News

The Hidden Cemetery of Salem Lutheran

By Scott Wagar

11/05/2013

During the fall of the year, there are always a small number of individuals searching for the Hidden Cemetery of Turtle Mountains. This cemetery is difficult to find and holds a number of mysteries.

The Hidden Cemetery is actually the original church site and cemetery of Salem Lutheran Church, which is today located along the Scenic Bypass (Hwy 43) near the Bottineau and Rolette County line.

It is called the Hidden Cemetery because of its location and the heavy overgrowth of Turtle Mountains in the summertime when people are out exploring in the hills. When fall comes along, and the trees and plant life loses their leaves, local folks have been known to take to the hills in search of the old Salem Church site in hopes of getting a glimpse of the cemetery. However, even with plant life returning to the soil, the cemetery is difficult to find.

For those who knows its whereabouts, it can be found, but at times even for them they get lost in their journey to the church’s location.
The congregation of Salem Lutheran Church originated in 1901 by a group of Norwegian immigrants who had homesteaded in that part of the Turtle Mountains. The church, which now stands on Hwy. 43, was constructed in 1914, but was moved down to its present site in 1939 when the highway was established, granting individuals easier access to the church.

Today, for those who have discovered the old site, or were taken there by someone familiar with the location, once there, it is a site they will never forget.

As individuals walk through the Hidden Cemetery they will encounter numerous open graves. In 1939, some of the congregational members decided to move their loved ones down to the new site and placed them in the new cemetery. Once the caskets were removed, the holes were filled in with dirt again, but the dirt sunk back into the ground, leaving an indentation at the grave sites giving it the appearance of open graves.

For those parish members who decided to leave their family members in peace at the former site, today those grave sites have been fenced in by loved ones with name plates to identify who remains.

Within the graveyard, there is only one tombstone, which is fenced in and holds an interesting item that is attached to the fence, a birdcage. No one seems to understand the meaning of the birdcage, which gives it a level of intrigue and mystery to those who visit the cemetery.

Next to the cemetery is the church’s foundation. Individuals can see the rocks that formed the church’s foundation, along with the foundation stones inside the foundation which are perfectly square and covered on top with deep green moss.

For the old Salem Lutheran Church, and its “hidden cemetery”, there really is no one keeping the site a secret, it is open to the public for respectful visits. But, for those who want to find the site, it is always an interesting endeavor in finding its location and then walking through the sacred site.