THE DE SMET CEMETERY
On February 24, 1881, a notice printed in the Kingsbury County News read: "We ask again, is it not about time that something should be done looking to the formation of a cemetery association in our town? We believe that it is, and we have been forcibly reminded of the fact lately that it should be taken hold of immediately and without further delay. Let a meeting of citizens be appointed wherat committees may be selected to attend to the matter in every detail and we shall be saved henceforth the embarassment of having no suitable place to bury our dead. Let us be up and doing in this matter."
The previous day, the body of resident Thomas Brown had been discovered at his claim near Lake Preston, so a cemetery was indeed needed. A marker to his memory in the De Smet cemetery reads: Erected to the memory of Thomas Brown, born ... Sandwich Orkney Feb 17, 1853 - Died at Lake Preston S.D. Jan 1881, aged 27 yrs 11 mo's.
The De Smet Cemetery Association was organized in March 1881, with the Reverend Edward Brown serving as its first president. Charles Tinkham served as the first funeral director and association secretary. Residents who signed the Articles of Incorporation included Edward Brown, Charles Tinkham, John Owen, Vischer Barnes, John H. Carroll, Thomas Power, Charles Dawley, Elwin Dixon, David Gilbert, and Horace Woodworth. Land for the original ten-acre cemetery was purchased from Jacob Hopp for $150, with payment made in 1885. In 1897, two acres were purchased for an adjoining Catholic cemetery. Several more parcels have been added to the original cemetery lands since that time; there are currently over 2000 burials recorded in the De Smet cemetery and over 700 burials in St. Thomas cemetery. The De Smet and St. Thomas Cemeteries are located southwest of De Smet, on 208th Street.
The De Smet Cemetery was platted in 48 blocks around a central flagpole. Each block contains up to 16 lots of up to 12 graves. Each platted gravesite is 4x8 feet in size. Six or 8 ft. wide paths (some of which today have become roadways) divide groups of lots, and the cemetery is further divided by two 20 ft. gravel roads and an interior angular roadway. In September 2007, the new areas of the St. Thomas and De Smet Cemeteries (shown in yellow above) were surveyed using a global positioning system (GPS) and marked with numbered iron rods. This added 19 sections of 12 lots and five irregular sections. Each new lot contains six graves, adding 1,526 graves to those already platted.
Many characters from the De Smet "Little House"® books are buried in the De Smet cemetery. "Mouse over" the surnames on the map at right to see character names with birth / death years.
Click on the surnames at right or in the alphabetical list below to read obituaries and/or see headstone photos.
Not all graves of "Little House"® interest are shown on this map at the present time.
