May 19, 2015 ••Page 18 Page 18, 2015 Page 18 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com shop online at www.misso shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com The History of Memorial Day Though many people are quick to refer to Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer, the day is much more than that. Initially known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day to remember those military members who died in service of the country. The origins of Memorial Day remain a topic of debate. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. However, the roots of Memorial Day likely run much deeper, as researchers at Duke University note that during the Civil War, organized women’s groups in the south had begun to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Memorial Day as we know it today can likely be traced to Charleston, S.C., where teachers, missionaries and some members of the press gathered on May 1, 1865 to honor fallen soldiers. During the Civil War, captured Union soldiers were held at the Charleston Race Course and hundreds died during captivity. Upon their deaths, soldiers were buried in unmarked graves. When the Civil War ended, the May Day gathering was organized as a memorial to all the men who had died during captivity. The burial ground was landscaped, and those freed as a result of the Civil War played an integral role in the event at the Charleston Race Course. While the event in Charleston might have been the first Memorial Day-type celebration in the southern United States, General John A. Logan is often cited as inspiring similar events in the north. As commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization for men who served in the Civil War, General Logan issued a proclamation just five days after the Charleston event that called for Decoration Day to be observed annually across the country. Logan preferred the event not be held on the anniversary of any particular battle, and thus the day was observed for the first time on May 30. Celebrating the day in May also was significant to event organizers because May is a month when flowers are in bloom, making it easier for observers of the holiday to place flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. In 1868, events were held at more than 180 cemeteries in 27 states, and those figures nearly doubled in 1869. By 1890, every northern state officially recognized Decoration Day as a state holiday. But southern states honored their dead on a different day until after World War I, when the holiday was changed to recognize Americans who died in any war and not just the Civil War. Nearly every state now celebrates Memorial Day, a name for the holiday first used in 1882, on the last Monday in May. THANK YO Thank You To All Who Have Served! Guiding and AUTO?PARTS 1509 E Hwy. 50 • Yankton, SD 605-665-4685 director@thecenteryankton.org We Thank Our Veterans For Their Service L&S Electric 605-665-6612 Honoring & Remembering All Who Served Funeral H Memorial Ch Memoria www.sturdevants.com 605-665-3693 • 800-658-3388 Larsen Carpet We’ve got you covered! 212 Walnut Street Historic Downtown Yankton 605-665-2067 www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome 665-9679 • 1-800-495-96 Remembering Our Heroes! Master tech auto clinic Todd & Lori Heckenlaible NEW LOCATION 89848 557th Ave., South Yankton Phone: 402-667-2992 • Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (No need to dial 402 from Yankton. We’re that close!) Remembering those who served ... THE TROPHY PLACE “Quality Awards for Less” •Trophies •Plaques • Ribbons •Engraving •Corporate Awards •Photo Gifts “Your Hometown John Deere Dealer” 2200 E. Hwy. 50, Yankton • 665-3762 www.deerequipment.com Brian & Jean DeGroot, Owners N. Hwy. 81, Yankton • 665-6394 Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 11am-10pm Lobby Hours: 5:30am-11pm 665-6200 2301 Broadway, Ya Check us out at www.thetrophyplace.net 802 Broadway • Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-5192 Happy Memorial Day! E. Hwy. 50, Yan 665-7670 (3/4 miles east of the We Offer Com Satisfa