Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery - Little Falls

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Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery is an active public cemetery next to the Camp Ripley Training Center, about seven miles north of Little Falls, Minnesota. The 37-acre site has more than 10,000 graves and is maintained by the State of Minnesota.

History in brief: In 1986, state lawmakers allowed for a state veterans cemetery if no state funding was needed. About $18,900 was raised to buy land (38 acres). The land was deeded to the state in 1988, but work stalled. The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery Association formed in 1991 and began raising funds and developing the site. Although not run by the state, the cemetery was given the official name. The Minnesota National Guard graded the land as a training area. The cemetery was dedicated on July 9, 1994, by Governor Arne Carlson. The project cost about $325,000. It was the first of Minnesota’s four state veteran cemeteries (the others are in Duluth, Preston, and Redwood Falls).

Milestones: In 2011, the first of five military-branch paintings was installed in the Committal Hall. In 2021, the cemetery received the National Cemetery Administration’s Operational Excellence Award for high standards. In 2024, it received a $1.4 million expansion grant.