Cemetery Walk

Some like to say that one cannot live in the past. True, of course. But others proudly proclaim that, no matter, the past lives within them.

They bring traces of the past, of history, forward with them into tomorrow. To learn from the people that walked this way before us, to recall their lives, is to cultivate an appreciation of history and to seek to draw wisdom for the future.

“Bringing the Past Alive” is the theme for the 20th Annual Oakland Cemetery Walk. A stroll through the cemetery on Friday, June 9, with historical portrayals on Sunday, June 11.

Rick Carl has been involved with the walk for many years and served on the board for the last 12 years. He has a passion for preserving the beauty of Oakland Cemetery, as well as helping to tell the stories of the people for whom this quiet space is their final resting place on earth.

The 20th Anniversary Cemetery Walk will feature a stroll through the grounds, as well as historical portrayals in the air-conditioned comfort of Friendship Haven’s Celebration Center.

Friday’s Cemetery Stroll

Board members lead the strolling tour, stopping at several gravestones and offering up information on the memorial stones and the people for whom those stones serve to commemorate a life. The presentation at each stone is about two minutes,

by lori berglund

offering a glimpse into the past of the people from all walks of life that helped build the community we know today.

“They are our forefathers, they might be the first doctor, the first lawyer, the first schoolteachers of Fort Dodge,” Carl said.

In most years, the tour features about 15 gravestones. However, because it is the 20th year of the Cemetery Walk, organizers have bumped that number up and hope to include as many as 50 stones on the Friday evening stroll, according to Carl.

“We’ll walk around and talk about 50 people,” he explained. “We’ll go right up to their headstones and tell the history.”

Due to the narrow roads, and to protect the cemetery grounds, the public is asked to park at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1436, 21st Ave. North, for the Friday evening stroll. Those wishing to attend should arrive in time to board DART buses for free transportation to Oakland Cemetery at 6:45 p.m. Free bus rides will be provided back to the church parking lot following the cemetery stroll.

Sunday’s Historical Portrayals

The weekend festivities continue on Sunday, June 11, with actor portrayals of several of those historical figures who were laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery. In recent years, the Sunday event had been held at Iowa Central Community College. Those wishing to attend should note that, due to a scheduling conflict, the event has been moved to Friendship Haven’s Celebration Center. Parking is available for this event at the Fort Museum.

The event will get underway at 2 p.m., with a full lineup of historical figures slated for representation. Here’s a look at the men and women of Fort Dodge’s past to be featured this year:

• Elbert Bagg, designed of Oakland Cemetery.

• Major William Williams, founder of Fort Dodge.

• Anna Abbie Wells Ringland, wife of George Ringland.

• Leander Blanden, Civil War general.

• Adelaine Morrison Swain, member of the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

• Stillman Taylor Meservey, mayor and congressman.

• Jeanne Welles Ringland Smeltzer, wife of Charles Smeltzer.

• Mary Augustine Williams Duncombe, daughter of Major William Williams.

Carl has taken a particular interest in Meservey. Once considered to be the ‘richest man in Fort Dodge,’ a series of poor financial decisions led him to die penniless. He was so poor, in fact, that there was no money left from his estate for a headstone. Carl wanted to do something about that and approached local businesses to help. In his day, Meservey had served as secretary for U, S. Gypsum (USG). Carl approached officials at USG and they quickly opted in with financial support and together with a contribution from Kalin-Johnson Monuments, Meservey finally has a stone to mark his grave.

Only a general location was available for the actual gravesite, Carl used divining rods and was amazed at how this ancient method of locating a grave worked to find just the spot.

“As I got close, the two tips of the rods crossed, I stepped a few back a few feet and rods stopped. I came forward again, and the roads crossed again,” he recalled. Carl even organized a funeral for Meservey, locating a great niece who was still living at that time and attended the service, which was complete with a pastor and music.

Honoring the pass is clearly a passion for Carl.

“You go to other cemeteries, and you see flowers,” Carl noted. “The problem with Oakland Cemetery is that the people buried there don’t have any living relatives any more. There’s a few flowers around Memorial Day, but otherwise you don’t see much.”

Carl can be seen many days at Oakland Cemetery, cleaning stones and identifying those in need of repair for the Friends of Oakland Cemetery.

“Now that I’m retired, I can go out there about once a week and clean stones,” he said.

Friends of Oakland Cemetery sponsor a public cleanup day each fall, with volunteers coming out to spend several others carefully cleaning old stones. To see the transformation, Carl said, can be very rewarding.

“The stones look almost like they did when they were first up,” he said.

Cleaning and restoration of a cemetery founded in 1866 can be a never-ending task. Fortunately, the efforts are funded each year by a fun and history-filled event, the Annual Cemetery Walk at Oakland Cemetery.

Admission to the Friday evening stroll is just a free will donation. Tickets for the Sunday presentation are $7 each, and available at the door. All funds raised go to help the Friends of Oakland Cemetery continue its restoration work at the historical cemetery. With many grave stones a century or more in age, there is much work to be done to maintain the dignity of the cemetery and preserve its history for future generations.

The annual Cemetery Walk is supported by Friends of Oakland Cemetery, Fort Dodge Parks and Recreation, and the Ann Smeltzer Charitable Trust. Becker Florist, Visit Fort Dodge, the Fort Dodge Historic Preservation Commission, Fort Dodge Public Library, Webster County Historical Society, Webster County Genealogical Society, Judy Warnick Recovery Center Volunteers, Friendship Haven, The Messenger, Twist and Shout, Alpha Media, Party Productions and Masque Productions and MIDAS- DART Bus also received appreciation for their assistance in making the event possible.