UNKNOWN GRAVE
As told by Ralph Maynard
Clark
County South Dakota
Send
additions or corrections to Gordon C. Meyer gmeyer@itctel.com 
This picture taken by John
Biberdorf on October 10, 2002. I walked this area two times the first time I
didn't find it, and the second time I found it and didn't have my camera,
I got busy, and didn't get back to it , but now we do have a picture.
A Simple Monument
Today a monuement of an unknown individual stands in Section
28
Of Elrod Township, Clark County, on a hill near the
North central edge
of the south east quarter. This marker
Was set up to indicate the approximate burial place of an
unknown
Found there in the early 1880’s by three early settlers –Jim
Pickles,
Lou Schaaf, and Bob Beatty, found a skeleton there with
shreds of
Blue cavalry uniforn, belt buckle, military buttons, and a
canteen lying on the prairie grass.
They buried what was there but didn’t ,mark it.
There families heard the tale and when Jim Pickles and Bob Beatty were reminiscing about their families pioneer days they recalled this incident and decided that there should be a marker, so a plaque mounted in concrete with the words of “Unknown Soldier” impressed in the concrete was set up in the early 1930’s probably 1933. Speculation was that he may have died in the blizzard of 1881, and if so he may have been the first U.S. soldier to die in Clark County.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyrighted 2004 for Clark county South Dakota
and Gordon C. Meyer
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