Fort Snelling National Cemetery: Difference between revisions
m (1 revision imported) |
m (Text replacement - "Medal of Honor" to "Medal of Honor") |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
[[Fort Snelling]] was a frontier fort first established in 1819. Its original purpose was to keep the peace on what was then the western frontier. During the | [[Fort Snelling]] was a frontier fort first established in 1819. Its original purpose was to keep the peace on what was then the western frontier. During the American Civil War it served as a recruiting camp area for [[Minnesota]] volunteers. The cemetery was officially established in 1870. | ||
In 1937, the citizens of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] petitioned Congress to construct a National Cemetery in the area. Two years later, the new plot was dedicated, and the burials from the original post cemetery were moved to it. In 1960, the Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred {{convert|146|acre}} to the cemetery; another {{convert|177|acre|km2}} were acquired in 1961, expanding the cemetery to its current size. | In 1937, the citizens of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] petitioned Congress to construct a National Cemetery in the area. Two years later, the new plot was dedicated, and the burials from the original post cemetery were moved to it. In 1960, the Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred {{convert|146|acre}} to the cemetery; another {{convert|177|acre|km2}} were acquired in 1961, expanding the cemetery to its current size. | ||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
== Notable interments == | == Notable interments == | ||
===Medal of Honor recipients=== | ===Medal of Honor recipients=== | ||
* Second Lieutenant [[Donald Rudolph|Donald E. Rudolph Sr.]], US Army, | * Second Lieutenant [[Donald Rudolph|Donald E. Rudolph Sr.]], US Army, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the [[Battle of Luzon]] in [[World War II]] | ||
* Captain [[Richard E. Fleming]], USMC, for action at [[Battle of Midway|Midway]] in World War II ([[cenotaph]], body was not recovered) | * Captain [[Richard E. Fleming]], USMC, for action at [[Battle of Midway|Midway]] in World War II ([[cenotaph]], body was not recovered) | ||
* Private First Class [[Richard E. Kraus]], USMC, for action at [[Peleliu]] in World War II | * Private First Class [[Richard E. Kraus]], USMC, for action at [[Peleliu]] in World War II | ||
* Private First Class [[James D. LaBelle]], USMC, for action at the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] during World War II | * Private First Class [[James D. LaBelle]], USMC, for action at the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] during World War II | ||
* Captain [[Arlo Olson]], US Army, for action in Italy during World War II | * Captain [[Arlo Olson]], US Army, for action in Italy during World War II | ||
* Staff Sergeant [[Robert J. Pruden]], US Army, for action in the | * Staff Sergeant [[Robert J. Pruden]], US Army, for action in the Vietnam War | ||
* First Lieutenant [[Richard K. Sorenson|Richard Keith Sorenson]], USMC, for action on [[Kwajalein]] during World War II | * First Lieutenant [[Richard K. Sorenson|Richard Keith Sorenson]], USMC, for action on [[Kwajalein]] during World War II | ||
* Captain [[George H. Mallon]], US Army, for actions in France during World War I | * Captain [[George H. Mallon]], US Army, for actions in France during World War I | ||
Latest revision as of 13:25, 31 January 2025
 | This page in a nutshell: Veterans cemetery in Hennepin County, Minnesota |
| Fort Snelling National Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| File:Fort Snelling National Cemetery.jpg Memorial Day 2018 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery | |
| Lua error in Module:Infobox_mapframe at line 166: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1939 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Type | Public |
| Size | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB".Script error: No such module "ConvertIB".436.3 acres (176.6 ha) |
| No. of graves | >260,000 |
| Website | Official |
| Find a Grave | Fort Snelling National Cemetery |
Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory adjacent to the historic fort and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is the only National Cemetery in Minnesota. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it covers 436.3 acres (176.6 ha), and as of June, 2024 had over 260,000 interments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
History
Fort Snelling was a frontier fort first established in 1819. Its original purpose was to keep the peace on what was then the western frontier. During the American Civil War it served as a recruiting camp area for Minnesota volunteers. The cemetery was officially established in 1870.
In 1937, the citizens of St. Paul petitioned Congress to construct a National Cemetery in the area. Two years later, the new plot was dedicated, and the burials from the original post cemetery were moved to it. In 1960, the Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred 146 acres (59 ha) to the cemetery; another 177 acres (0.72 km2) were acquired in 1961, expanding the cemetery to its current size.
There was a tradition of placing a flag on every grave on Memorial Day, but as the cemetery grew, the staff was forced to stop. In 2017, the nonprofit Flags for Fort Snelling revived the tradition;[1] volunteers placed 200,000 memorial flags in 2019.[2]
File:Fort Snelling National Cemetery Flag Poles.jpg
Flag Posts at Fort Snelling National Cemetery
File:Fort Snelling National Cemetery Medal of Honor Flag.jpg
Medal of Honor Flag Post
Notable interments
Medal of Honor recipients
- Second Lieutenant Donald E. Rudolph Sr., US Army, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Battle of Luzon in World War II
- Captain Richard E. Fleming, USMC, for action at Midway in World War II (cenotaph, body was not recovered)
- Private First Class Richard E. Kraus, USMC, for action at Peleliu in World War II
- Private First Class James D. LaBelle, USMC, for action at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II
- Captain Arlo Olson, US Army, for action in Italy during World War II
- Staff Sergeant Robert J. Pruden, US Army, for action in the Vietnam War
- First Lieutenant Richard Keith Sorenson, USMC, for action on Kwajalein during World War II
- Captain George H. Mallon, US Army, for actions in France during World War I
- Machinist Mate First Class Oscar F. Nelson, US Navy, for heroism aboard the USS Bennington during peacetime
Other
George John Weiss Jr Recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal and Founder of the Fort Snelling Memorial Rifle Squad
- Johnny Blanchard, baseball player
- Thomas Edward Burnett Jr, United Airlines Flight 93 passenger
- Bob Casey, baseball announcer
- Mark H. Gehan, Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota state representative, and lawyer, World War I
- Frank Eugene Hook, US Congressman, World War I veteran
- Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, pioneer of modern open-heart surgery
- Corporal Charles W. Lindberg, last surviving member of the Marines who flag raised the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II
- Ernest Lundeen, US Congressman
- John Mariucci, hockey coach, member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
- Hal Scott, sports announcer
- Bruce P. Smith, 1941 football player, Heisman Trophy winner
- David C. Sutherland III, game artist[3]
- Major Tim Vakoc, US Army Chaplain mortally wounded in Mosul during the Iraq War
- Private Tracie McBride, rape and murder victim[4]
- John Clay Walker, American journalist, tortured and murdered in Mexico by members of the Guadalajara Cartel
- Jim Klobuchar, Minnesota journalist and author
The cemetery contains one British Commonwealth war grave, of a Royal Canadian Air Force airman of World War II.[5]
References
- ↑ "Nonprofit seeks help placing flags at every Ft. Snelling grave on Memorial Day" (in en-US). Fox KMSP. http://www.fox9.com/news/256293689-story.
- ↑ Steiner, Katie (May 26, 2019). "Fort Snelling Volunteers Place 200K Memorial Flags". WCCO. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/05/26/fort-snelling-volunteers-place-200k-memorial-flags/.
- ↑ "Dungeons and Dragons artist dies". CBC News. June 15, 2005. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/dungeons-and-dragons-artist-dies-1.546117.
- ↑ "TRIBUTE TO PRIVATE TRACIE JOY McBRIDE; Congressional Record Vol. 141, No. 43 (Senate - March 8, 1995)". Congress of the United States. https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-141/issue-43/senate-section/article/S3679-2.
- ↑ [1] CWGC Casualty Record.
External links
| File:Commons-logo.svg | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Snelling National Cemetery. |
- National Cemetery Administration
- Fort Snelling National Cemetery
- Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. MN-1, "Fort Snelling National Cemetery, 7601 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN", 46 photos, 4 photo caption pages
- [[[:Template:GNIS URL]] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fort Snelling National Cemetery]
- Fort Snelling National Cemetery at Find a GraveLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- CWGC: Fort Snelling National Cemetery
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 158: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Categories:
- Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
- Pages with script errors
- Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters
- Pages with the Nutshell template
- Policy and guidelines header templates
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Burials at Fort Snelling National Cemetery
- Historic American Landscapes Survey in Minnesota
- Protected areas of Hennepin County, Minnesota
- United States national cemeteries
- National Register of Historic Places in Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the United States
- 1939 establishments in Minnesota
- Cemeteries established in the 1930s