Fort Randall Cemetery

Fort Randall Cemetery. Hardship on the Frontier. , Hardship on the Frontier , The cemetery once contained more than 150 burials dating from the nineteenth century, representing different nationalities, races, ages, genders, occupations, and causes of death. The soldiers, family members, and civilians who lived at Fort Randall faced the hardships of the frontier, daily life was often difficult, and fort residents frequently had to endure harsh weather and living conditions., Though some soldiers died in battle, most were killed by disease, accidents, and severe weather, as were their family members and other civilians. On average, a soldier at Fort Randall was hospitalized three times per year. With the advent of modern medicine, diseases that proved fatal during the nineteenth century, such as asthma, dysentery, malaria, scurvy, pneumonia, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and whooping cough, are treatable today.,

"Madam, . . I am pained to inform you of the death of your brother, Elias H. Prall. . . . His remains were committed to earth this morning with the usual military honors. . . . Be assured Madam that I myself and the command sympathize most sincerely in your loss, and it is a peculiar gratification to say that he was loved and respected here by everybody." , , Letter sent to the sister of Private Elias Prall by Captain Joseph Bush, March 18, 1869

, An annual Memorial Day service honors those buried here; the soldiers, family members, and the unknowns who walked life's path and have written their stories into the history of the frontier., 1978 , 1989 , 2004 , Upon closure of Fort Randall, the cemetery fell into neglect and slowly faded into the landscape. Obscured over the years by overgrown vegetation, a prairie fire, and cultivation, the cemetery was left unrecognizable except for a few scattered headstones., In the mid-twentieth century the Corps acquired the property, and as stewards of this historic site, spearheaded efforts to reestablish the cemetery. These efforts continue to this day.