Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Last week we got to explore the history of the Glidden Memorial Chapel which is behind the gates of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and is currently fundraising for some work that needs to be done in order to keep the chapel around for another hundred years. However if you have been there you know the chapel is only the start of the history behind the gates at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.  

The quartzite gate posts themselves were donated by Inez Van Eps, the wife of pioneer merchant William Van Eps. This name should ring a bell as we have a street and park named Van Eps. Inez also donated 15 acres of land that would become a beloved spot in the cemetery called sunset slope, it is of course a wonderful spot to watch sunsets.  

Sioux Falls oldest cemetery still in operation holds not only the elite pioneers from the cities history but also over 180 Civil War veterans, along with a Veteran Memorial. 

When the initial 20 acres of land were set aside for the cemetery in 1873 it was thought the little town of Sioux Falls with a population of about 150 would never reach that far, but the city did reach that far, and the cemetery now sits surrounded by homes.  

Spoiler alert this won’t be the last time we stop in Mt. Pleasant because they have one more historical marker in the cemetery, so we'll be back! 

Listen to the Mt. Plesant Cemetery Episode of the Local Lou Podcast for more information on the cemetery.