Extra credit in Minneapolis, part 3

This is the final installment of Teen 1's quest for extra credit in Minneapolis. I saved it for last for a couple of reasons. One, I had to think about how much of my sometimes warped sense of humor to share. And two, I had to think about whether certain photos might be crossing some lines in terms of privacy and sensitivity. So--bear with me. It was an interesting exploration.

 

Lakewood Cemetery in south Minneapolis, next to Lake Calhoun. Might seem odd, but a good many prominent Minnesotans are buried here. If you go--and I strongly recommend it, it's a beautiful place with striking monuments, rolling hills, and acres of trees--stop by the building at the entrance to pick up a self-guided visitor's map. The cemetery is huge, and the map helps you sort out what you want to visit.

I must admit that my first moment of inappropriate snortling occurred just as we were driving in, and a UPS truck was driving out, leading me to speculate on what exactly UPS might be delivering to a cemetery. Sad but true--the Teen was the mature one in the car at that moment.

I regained control, and off we went. First up:

 

The monument to Hubert H. Humphrey, former U.S. Senator and Vice President.

Another prominent Democrat is buried on the other side of the cemetery:

 

The Wellstone monument, paying tribute to U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, and his wife and daughter, all killed in a plane crash right before the 2002 election. The actual graves are very modest.

 

Right next to the Wellstones, in an odd pairing, is billionaire and Twins baseball owner Carl Pohlad. One has to wonder what Carl and Paul would think of having their (very different) monuments so close together. Yes--the inappropriate humor rears its ugly head again.

 

Other biggies in the business world are here too, including Carlson Companies and Radisson Hotels founder Curt Carlson:

 

That's really a beautiful monument, don't you think?

Abram Fridley (MN State Representative who introduced the first women's suffrage bill in the state, and for whom the city of Fridley is named) is here too, with one of the largest monuments in the cemetery (no small competition):

 

There's a beautiful chapel on the grounds.

 

The Brotherhood of Paternal Order of Elks has a life-sized monument watching over their buried membership.

 

The Flour Mill Explosion Memorial commemorates the horrible explosion and fire that devasted the Washburn A Mill in Minneapolis in 1878.

 

Warning: snark ahead. This avenue of memorials had me in fits of very inappropriate and disrespectful giggles. These are all miniature mansions and Greek temples, but downsized so that it looks like a row of lake cabins.

 

As you can see, there aren't a lot of sacred cows to me. I can find humor in just about anything, including myself. But there was one particular place in Lakewood that was horribly touching, and nothing funny can or should be said about it:

 

The name pretty much says it all. It's a small section of the cemetery devoted to very young children. As such, it's poignant almost beyond belief. Especially this tree:

 

It's hard to see, but there are rattles and wind chimes and streamers and other baby toy items draped across the tree, making it jingle and chime in the wind. And a teddy bear.

 

After much thought, I decided not to post photos of some of the graves, even though they're haunting and beautiful. Especially the one for twin boys, born and died on the same day 20 years ago--with fresh flowers on the grave.

After some deep breaths, I moved to the next section of the cemetery: the Chinese memorial.

 

For all that we have an enormous Scandinavian heritage--and boy, can you see it in the names on many of the graves here--this section is devoted to our Chinese population (there's also a Greek section). I wonder what these things are doing at the base of the monument, given that the cemetery itself is immaculate:

 

Finally, we visited the Mausoleum.

 

While not required for the extra credit, the Teen and I had a specific person we wanted to find here:

 

Yup--Tiny Tim.

But you know what? This was sadder than I expected. His vault is in the lower level of the Mausoleum, off in a far-away hallway. It's awfully quiet, which seems odd for Tiny Tim. But to each his own.

Comments

[Chris]

I always learn so much from these posts!

[Miss T]

Wow, I've never explored Lakewood. Quite interesting. I notice The Teen was prepared to visit Tiny Tim with his own Tiny Tim hairdo... :o)

[Margaret]

My daughter and I will be spending July in Duluth and plan on making a few trips to Minneapolis to sight see, so finding your blog has been a real treat. I am looking forward to visiting The Historical Society (Prince's Purple Rain outfit is a must see) and I always like to visit the cemeteries because you can really learn a lot about a place that way. I had no idea where Tiny was buried. I will first have to try to explain to my child who Tiny Tim is and how he got famous.

[Linda]

This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[Cheryl]

I am the proud soon-to-be owner of the crypt directly below Tiny Tim. Yes, I'm THAT MUCH of a fan of his. I also have a Tiny Tim tribute site, which is listed above.

[Minneapolite]

The Chinese memorial had incense candles -- specific ones you use for the dead. The can was likely used to hold a bunch for an impromptu ceremony and was left behind. You also can leave symbolic items like oranges or certain foods.

[Amy Rea]

Thanks for letting me know. It will mean more the next time I visit.