The Lake Charley Cemetery was established in 1875, and its first burial was in 1873. It has also been called the Lake Charlie Cemetery, the Oak Hill Cemetery, and the Floding Cemetery.

It is located west of Lake Charley along Sunset Strip on the right hand-side of the road.   Go south on Sunset Strip from County Road 61 toward Arrowwood Resort and County Road 22.

What is interesting about this hidden gem is its history, and the fact that it is now again an active place of rest.  It was deeded over to Ida Township several years ago. Under the direction of three volunteers, Julie Kirscht, Wayne Odegaard, and Frank Bartlett, the brush and debris have been cleared, and it has been brought back into use. The beautiful wooded cemetery has been surveyed, and there are now forty-eight future sites available. A fence has been erected, crosses erected over the unidentified person sites, and two beautiful benches have been added overlooking the plots and the rolling hills. (The benches were donated by the Ida Lake Association.) From the cemetery you can actually see the split between prairie and oak savanna forest.

There are nineteen known graves, fourteen which have been identified by name.  Several of the known graves sites are family plots.  Two of the known graves are Civil War veterans - commemorative stars are placed near their headstones to honor their service and sacrifice.  Also interred is an African American who worked for resorts in the area.  The cemetery was last used in 1947 when Andrew Lundgren was interred there.  

The Douglas County Historical Society was very pleased with the renovation and may now include Lake Charley Cemetery in a historical tour of the area in the future.

 If you have any information regarding the cemetery or know the names of any of the unidentified people buried at the cemetery, please contact the Ida Township Office 320.834.3377 or e-mail the township using the    Contact us page of this web site.

Acknowledgements

The Ida Township Board would like to thank the following people and associations:

 Greg Burkey for all the work he has done in the past to keep the cemetery in order.

The Cemetery Committee:  Frank Bartlett, Julie Kirscht and Wayne Odegaard for volunteering their time and getting the cemetery cleaned up and ready for use again.

Ida Lake Association for donating the benches.

Julie Kirscht for the flowers that were placed on the unidentified graves for the summer months.

Excerpts in this article are from the Ida Lake Association Newsletter

Additional Information