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Wyuka is, we think, a beautiful word, and especially so for Nebraska.
Listening to the sound of it one hears not only the lonely prairie wind
but the more cheerful call of prairie birds.... And the name should
never be followed by “cemetery,” which is redundant, and, much worse,
robs it of beauty. It is an Indian word often interpreted as “place of
rest.” We like still better the more literal “place to lie down and
sleep.” At any rate, Wyuka is a beautiful, peaceful spot, especially on
a still summer day, when sun and shade lie side by side over it and
large white birds drift timelessly on its quiet lagoon.
This is Lincoln’s oldest burial place—tho not the oldest in Lancaster
county. Pale folded hands and open Bibles on pure white stones and flat
slabs from which lettering is almost obliterated indicate certain age.
The records show that it was founded in 1869, not as a city but a state
cemetery. Many names of interest may be found on its stones, among them
early governors Nance, Poynter, Thayer, Mickey and Aldrich. The founder
of the village of Lancaster, Elder Young, was carried here when his days
were done.
Little more than half of Wyuka’s 200 acres are laid out in lots. The
southwest corner is devoted to an artificial lake bordered with grass
and shrubs. Space to the north is for future use. Sections on the north
also have been set aside for Civil war and World war veterans. The high
iron fence surrounding the cemetery once encircled the university
campus. It proved to be a considerable hindrance to firemen when fire
broke out in the museum years ago, and in 1924 it was transferred to
Wyuka.