Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1988)
Resting In Peace by Joseph Bowman As the largest cemetery in Lincoln, Wyuka serves as quite a placid dis play. Wyuka, that expansive plot of land bounded by O and Vine streets, has 50,000 graves covering 200 square acres. The gorgeous garden sanctum is 3>en during the mornings and late temoons to mourners of the de ceased. Lush verdant carpet and drap ery surround their beloved’s place of rest. It is a comforting vision to the eyes of the bereaved; their lost ones encompassed by such a rich domain. But mourners are not the only people that admire the quiet green of Wyuka. On a sunny day one often can spot many different folks passing through. Walkers, runners and sitters come to imbibe the hushed air of permanent repose. The rumbling brick roads trace a twisting path through the gently roll ing green densely dotted with marble, bronze, and granite. The tombstones impose their pres ences as admirable monuments of extinct wealth and status, to the memories weighted down by their existence. Children often come and make tinfoil impressions of the ex ceptionally fine ones for Sunday school projects. Some of the markers are prepon derant blocks of stability, some are beautifully crafted statues of graceful form and line, while others are no more than bricks with a name and date hastily carved into them. One of the most modest markers in Wyukaisjust a field stone slightly larger than a loaf of bread. The only thing on the stone is the roughly carved “RibLETT.” It seems the class system even follows one to one’s final resting place. Wyuka has served Lincoln and the surrounding area since 18% as the most popular cemetery. The bloom ing fields have quite a diverse history. The iron fence on the south side originally came from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was removed from the University because it once hampered firemen in reaching a fire in the museum. The first person buried in Wyuka was Hughina, wife of John Morrison. She was a comparative stranger to Lincoln, arriving from Lansing, Iowa, only days before she died. She was buried on Oct. 7, 1869. In 1969, Wyuka commemorated 100 years of service to the state with See WYUKA on 12