What is the setting of mr.shimerda grave? What is the significance of this setting to Jim’s

When Mr. Shimerda dies and he is buried in the prairie on what later becomes a crossroads. Jim is fond of this spot, "in all that country it was the spot most dear to me", he sees it as an "island" among farmland., an oasis undisturbed that represents the past and his (Jim's) relationship with Antonia.