I have never written to a newspaper before and don’t plan to again, but after my second trip this summer to the Maple Hill Cemetery I had to write about the deplorable condition of the southwest corner which is owned by the county.
About 20 years ago I was hired by Jerry Loh of county maintenance to clean up and maintain that part of the cemetery. It was full of brush and debris. I cleared it out and kept it maintained and mowed until last year when I had a heart attack and a pacemaker put in, so I can no longer do the work. Evidently no one else can either.
A small part by the road has been mowed but the southernmost part looks like a hay field with small popples coming up. It makes the whole cemetery look shabby.
I have an aunt and an uncle in this section and there are many other graves there that are over 100 years old. Some of these people may be forgotten but they deserve to rest in a wellmaintained cemetery, not a neglected, brushchoked hay field!
Clifford Stone
Grand Marais
Leave a Reply