Minda Powers-Douglas

Chippiannock Cemetery Minda Powers-Douglas

Built on a ridge named for the great Native American spirit Manitou, Chippiannock Cemetery has honored the dead of Rock Island County for over 150 years. Chippiannock, which means "village of the dead" in the Sauk and Fox languages, is truly a village. People from all walks of life are buried in the majestic rolling grounds. From railroad and lumber barons to blacksmiths and riverboat captains, here one will find the people who made this land along the Mississippi River thrive. Upon stepping through the gates of Chippiannock, one finds memorials to the dead, ranging from artistic and stately to simple or humble. Each stone tells a story-whether it is a cenotaph in honor of Civil War major general John Buford or the two Dimick children who passed away on the same day in 1878 of diphtheria. Today Chippiannock remains an active, "living" cemetery, beloved by locals and considered a jewel of the Quad Cities.