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Six Feet Under: A Graveyard Guide to Minnesota
This handy guide locates the final resting places and tells the stories of more than 375 notable Minnesotans. Author Stew Thornley traveled throughout Minnesota in pursuit of the historical fact, the little-known tale, the striking monument, and the truth behind the colorful exaggeration. Visiting cemeteries from every era and every region of the state, Thornley recounts the histories of the famous, infamous, and just plain interesting Minnesotans who lie at rest in the state.
As Thornley notes in his introduction,
"Cemetery surfing has become an increasingly popular hobby in the past decade. People making treks include genealogists tracing their roots, artists and writers admiring the monuments and epitaphs, travelers looking to get off the beaten path, and people such as myself, who enjoy tracking down the final resting spots of the famous and infamous. Visitors respond in different ways to what they encounter, taking pictures, making rubbings, leaving offerings. . . . While some may find a hobby of visiting graves to be morose or even macabre, I find nothing morbid in seeking out history through cemeteries. There's much to be learned from our past, and one of the liveliest ways to do it is through our dead."
The book contains a useful appendix with a county-by-county listing of the cemeteries and individuals mentioned within. Perfect for road trippers and armchair travelers alike, Six Feet Under is an enlightening guide to the state's history.
As Thornley notes in his introduction,
"Cemetery surfing has become an increasingly popular hobby in the past decade. People making treks include genealogists tracing their roots, artists and writers admiring the monuments and epitaphs, travelers looking to get off the beaten path, and people such as myself, who enjoy tracking down the final resting spots of the famous and infamous. Visitors respond in different ways to what they encounter, taking pictures, making rubbings, leaving offerings. . . . While some may find a hobby of visiting graves to be morose or even macabre, I find nothing morbid in seeking out history through cemeteries. There's much to be learned from our past, and one of the liveliest ways to do it is through our dead."
The book contains a useful appendix with a county-by-county listing of the cemeteries and individuals mentioned within. Perfect for road trippers and armchair travelers alike, Six Feet Under is an enlightening guide to the state's history.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 28, 2020
I’ll have to take it with me the next time I visit Lakewood.
August 9, 2008
Despite the macarbe nature of the subject, what cemetery "surfing" is really about is life.
This book abounds with quirks and characters. My favorite so far is the gravestone for a wolf, Lobo, who killed more than a hundred deer, drinking only their blood before a trapper finally snagged him.
Okay, that's a little macarbe. But there are also heroes and soldiers, celebrities and civil rights activists, dreamers and lawyers.
The entries are short, with just enough information to inspire the amateur historian to go in search of deeper information. (Or just enough, maybe, to trigger the imagination of a writer looking for the right subject.)
This book abounds with quirks and characters. My favorite so far is the gravestone for a wolf, Lobo, who killed more than a hundred deer, drinking only their blood before a trapper finally snagged him.
Okay, that's a little macarbe. But there are also heroes and soldiers, celebrities and civil rights activists, dreamers and lawyers.
The entries are short, with just enough information to inspire the amateur historian to go in search of deeper information. (Or just enough, maybe, to trigger the imagination of a writer looking for the right subject.)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews