BOULDER CREEK -- A couple in suburban Silicon Valley got a spooky surprise this summer when they were landscaping their backyard.

DeeDee and Dan Armenta were trying to jackhammer out a redwood stump, which was covered in dirt and surrounded by four living redwoods. They suspected it was a barbecue pit or fountain but soon discovered a headstone from 1941, along with a decayed redwood box containing cremated remains.

The Boulder Creek couple spent the next several weeks researching the two names on the tomb. They found out that the remains were those of Gertrude and William Wilder, who appear to be related to a pioneer family in Los Gatos.

Home burials were extremely rare in 1941. The Armentas suspect that the redwoods were a shrine that William Wilder, a train conductor for Southern Pacific Railroad, built for his wife. They plan to leave the remains where they are and landscape other areas of the yard.