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MEMORIAL DAY— MAY 30, 2016

ELY’S PIONEER CEMETERY

Lynn O'Hara
Posted 5/25/16

It’s finally Memorial Day weekend, the federal holiday honoring those who have died in military service. I, like many others, have finally put my snow shovel in the back of the garage and have all …

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MEMORIAL DAY— MAY 30, 2016

ELY’S PIONEER CEMETERY

Posted

It’s finally Memorial Day weekend, the federal holiday honoring those who have died in military service. I, like many others, have finally put my snow shovel in the back of the garage and have all of my gardening tools out and ready for action. In addition to gardening this weekend, I plan to spend time with family and friends, maybe even cook a little. Well of course I will cook, it’s a tradition with me. Other people have their own Memorial Day traditions, one of which is visiting the gravesites of those who have passed, whether they were in military service or not.

There will be cemetery services in many communities. I know there will be one up at the Ely Cemetery, the “new” cemetery that is. Many folks probably don’t realize there is a second cemetery in town, referred to as the “Old Cemetery.” It is located on a 1.5-acre parcel of property behind what was the U.S. Forest Service garage, also adjacent to the Ely Golf Course, located off Central Avenue on the west side of town. The entrance is at the back side of the old Forest Service parking lot up a small stone staircase. This cemetery was in use from 1884 (possibly a bit earlier) to 1899 and it is reported that during those years there were over 300 deaths in Ely. It was a busy place back then.

In a recent conversation with David Kess, Ely resident and historian, I learned that during those early mining years in this area, with no unions and few safety standards, there was a very high death rate. These mining casualties and other deceased persons from the Ely-Winton areas were most likely buried up in the “Old Cemetery” also referred to as “Smok’s Farm.” That phrase is still around Ely today and many wonder where did it originate from? Documents from the Ely-Winton Historical Society indicate that a man named Joe Smok, not Smuk (like the Ely family here today), owned the last farm on that end of town near where the cemetery was located. There is further documentation showing that during the years of 1910-1920, there was a Joseph Smok who operated a tavern in Ely and was also a farm owner. It’s always interesting to learn how places get these nicknames.

It is also interesting to find out how things get started, like the “Old Cemetery” itself. Back in the late 1800’s, with much less stringent codes and laws, a rather hasty decision seems to have been made out of need, to simply locate a cemetery someplace! The reason for this desperate situation arising, is that no one who owned land adjoining the city was willing to sell at a reasonable price. In an article dated 1895, The Ely Times wrote, “One of the things that Ely has long felt the need of is a cemetery. Heretofore the dead have been buried over on the hill, south of town, in a manner that is not a credit to the place and which will necessitate their removal, as it is on private property.”

There arose a dispute because the property where the cemetery was located actually belonged to Dr. W. J. Conan. “He had never practiced traditional medicine in Ely but had become a fee holder in the mines,” according to David Kess. The city officials knew that with the town becoming larger, a new cemetery was desperately needed. Seventeen acres of land was finally purchased from A.D. Ellefson and Louis Sletten at a cost of $50 per acre.

In a Sept. 22, 1899, issue of the Ely Miner a report states, “The new cemetery property is being rapidly put in shape and after the completion of the road which will be shortly, Ely can boast of having as neat a location for a cemetery as can be found anywhere. Contractor Wylie, will, by Saturday night have the land all cleared of brush. A neat fence will be placed about the property.”

The cemetery was soon “open for business,” and residents were ordered to have the bodies of loved ones exhumed from the “Old Cemetery,” transported, and reburied with help from the City and contractor G.G. Wylie. The following is the advertisement Wylie placed in The Ely Times and The Ely Miner (local newspapers no longer in print) dated Jan. 4, 1901.... “LET THE DEAD REST is the old saying, yet our dead friends and relatives on the hill south of town in the old cemetery must be moved to the new cemetery sooner or later. I am prepared to do the work to the best of satisfaction and at reasonable prices. Those wishing bodies moved should call and make arrangements as this is the best season for doing the work.” I thought to myself upon reading this, “In January, the dead of winter?” but what do I know of grave digging!

According to my conversation with David Kess, there are no exact numbers for how many bodies were moved from the old cemetery to the new. He has a great-grandfather still buried in the old cemetery, Gust Maki, a shoemaker who died at age 38 from a ruptured appendix, leaving a wife and three children. The Kess family has deep roots here. “When you’ve got four on the hill, you’re as Ely as you’re gonna get!” David said (“four on the hill” meaning four generations between the two cemeteries). Kess’s great-grandmother, in an effort to move her husband to the new cemetery, made three attempts with no success. Exhumations found a miner buried in mining gear, a woman in a black dress and a child in a christening gown. It was at that time, between the grief, frustration and expense, she decided to let her husband lie, wherever he may be.

Viewing a map of the “Old Cemetery,” as I did, one can see that the layout and plotting was very irregular. Adding to the confusion was the fact that many single young men from foreign countries came here to work in the mines and when they died there were no relatives to take care of the burial details so many of these graves have little or no record. There were also people who had no money to pay for funeral expenses and were taken care of by the county. These remains were transported and buried in a mass gravesite in the new cemetery that is marked with a very nice memorial.

Aside from the Kess relation known to be buried in the “Old Cemetery,” there is Jalmar Hill, uncle of Ely resident Judy (Mosnik) Swenson, interred there as well. The last grave that is actually marked with a stone however, belongs to Isaac Rova, who was born in 1866 and died in 1898. He was an employee of the Pioneer Mine and was killed in a collapse, leaving a wife and three children.

There are many more bodies buried up at the old cemetery that are not accounted for. This was documented in 1984 by Walter Okstad, an archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service, who tested the grounds with a device called deep penetration radar, which detects matter other than rocks or dirt that is three to six feet below the surface. He concluded through this costly process that as many as thirty bodies may still be interred there. There is an in-depth report of his findings at the Ely-Winton Historical Society office at Vermilion Community College.

Former Ely historian and storyteller, Mike Hillman (now deceased), reminisced about playing in the wooded area near the old cemetery when he was a young boy. They were told that treasures of gold were buried there; how exciting was that for him and his young schoolmates? While they were digging, they found a woman’s old-fashioned button-up shoe. With excitement they ran to show it to Mike’s uncle, Tony Klun. He saw their treasure, and instructed the boys to immediately return the shoe to the ground where they had found it, and from that day forward to show respect for the people who were buried there.

Historical Society documents state other items from graves may have been uncovered when the city took sand and gravel from a pit located on the north side of the cemetery, causing possible disruption. Other reports about rock piles being seen in the area years ago speculate that there may be Native Americans buried there as well. We only know that it is an old cemetery that was disrupted by other developments in the area. There have been efforts to restore and maintain the site since those early years.

In 1927, under the direction of Sigurd Olson, local high school students planted trees to beautify the property. Then in 1942, the U.S. Forest Service donated close to 2,000 trees to be planted under the direction of J.W. (Bill) Trygg Sr., a forest ranger. Volunteers included Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Ely residents, Ely Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Junior College and High School students, members of the Baton Club, the Commercial Club, the Drum and Bugle Corps and the Ski Club. It was a huge effort. These tall red pines grace the property today, now known as the Veterans Memorial Forest. Other efforts have taken place too, largely by older Historical Society members who pick up tree branches and try to keep it cleared.

In July 2003, the Ely-Winton Historical Society, wanting to remember and honor the Ely pioneers who had been buried in the cemetery from the years 1884 to 1899 and then largely forgotten, erected a granite monument and held a dedication service at the site. All of these earnest efforts reflect the fact that the cemetery is there, people are still buried on the grounds, and it should be respected and not be forgotten.

So, that is the history of the cemeteries in Ely. On this Memorial Day in towns across the Iron Range, we can be proud of the efforts made by those who have lived before us to make our communities a better place for us all to live. We can practice our new traditions and still remember and respect the old.

Thank you to David Kess, Margaret Sweet and the Ely-Winton Historical Society for help with photos and research.

Information sources include:

Report of Ely Historic Site-First Ely Cemetery by Leona Janezich

Previous articles from The Timberjay, The Ely Echo, The Ely Miner, The Ely Times.