Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
Wyuka Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
Wyuka Cemetery
Status: Active
Wyuka is located at 3600 O Street in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is one of the city's oldest and largest cemeteries. The name "Wyuka" was an americanized version of the Sioux or Dakota Indian word, "wanka," which means "he rests or he lies down." Wyuka was established in 1869 by an act of the Nebraska Legislature as the State cemetery.
The cemetery was designed with the idea of a public park in mind, based on the English school of landscaping which was all curving vistas and green lawns. There were no enclosures allowed around lots or graves, no trees or shrubs, and all planting had to be approved by the sexton. Curbings and raised lots were not allowed after 1893, and very few exist today. Private vaults were also restricted to a certain area. There also was a nursery on the grounds to grow the necessary plants and flowers.
Between 1908 and 1914, many improvements were done at the cemetery. A chapel was added in 1938. Actor/singer Gordon MacRae and mass-murderer Charles Starkweather are buried here. Wyuka was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Location Map for Wyuka Cemetery
The above information is respectfully and gratefully borrowed from researcher
Marta Dawes.
