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A cemetery caretaker's steady act of tending graves becomes a powerful lesson in historical preservation and honoring forgotten lives. I'll share how this unassuming influence shaped my approach to uncovering and preserving stories of the people of the Eastland Disaster. This episode includes:
- The story of Mr. Schmidt, a German immigrant who tended church graves because, "I lost everyone over there."
- Continuing connections with Eastland disaster descendants seeking stories beyond names and dates
- Unexpected discovery of two Santa Fe Railway employees who perished on the Eastland
- Details about Charles Stehlik, a 24-year-old machinist who died two weeks before his wedding
- Information about Joe Hutchinson, a 20-year-old railway clerk whose brother, William, survived the disaster
- The importance of fraternal organizations like the Modern Woodmen of America and Knights of Columbus in providing support
- How individuals rather than institutions often preserve the most meaningful historical details
- The parallel between tending physical graves and preserving historical memory
Resources:
The Santa Fe Magazine (Google Books)
Chicago Tribune, April 16, 1909
The Inter Ocean, April 22, 1909
Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1915
