Ft. Snelling National Cemetery
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1939 |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 44°52′11″N 93°12′51″W / 44.86972°N 93.21417°WCoordinates: 44°52′11″N 93°12′51″W / 44.86972°N 93.21417°W |
| Type | Public |
| Size | 436.3 acres (176.6 ha) |
| No. of graves | 225,000 |
| Website | Official |
| Find a Grave | Fort Snelling National Cemetery |
Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota. It is the older of the two national cemeteries in the state. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 436.3 acres (176.6 ha), and as of 2017 had over 225,000 interments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
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 attempted to revive the tradition.
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