American Legion Cenotaph

This cenotaph (cen-a-taf) erected at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery in Spokane was paid for and dedicated by American Legion Post 9 on Nov. 11, 1930. A crowd of approximately 500 attended the dedication ceremony on this Armistice Day. The cenotaph is a monument to veterans, buried elsewhere, who died in the first world war. Henry Bertelsen was the architect and Comrade J. M. Simonson the stonecutter. The Gold Star Mothers unveiled the $6,000 American Legion/Auxiliary memorial, and Commander Charles Casey presided over the ceremonies. Past Department Commander Edward Robertson delivered the dedicatory address, stating, “The words we speak die with their own echoes, we have carved from our native hills these flawless stones, and we have here now a memorial which is beautiful and which will last until the end of time.” The 4th infantry Band from Fort George Wright played “Nearer My God To Thee” and the Rt. Rev. Edward M. Cross, Episcopal bishop of Spokane, gave the invocation. The American Legion double quartet, directed by Anthony Plastino, performed during the ceremony. Mrs. Dan McCadam, a Gold Star Mother, unveiled the monument and said that the living had kept faith and remembered the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. The tears of the Gold Star Mothers fell on the slabs of native granite as they listened to the speakers. The 4th infantry Band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Rev. F. W. Osborn, Legion chaplain, gave the benediction. It is a stone monument with seating. "In Memory Of Those Who Gave Their Lives For Their Country In The World Wars," placed beside the "Never Forget Garden." Plaques for The American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary are on the front of the monument. November 2022: We recently installed an ADA-compliant sidewalk leading up to our cenotaph. This was a joint effort by Spokane Post 9, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Home Depot.