Woodlawn Cemetery (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) Explained

Woodlawn Cemetery
Location:	2001 South Cliff Avenue Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Country:	United States
Interments:	16,600 (2015)
Findagraveid:	97825

Woodlawn Cemetery is a public cemetery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was established in 1905 by Richard F. Pettigrew. Several notable people are buried in the cemetery, including Pettigrew and two former governors of South Dakota.

History

U.S. Representative for South Dakota Richard F. Pettigrew first announced plans for the cemetery in 1903. He paid $8,750 for near an area known as Hunter's Grove, now located at the corners of 26th Street and Cliff Avenue. The cemetery was officially established in 1905. In March 1906, Mary Frantz became the first person to be buried in the cemetery.^[1]

By 2015, Woodlawn Cemetery had a recorded 16,600 burials and estimated it had space for 14,000–15,000 additional interments.^[2]

Notable burials

• Nils Boe (1913–1992), 23rd Governor of South Dakota^[3]
• Charles A. Christopherson (1871–1951), U.S. Representative for South Dakota^[4]
• George Jonathan Danforth (1875–1951), South Dakota Senator^[5]
• George T. Mickelson (1903–1965), 16th Attorney General and 18th Governor of South Dakota^[6]
• Belle L. Pettigrew (1839–1912), educator and missionary^[7]
• Richard F. Pettigrew (1848–1926), U.S. Representative and Senator for Dakota Territory and South Dakota^{[1] [8]}
• Joan Tabor (1932–1968), actress

Notes and References

1. News: Todd . Annie . What tales do the dead speak of in Sioux Falls? . March 28, 2024 . . October 27, 2022.
2. News: Callison . Jill . City cemeteries large enough for decades of burials . March 30, 2024 . May 22, 2015.
3. Andrews . John . 2016 . Boe's Legacy . subscription . . 31 . 6 . 72–81 . . 0886-2680 . March 28, 2024 . EBSCOhost.
4. Web site: Christopherson, Charles Andrew . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . March 28, 2024.
5. Book: Spencer . Thomas E. . Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated . 1998 . Clearfield Company . 9780806348230 . March 29, 2024.
6. News: Smith . David H. . Judge Mickelson's Public Work Lauded . March 30, 2024 . . March 3, 1965 . 1 . Newspapers.com.
7. Lindell . Lisa R. . "I have felt a great zeal for this work": The Educational and Evangelical Mission of Luella Belle Pettigrew . South Dakota History . 2022 . 52 . 1 . 29–66 . subscription . . 0361-8676 . March 28, 2024 . EBSCOhost.
8. Web site: Pettigrew, Richard Franklin . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . March 28, 2024.