Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, MO
Naturally, a trip to such a major city as Kansas City would involve a cemetery stop or two. The first was an early morning trip to Elmwood Cemetery, which was established in 1872. Among the 34,000+ people buried there are your typical assortment of members of Congress, officers who served during the Civil War (because enlisted dudes rarely attain notoriety), sports heroes, and business magnates, the most nationally famous of which would probably be the Armour family who made "the dogs kids love to bite." And speaking of dogs, when we first got out of the car we saw a coyote walking by about 25 yards (23 meters) away from us!
To be honest I was a little underwhelmed by this cemetery. By its size and location, the number of people buried there, and the list of "famous memorials" it boasts, I assumed that it would be more impressive. I pictured someplace more on par with Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, with large, impressive columns and statuary. But Elmwood is very much like so many other Midwestern burial places. Not that it wasn't interesting in its way, or that it didn't offer a surprise or two.
Union Cemetery, Kansas City, MO
Founded in 1857, Union Cemetery is Kansas City's oldest. There are over 24,000 people buried there, and the place just oozes history. Three memorials stuck out most to me: George Caleb Bingham, an artist famous for his paintings of working people, and common events. (I'm reasonably sure that we saw some of his work at the Nelson-Adkins Museum.). Alexander Majors was one of the founders of the Pony Express. The last belonging to not just one person, but to a group of Confederate soldiers who were buried there during the Civil War, and who were later memorialized with a historical marker.
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