History Documentation:
LETTER STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON GRAVE REMOVAL - March 26, 1923
Hayward Indian School
Hayward, Wisconsin
March 26, 1923
Mr. C.E. Brown
State Historical Society
Madison, Wisconsin
Dear Mr. Brown:
I have received you letter of March 23rd, relative to the removal
of certain Indians graves for the reason that they will be overflowed by
the reservoir of the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company, which
the reservoir is now practically complete.
The graves in question are located on both banks of the Chippewa
River, both up and down the river from the Indian village of ‘The Post’.
Although I have made careful inspection of numerous graves in the company
with the U.S. District Engineer and an Inspector of the Interior Department,
we could obtain no authentic information as to the age of the cemeteries.
We were advised by some older Indians that certain spots had been used
for burial grounds more than seventy-five years ago, but when we made our
inspection more than a year ago, we could find no evidence of graves at
some of the places pointed out to us. The little house that had undoubtedly
been built over those graves had entirely disappeared and the ground itself
had returned to its former condition.
It is a difficult matter just at this time to reach ‘The Post’.
The snow has drifted so deep in some places that it is still out of the
question to drive there from Hayward by auto, and the road from Winter,
the nearest railway point, is now totally emerged and cannot be traveled.
Couderay will be the new railway station of the new village of ‘The Post’
and can best be reached from that place. However it seems to me that there
is no particular hurry for you to go to ‘The Post’ if you are interested
in the cemetery located there because those graves are situated quite high
above the river and it will not be necessary to remove them probably for
several weeks. If you desire to present when those graves are moved, I
shall keep in touch with that work and endeavor to give you several days
notice in advance of when the work actually commences. It will also be
easy at that time for me to give you directions on how to reach the place.
Awaiting your further advice, I am,
Sincerely yours,
R.C. Craige
Superintendent