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There has been evidence of Minnesota Cremation long before the “discovery” of America. In fact, cremation in the upper Midwest dates back to as early as 1500 BC, during what is defined in archaeology as the Early/Late Archaic period. Specifically, evidence of cremation has been found during this time period in cemetery sites in Wisconsin. Later evidence of cremations during the time period of 1000-500 BC has been found across the upper Midwest – in northeastern Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and quite probably, southeastern Minnesota.

Modern-day Cremation

Native Americans continued to practice cremation via open fires. However, what we consider to be the modern-day cremation, distinguished by indoor cremation in a high-powered furnace, did not occur until thousands of years later – in the late 1800s.

The modern-day cremation was heralded by the controversial 1876 cremation of Baron Henry Louis Charles De Palm in Washington, New York. This act was publicized far and wide by virtually every major newspaper, and started a major movement towards cremation. Supporters – called cremationists – applauded De Palm’s cremation. In fact, this cremation was one of the first steps in a major movement, dedicated to promoting cremation over the traditional burial.

The Cremationists’ Arguments

The cremationists felt that cremation was more sanitary. They promoted the idea that urban cemeteries were a hotbed of miasma, unhealthy vapors that were thought to poison the air, by citing Shakespeare: “When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world”. They proposed that cremation was also more spiritual – a way towards purification. Fire, they said, was a symbol of the holiness. After all, didn’t God appear to Moses at a burning bush?

And, for those not impressed by sanitation and spiritual arguments, the cremationists appealed to the fear factor. During the time, there were many stories of people being buried alive. In fact, there were so many stories that a “Grave-Signal” was invented in 1892 – so those who were buried alive could raise a red flag above their grave. Certainly, they argued, cremation was far better than being buried alive.

The Traditionalists’ Arguments

Traditionalists were against cremation. They associated cremation with the fires of hell and tied cremation to Satan’s work. They believed that the body,was a temple of the Holy Spirit, so burning the body was blasphemous. The cemetery was not hell but, rather, a beautiful place to rest. They pointed to the long tradition of the cemetery visitation – of a soul resting in peace, to be visited for eternity. How can that tradition be broken, they asked. These views were held so strongly that the Catholic Church prohibited cremation until 1963. And, even today, Jewish law forbids cremation.

Cremation Now

But, despite the strong forces on the side of the traditionalists, the acceptance of cremation did grow – slowly. Minnesota Cremation did occur as early as 1910 when the Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota opened up its crematorium. However, cremation did not actually get much traction until the 1960’s, at which point, the cremation rate started a steady growth. In fact, the Minnesota cremation rate is now 45%, and the US cremation rate is around 35%.

As you can see, the study of the acceptance of cremation – in Minnesota and the U.S. – is an interesting venture. For, cremation goes directly to the inner core of us and wraps itself around the unanswered questions of what really happens to us after death. How else could we have such convoluted emotions about a practice that has been in place for thousands of years? The path of cremation will continue to be interesting – as it is not only a process, but a way that defines humans and how we react to death.