The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County: A Novel

8. Cemetery Walk

32 Cemetery Walk 8 WWRI, the radio station in Willow River, ran public service announcements about the cemetery walk for a couple weeks. The Ames County Argus ran a long story with several photos in its most recent issue. One of the TV stations in Green Bay sent a reporter and film crew to Link Lake. They interviewed both Emily Higgins, who explained the history of the event, and Mayor Jessup, who said, “We must commend the Link Lake Historical Society for helping us remember the important people who made Link Lake what it is today.” Emily thought, The mayor said the right words, but he really doesn’t believe them. Emily was quite certain the mayor, along with Marilyn Jones and the majority of the members of the Link Lake Economic Development Council, believed the historical society was made up of those opposed to change and was more of a hindrance than an asset to the community. But she also believed that beyond those who were members of the historical society, a goodly number of the residents of Link Lake and the surrounding communities appreciated the work of the historical society and supported its many activities and were especially pleased that the organization was helping people learn about the community’s history and preserving historical buildings and other historical artifacts in the community. The last Saturday in April dawned clear and sunny, one of those days that people talk about when they describe what spring can be like in central Wisconsin. It was an ideal day for a cemetery walk, or anything else outdoors , for that matter. Promptly at 10:00 a.m., Henrietta O’Malley, the head waitress at the Eat Well Café and a longtime member of the historical society, welcomed the fifty or so people who turned out for the walk, 33 Cemetery Walk reminding them that they had a treat in store as they become acquainted with the historical figures who made Link Lake what it is today. “Members of our historical society have taken the roles of the people we are commemorating, dressing as these people dressed and sharing something of their lives,” she explained. “We will divide the group into three smaller groups, so people can hear and see more easily. And each group will have an opportunity to visit all the sites.” Henrietta quickly organized the groups—young people and older people, parents with children, local people and those from as far away as the Fox River Valley. “Group one, please follow me to the grave of Increase Joseph Link, the founder of the Village of Link Lake,” said Henrietta as she turned and began walking to the first grave site on the walk. A historical society volunteer led each of the other two groups, who went to other locations. As he had done from the time of the first cemetery walk, Oscar Anderson played the role of Pastor Increase Joseph Link. Increase Joseph, as he was fondly called, always dressed in black from his black shoes to his black hat, and that’s the way Oscar Anderson was dressed today. When everyone had gathered around, Oscar began. He stood in front of Increase Joseph’s headstone , a simple stone with the following words inscribed on it: Increase Joseph Link Born 1826 Died 1893 A man of the cloth Founder of Link Lake, Wisconsin Oscar Anderson held a red book in his hand, as was the style of Increase Joseph, who always preached while waving a red book. In a loud, deep voice that carried well beyond the confines of the Link Lake Cemetery, Oscar intoned: “We are each of us like the giant oaks that we see just outside this meeting place. The oak lives in harmony with its neighbors, the aspen, the maple, and the pine, as we each must learn to live with those who are different from us. 34 Cemetery Walk “We must learn to live in harmony with the Norwegians and Welsh, the Swedes and the Danes, the Irish and the English, the Poles and the Germans, and the Indians, too, like my friend, Chief Kee-chee-new of the Menominee. All are our neighbors. “We must learn to live with those whose work is different from ours. We must learn to live with those who worship in ways foreign to us. There is one God, and he is concerned about all of us, no...