Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, honors men and women who died while serving in the United States military. The holiday was originally known as Decoration Day, and it originated in the years following the Civil War. By the late 1860s, many communities had begun springtime tributes to the fallen soldiers of the war by decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. According to the History Channel, on May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

Memorial Day originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. During World War I, the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict. Memorial Day evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

Recently, the Lyon County Historical Society announced its new Find Your Veteran database on our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org. The database is dedicated to Lyon County veterans. Every veteran collection holds stories of service, sacrifice, and pride. The Find Your Veteran platform, developed by the company Creature Works, helps ensure those stories are preserved, discoverable, and easy to explore and understand. Find Your Veteran is a searchable living resource for visitors and researchers. The database allows for people to search veterans by name, service branch, era, or community. Right now, there are over 1,100 Lyon County veterans on the database. For more information on adding names and/or content to existing names, call the Lyon County Museum at 507-537-6580, email director@lyoncomuseum.org, or visit the museum’s website at www.lyoncomuseum.org and fill out one of the contact forms on the veterans page. This website was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

The photograph featured this week from the Lyon County Museum’s collection is Lawrence Edward Wyffels. Lawrence graduated from Marshall High School in 1934. Lawrence was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II when he was killed in action at sea on Oct. 26, 1942 during the battle of Santa Cruz Island. He was a Warrant Officer on the USS Enterprise.

The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 West Lyon Street in Marshall. The Lyon County Museum is open year-round to visitors. To contact us, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or on our Facebook page.