The Man Behind Letterman General Hospital

For those of you with a military past, the Presidio's Letterman Hospital Complex may be familiar. Here's a look at the man for whom the institution was named.

New York Museum Commemorates Lowe's Balloon Work During the Civil War

A museum in western New York offered balloon rides in the spirit of Professor Thaddeus Lowe over the July 4th holiday, and some of Lowe's descendants showed up to take part!

A Look at the Antebellum California Lives of Some Civil War Leaders

Here's an interesting link to an article about how life in California influenced some Civil War leaders...

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!