Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park

Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park originated in 1885.^[1] It is located on both sides of Aurora Avenue in Seattle, Washington, and occupies roughly 144 acres (58 ha). It is the largest cemetery in Seattle.

At the time of its inception, the area was known as Oak Lake, a full day's carriage ride from downtown via Ballard, Seattle, Washington. David Denny owned land by the lake, and when the old Seattle Cemetery was to become Denny Park he moved the remains of his infant son from there to his property at Oak Lake.^[2]

In 1887, David's cousin Henry Levi Denny moved his family's plot from Capitol Hill to the new burial ground, and over time the number of burials increased, usually by family members and associates of the Denny Party.

In 1903, the property, known as Oaklake Cemetery,^[3] was inherited by David's son, Victor Denny. Victor sold the property in 1914 to the American Necropolis Association, a St. Louis-based company that owned cemetery properties in several states. The ANA gave the cemetery the name "Washelli" (a Makah word meaning "westerly wind"), which had been the name of a central Seattle cemetery disestablished in 1887. In 1919, the Evergreen Cemetery Company started a competing cemetery on the western side of Aurora Avenue, directly opposite Washelli Cemetery. In 1922, Evergreen Cemetery purchased Washelli from the ANA, although the merger did not become final until 1928. By 1952, Evergreen had taken over the mausolea, crematory and columbarium. The cemetery changed its name to Evergreen Washelli in 1962.

El cementerio Evergreen Washelli se creó como un cementerio con un fondo fiduciario, por lo que una parte del costo de una tumba se destina a dicho fondo para el mantenimiento de los terrenos. Esto permite que el cementerio se mantenga como un lugar emblemático perdurable. La funeraria Evergreen Washelli se fundó en 1972 en respuesta a la demanda pública. Pronto se quedó pequeña en sus oficinas al este de Washelli y, en 1994, se trasladó a unas instalaciones más grandes en el lado Evergreen de la propiedad, al oeste de la avenida Aurora. El Parque Memorial Evergreen Washelli comprende el cementerio Evergreen-Washelli, la funeraria, crematorio y cementerio Evergreen Washelli, el cementerio Veterans Memorial, la funeraria Bothell y el cementerio Abbey View en Brier, Washington .

El Cementerio Conmemorativo de los Veteranos se inauguró en 1927 y alberga más de 5000 lápidas de mármol blanco. También cuenta con dos carronadas de la fragata USS Constitution  (conocida como "Old Ironsides") y una torre de campanas de 20 metros de altura. 

La construcción de la Torre de las Campanas comenzó en 1950 y se realizó en parte gracias a las contribuciones de grupos locales de veteranos. La torre octogonal, de vidrio ámbar y hormigón, luce los emblemas de las organizaciones de veteranos que contribuyeron en muchas de sus ventanas. El carillón , instalado en 1965, solía interpretar melodías patrióticas cada hora, pero posteriormente se silenció y permaneció inactivo durante muchos años. Hoy en día, las campanas suenan a mediodía y a las 16:30  todos los días, además de en ocasiones especiales como el Día de los Caídos y el Día de los Veteranos. Se erige como un monumento permanente a los veteranos que fueron enterrados en otros lugares, pero que son recordados por sus amigos y familiares.

Aquí están enterrados varios condecorados con la Medalla de Honor .

En 1921, el famoso escultor de Seattle, Alonzo Victor Lewis, recibió el encargo de crear una figura temporal de yeso para conmemorar la reunión de la 91.ª División en Seattle . ^{[ 4 ]} Trabajando principalmente desde su modesto estudio en Eastlake Avenue, Lewis utilizó a tres soldados de Fort Lawton como modelos y moldeó su soldado de yeso para representar el patriotismo estadounidense, declarando más tarde que imaginó al joven soldado como "recién llegado de una victoria, cubierto de barro y con una sonrisa sombría en el rostro".

En 1998, la estatua del " Soldado Americano " (fundida en 1928) fue trasladada del Seattle Center al Cementerio de Veteranos, donde fue reinaugurada el 11 de noviembre de 1998. Desde 1927, se celebran ceremonias conmemorativas del Día de los Caídos en el cementerio anualmente. A pesar de que el Inventario de Escultura Americana del Smithsonian menciona otros títulos para esta estatua, como " Espíritu del Soldado Americano" , esta obra no guarda relación alguna con la creación de E. M. Viquesney que lleva ese título, y presenta un diseño y una pose completamente diferentes.

Al este de la avenida Aurora se encuentra el columbario Washelli, que alberga las cenizas de aproximadamente 30.000 personas. Entre ellas se encuentran figuras destacadas como Ben Fey , Leo Lassen , Ben Paris y Stephen B. Packard .

El tótem, que pesa 360 kg y mide 4,9 m de altura, fue tallado por Luke Watson en las Islas Queen Charlotte en la Columbia Británica y enviado a través del estrecho de Puget Sound a Thomas Kelley en la isla de Bainbridge . ^{[ 4 ] [ 5 ]} A principios de la década de 1930, Kelley le dio el tótem a su vecino Clinton S. Harley, entonces gerente general de Evergreen Washelli, quien mandó erigir la obra de arte indígena en el cementerio.  

Según la leyenda Haida , el tótem cuenta la historia de Genanasimgat ^{[ 5 ] [ 4 ]} y su esposa, hija de un poderoso jefe. Al enterarse de que unos cazadores habían avistado una rara nutria marina blanca, la madre de su esposa le pidió a Genanasimgat que la matara por su hermoso pelaje blanco, lo cual él hizo. Mientras la madre despellejaba a la nutria, algo de sangre manchó el pelaje, así que le pidió a su hija que lo lavara en el mar, lo cual su obediente hija hizo, pero de alguna manera el pelaje se le escapó y flotó hacia aguas más profundas. Durante su búsqueda del pelaje, dos orcas la secuestraron. Genanasimgat, que amaba a su esposa con todo su corazón, la siguió hasta el fondo del mar, donde se encontró con una grulla, quien lo escondió de las orcas bajo las plumas de su pecho. Después de varias aventuras llenas de suspenso, Genanasimgat finalmente rescató a su amada esposa y escapó a casa con ella.

Abbey View Memorial Park in Brier, Washington was founded by the Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in 1953 and covers 85 acres (34 ha). The Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home at Bothell, Washington was purchased in 1999, and provides preparation, cremation, memorialization, as well as chapel services.

• Medal of Honor recipients
  • Lewis Albanese (1946–1966) – United States ArmyPrivate First Class during the Vietnam War, posthumously awarded for his actions during a fire fight where he freed his platoon from sniper fire.^[6]
  • Orville Emil Bloch (1915–1983) – United States Army officer, awarded for his actions in World War II.
  • Harry Delmar Fadden (1882–1955) – United States Navy sailor, received peacetime medal.
  • Emil Fredericksen (1867–1950) – United States Navy sailor, received peacetime medal.
  • William Charlie Horton (1876–1969) – United States Marine, awarded for his actions during the Boxer Rebellion.
  • Robert Ronald Leisy (1945–1969) – United States Army officer, awarded for his actions in the Vietnam War.
  • William K. Nakamura (1922–1944) – United States Army soldier, awarded for his actions in World War II.
• Other notables
  • Joe Abreu (1913–1993) – A former professional baseball player, and a member of the United States Navy during World War II.
  • John Barnes (1855–1929) – A Minor League Baseball manager and organizer of the Pacific Northwest League in 1890.
  • C. Louise Boehringer (1878–1956), first female Superintendent of Schools, Yuma County and the first female to be elected to office in Arizona.
  • Dorothy Bullitt (1892–1989) – A radio and television pioneer who founded King Broadcasting Company, a major owner of broadcast stations in Seattle.
  • Thomas Burke (1849–1925) – Lawyer, railroad builder, and judge who made his career in Seattle, Washington.^[7]
  • George Carmack (1860–1922) – prospector in the Yukon credited by some with starting the Yukon Gold Rush.
  • Cheshiahud (1820–1910) – A Duwamish chief who was a friend of the Denny Party and one of the few Native Americans to own property in Seattle. Buried beside his first wife, Lucy.^[8]
  • G. Kenneth Davidson (1919-2002) - Actor who played "Old Guy at Hap's" in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." (1992) ^[9]
  • Demetrius DuBose (1971–1999) – National Football League player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  • Ben Fey (1874–1938) – Movie theatre owner.
  • Brenden Foster (1997–2008) – A boy from Bothell, Washington, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2005. KOMO, a local broadcasting station, reported the story of Brenden's last wish, which was to feed the homeless, sparking international media attention.
  • Frank Foyston (1891–1966) – A Canadian professional ice hockeyforward, three-time Stanley Cup Champion and Seattle Metropolitan from 1915 to 1924.
  • Hiram C. Gill (1866–1919) – Lawyer and two-time Seattle mayor, identified with the "open city" politics that advocated toleration of prostitution, alcohol, and gambling.
  • Roger Sherman Greene (1840–1930) – Lawyer, judge, politician and military officer.
  • John Philo Hoyt (1841–1926) – Politician and jurist.
  • Gary Kildall (1942–1994) – Computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur who created the CP/Moperating system and founded Digital Research.
  • Bertha Knight Landes (1868–1943) – The first female mayor of a major American city. Landes served as mayor of Seattle, Washington from 1926 to 1928.
  • Leo Lassen (1899–1975) – Baseball announcer in Seattle, Washington.
  • Lawrence Denny Lindsley (1879–1974) – Photographer and also a miner, hunter, and guide. Lindsley was a grandson of Seattle pioneer, David Thomas Denny, a member of the Denny Party.
  • Alfred Lueben (1859–1932) – A German-born music professor and conductor in Seattle, Washington.
  • Godfrey Lundberg (1879–1933) – An accomplished engraver during the early part of the twentieth century.
  • Donald H. Magnuson (1911–1979) – A U.S. Representative from Washington.
  • Henry McBride (1856–1937) – The fourth governor of Washington state; he was also a teacher, telegraph operator, and Superior Court judge.
  • John Okada (1923–1971) – A Japanese-American writer and author of the novel No-No Boy.
  • Stephen B. Packard (1839–1922) – A carpetbagger from Maine who emerged as an important Republican politician in Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction. He was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1876.
  • Ben Paris (1884–1950) – Sportsman, entrepreneur, conservationist, and owner of a landmark restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Paris founded the Seattle Ben Paris Salmon Derby.
  • Thomas Pelly (1902–1973) – Politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
  • Lewis B. Schwellenbach (1894–1948) – Lawyer, politician, and judge.
  • Bell M. Shimada (1922–1958) – Fisheries scientist who pioneered the study of the tuna fishery in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
  • Watson Carvosso Squire (1838–1926) – A United States Senator from Washington.
  • Donald S. Voorhees (1916–1989) – A United States federal judge and civic activist.
  • Betty Taylor (1919–2011) – Entertainer
  • Roy William Wier (1888–1963) – A U.S. Representative from Minnesota.
  • Cully Wilson (1892–1962) – A professional ice hockey player. The right winger played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto St. Pats, Montreal Canadiens, Hamilton Tigers, and Chicago Black Hawks between 1919 and 1927.
  • Marion Zioncheck (1901–1936) – Politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1933 until his death in 1936. He represented Washington's 1st congressional district as a Democrat.
  • Masaki Nakamura (1908-1945) - U.S. Army Soldier posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his service during World War II.

• Sitio oficial
• Parque conmemorativo Evergreen Washelli en Find a Grave
• Sistema de Información de Nombres Geográficos del Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos: Cementerio Evergreen Washell

47°42′36″N 122°20′45″O / 47.7099022°N 122.3457969°O / 47.7099022; -122.3457969