2 7 , ▁ 1 9 4 0 , ▁at ▁age ▁ 7 8 , ▁having ▁been ▁ill ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁year . ▁She ▁left ▁an ▁estate ▁of ▁about ▁$ 6 0 , 0 0 0 . ▁She ▁is ▁buried ▁in ▁Bay view ▁C emetery , ▁B elling ham , ▁Washington ▁beneath ▁a ▁self - des igned ▁gran ite ▁monument ▁ad orn ed ▁with ▁four - leaf ▁clo vers , ▁a ▁reference ▁to ▁her ▁best - known ▁poem ▁( K o ert , ▁ 1 9 8 5 : ▁ 7 ). ▁ ▁Writing ▁▁ ▁El la ▁R ho ads ▁began ▁writing ▁as ▁a ▁child . ▁Her ▁first ▁published ▁work ▁was ▁the ▁poem , ▁" D ream s ▁of ▁the ▁Past ," ▁which ▁appeared ▁in ▁The ▁Oregon ▁City ▁newspaper ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 5 ▁when ▁she ▁was ▁age ▁ 1 4 . ▁At ▁this ▁time , ▁she ▁also ▁began ▁sending ▁out ▁her ▁short ▁fiction ▁for ▁publication , ▁much ▁of ▁it ▁an onym ously ▁or ▁under ▁various ▁pseud onym s ▁( such ▁as ▁" An n ▁L ester ," ▁" E th el ind ▁Ray ," ▁and ▁" En id "). ▁After ▁her ▁marriage , ▁she ▁began ▁publishing ▁under ▁her ▁own ▁name ▁( K o ert , ▁ 1 9 8 5 : ▁ 2 2 ). ▁On ▁March ▁ 8 , ▁ 1 8 9 0 , ▁an ▁article ▁by ▁H ig gin son ▁appeared ▁in ▁Port land , ▁Oregon ’ s ▁West ▁Sh ore , ▁a ▁literary ▁magazine . ▁The ▁article