legion. This is the fatality marker program which started back in 1952 when a member of an American Legion Post wanted to place a markers after six people were killed in a traffic accident near Missoula, Montana.

Today the Montana state legislature has written a law to designate how the memorials should be constructed, their size, and where they are placed. The local American Legion Posts maintain the memorials along the highways of their section. These Descansos are regulated by the state. There were so many of them along the road I was driving I started to become concerned with my own safety. But still each marker had a story to tell.

Today you can purchase a roadside marker over the internet and get next day shipping. Several state legislatures have attempted to outlaw or curtail roadside memorials. California, will allow it only if you pay them a $1,000 fee. Other states have restrictions ranging from out right banning, Missouri, to buying a sign from the state, Florida. However, I doubt if any state will stop the Descansos from going up.

I would like to know the story behind each of the Descansos. Even more I would like to know the untold story of the life cut short. Maybe some day I'll travel a stretch of road and investigate the lives of those memorialized along its shoulders. But for now I'll say a small prayer for the life that could have been and for the survivors left behind.