Kanesville Mormon Cemetery
1846-53
This historic cemetery of Kanesville (now Council Bluffs) was created as the resting place for the mortal remains of several hundred Mormon pioneers. From 1846 to 1853, thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons) lived in this area as they prepared for the westward trek to Utah. Most of the early Mormon pioneers buried here died of disease, exposure, accidents, and other effects of the harsh frontier life. Their graves are at the high east end of the cemetery. Weather has destroyed all but a few of the headstones.
Other nearby monuments include a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, who came here in 1859 to examine a possible route for the intercontinental railroad. A few yards southeast of the cemetery is a memorial honoring Ruth Ann Dodge, wife of Grenville Dodge—chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad from Council Bluffs to Promontory, Utah. On the north edge of the cemetery is the Kinsmen Monument, which honors Iowa's Civil War dead. Chief Billy Caldwell and other Pottawatamie Indian veterans of [the] War of 1812 may be buried here also.
Erected 1994 by The Church
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Mormon Pioneer Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.
Location. 41° 16.075′ N, 95° 51.108′ W. Marker is in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in Pottawattamie County. It is at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Oakland Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Entrance to Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs IA 51503, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Western Iowa, in Loess Hills, and in Greater Omaha. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
Also see . . .
1. Pushing on to Zion: Kanesville, Iowa, 1846-1853 (Hartley). (Submitted on April 17, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. (Submitted on April 17, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs IA. (Submitted on April 17, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,685 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 17, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
