Happy 150th Anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act! (from a Grateful Grad of a Land Grant School)

One hundred fifty years ago next Monday, President Lincoln signed a bill that has become known as the Morrill Land Grant Act, which made it possible for many states, mostly in the west and midwest, to create 68 state colleges and universities.

The University of California, Berkeley, will be the site of an informal celebration to commemorate the anniversary at 11:45 am next Monday next to the bust of Abraham Lincoln at the south base of the Campanile.

I am the beneficiary of just such an education, having graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 1985. Cal Poly was founded as a vocational high school and developed into a leading university over the past 100-plus years, but it would not have been possible without President Lincoln's signature 150 years ago.

Charles Graffel: California Pioneer

Charles S. Graffell served as a cook's assistant in Company H of the 2nd California Cavalry. He is pictured here with an unknown man in civilian clothes. After the war, Graffell was a blacksmith in Red Bluff. He filed for an invalid pension in 1913 and his widow, Hattie, filed for her pension in 1932. Photo from the United States Army Military History Institute.

Truckee Cemetery Hosts Ceremony for Civil War Veterans

The Sierra Mountain Cemetery in Truckee hosted a special ceremony yesterday to honor the 22 Civil War veterans buried there. Prior to the ceremony, only 10 of the graves had headstones, but six more have markers now.

The veterans whose markers were dedicated yesterday are Jed Gibbs Booth, Daniel B. Farver, Charles Fox, Fritz Hohn, John C. Lunn and Daniel Thorndyke. They join Thomas Conniff, John Cranmer, Samuel Chambers, Wilson Dixon, John B. Evans, Robert Ferguson, Wilson W. Forrest, Charles Irons, Pierce Laffin and Christian Snyder as having marked graves.

Six other veterans--Waldo Allen, John Flynn, A.J. Graham, Louis McNicger, Charles Titus and George Wallace--currently lack markers.

More on Fort Douglas Day

The Deseret News recently published an article on Amanda Lee Jones, who participated in yesterday's Fort Douglas Day events. Enjoy!

Happy 150th, Fort Douglas!

Fort Douglas, Utah, will officially celebrate its 150th anniversary in October, but the annual Fort Douglas Day was held today at the post near Salt Lake City.
Founded by California Volunteers led by Patrick Edward Connor, the post is now home to a museum and some University of Utah programs.

Civil War Veteran's Daughter Dies in California

Fox News reported earlier this week that one of the few remaining children of a Civil War veteran died in Marina del Rey at age 94. Her father was a veteran of the 14th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, and he was 70 when she was born in 1918.

First-hand Medical Report from Ford's Theater Found

A report from the first doctor on the scene at Ford's Theater following Lincoln's assassination has been
located in an archive.