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My visit to...
Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin Co, MN
(click on images to expand)
For a long time I had always wanted to visit Lakewood Cemetery. After all, it's only 6 miles away as the crow flies! I had known there were several people interred there, including some well-known names. This past Father's Day (June 2008), it was a very nice and sunny day, not much was happening around the house, so I decided to take a drive over there. My first impressions was...WOW. This is quite the place! After returning home and finding they had a website did I only realize there were 100,000-some burials in the cemetery! It is BIG. Check out their website. They also have a name search. I believe the first burial here was in 1872, so it's not an old cemetery by any means, but certainly has it's share of history. If you visit the website, I especially encourage you to visit the MAP section, and click on the -self-guided tour and map- and check out the various burial locations within the cemetery.
Former Gov. Rudy Perpich is located here, as well as Frank Mars (MARS candy), and other familiar names. There are community burial areas...an area for chinese, orthodox, and others including an area called Showmen's Rest. This area contains the final resting place for vagabonds and drifters who were entertainers on the road who had no families or for whatever other reasons simply ended up here. There are several large family burial plots here...and not necessarily for a few members of the family, but a few generations of families. The cemetery grounds are full of trees, gently rolling hills, valleys, and a small lake. Visually speaking, you'd be hard pressed to realize you're actually in the shadows of the skyline of downtown Minneapolis. Close your eyes, and you hear the city life all around. Open your eyes, and you're soon focused on the beauty of this place which seems to make those sounds so distant.
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Main entrance to Lakewood Cemetery.
The only main entrance is on the north side of the grounds.
It's in south Mpls, approx 1 mile west of I-35W on 36th St.
If you look at a map, it's located just off the southest corner of Lake Calhoun.
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Just several photos looking around.
There are many different shapes, styles and sizes.
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Humbert H. Humphrey.
Located in the northeast corner of the cemetery.
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The cemetery had it's share of activity, though it was far from being crowded.
It wasn't uncommon to find people down on their knees tending to things...trunks open...tools in hand, and flowers.
A group of young ladies were spending some time sitting around...perhaps at the location of someone special to them.
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Elks Rest.
This is apparently a burial area for members of the paternity of elks.
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A view from one side of the lake to the other within the cemetery.
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There are several tall obliske's in the cemetery, this is apparently the taller of them...at 45ft up.
With many trees, the birds always have a peaceful spot to sit.
The old marker for a young girl who lived only from 1883-1888.
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A side of one hill had a number of these. This one dated 1887.
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There are a number of Mausoleums here. One is marked MARS which I later learned belongs to Frank Mars.
This refers to the MARS candy co. Frank was born in Minnesota (Cottonwood Co) next to Jackson County.
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The crypts are located near the north side just west of the chapel. There is a water pond in the lower level which is centered with surrounding crypt walls.
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This appears to be the middle of some landscaping being conducted around the area where cremated burials are located.
Several containers were simply sitting on ground level.
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