February 11, 2020

Cemeteries of St. Paul, Minnesota

In 1849, by order of Congress the wilderness area around the Lake Superior and Mississippi headwaters region became the territory of Minnesota. St. Paul had 250 to 300 inhabitants, mostly voyageurs and Native Americans. In that same year, St. Paul became the capital of the territory. It exploded in population. Within a short time, St. Paul residents found a need for cemeteries in which to bury their dead.

Oakland Cemetery, St. Paul
This Ramsey County cemetery lies two miles south of the Mississippi River. The rectangular strip of land maintains the same park-like atmosphere as when the first 40 acres were donated for the purpose of burials in 1853. Oakland Cemetery claims to be the oldest cemetery in the Twin Cities Metro region. Over 50,000 people are buried here.

The first records of burial come from the year 1860. Several of Minnesota’s founding pioneers were interred in this cemetery, including Minnesota statesmen who would later have their names attached to counties. Five Minnesota governors are buried here, including Henry Hastings Sibley, Alexander Ramsey, Horace Austin, and General William Rainey Marshall.

In 1864, Oakland Cemetery grew when the Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery’s ten acres in the southwest corner was annexed.

In 1878, a section of the cemetery was devoted to Civil War veterans with 1500 burials taking place in that section over the years. These included at least eleven soldiers who had risen to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, Brevet Major General, or Major General. Civil War Brigadier Brevet General John B. Sanborn, a name later applied to a Minnesota county, was among them.

In the next thirty years, Oakland Cemetery underwent a number of changes. These included construction of a chapel (1884), a caretaker’s house (1885), stables, and an office building (1886). A monument to firefighters killed in the line of duty was added in 1890. In 1892, the family of David Shepard commissioned the construction of a mausoleum on cemetery grounds.

In 1905, Oakland Cemetery increased in size as the German Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery located in the northeast corner was annexed. The granite stonework chapel received a renovation in 1924.

Oakland Cemetery was non-sectarian when it began and has remained so through the ensuing years. Within its borders, you can visit an Eastern Orthodox, a Chinese, and a Hmong section as well as areas set apart for the poor, for firefighters, and for the military. The graves of four United States Congressmen, three United States Senators, and five recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor reside in this cemetery.

The famous Minnesotans buried here is reason enough to visit this cemetery located on the 900 block of Jackson Street in St. Paul. Some visitors believe they have had an encounter with a young woman with a long white dress who appears and then disappears from their sight. Who knows if, when you tour the 100 acres of this burial ground, you may see her?

Grey Cloud Island Cemetery, St. Paul
On Grey Cloud Island in the Mississippi River between St. Paul and Minneapolis is a small cemetery dating back to 1873. The Grey Cloud of Grey Cloud Island was not an Indian chief as many ghost hunters would say who think they have seen the chief walking with a green lantern at night. Grey Cloud, or Mar-pi-ya-ro-to-win, was a Sioux princess, daughter of Chief Wabasha. She married the white trader James Aird and had a daughter who went by the English name of Margaret.

French-Canadian fur traders and their Native American spouses and offspring inhabited this island for almost 150 years. The cemetery, also known as the Old County Line Cemetery, with over 120 persons buried there is not on any National Register. It does not have famous personalities in its records. In 2001, the Washington County Historical Society placed a historical marker there but that is the extent of the cemetery’s fame.

This cemetery is one of those which tell more about the residents and history of the island than anything else. The oldest gravesite is that of a baby which died February 9, 1873. This infant belonged to the McCoy family, one of the original families on the island. Six McCoys are known to be interred in Grey Cloud Island Cemetery. Besides the McCoys, other founding families included the names of LaBathe, Turpin, Bourcier, and Brunell.

Land for a burial ground was given in 1894 by John Stringer and his family. A reading of the transcription for this cemetery indicates eleven of the Turpin family, thirteen of the Brunnell family, and ten of the Mavis family are buried here. Of the people whose remains are here, 68 were infants or children.

The gravestones and inscriptions relate sad stories. In 1884, typhoid fever took eight-year-old Cynthia Brunell from the care of her parents, Peter Brunell and Josette Turpin Brunell. Jesse James Turpin and Mary A. Nelson Turpin lost seven babies between the years of 1907 and 1922, all buried here. In 1907, William B. Wallgate was almost 27 years old when influenza brought him to the grave. In current times, only those who have a connection to the island or its past residents may be buried here.

Grey Cloud Island Cemetery is off limits after sunset. Gates close the entrance to the graveyard other times but the cemetery is about a city block’s distance past the gates. Perhaps because it is gated and private, stories of strange noises and phantom vehicles which chase visitors make the cemetery an attraction to thrill-seekers. A better way to visit is to contact the township clerk to arrange to see this private cemetery during the day. As with any cemetery, go when it is open and be respectful during your visit.

Sources
http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=state&FSstateid;=25 Famous Minnesotans and Where They Are Buried
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/grycld/gcit/genpage/426055218.html Grey Cloud Island Cemetery Burial Transcription