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Historic Moment for Willamette National Cemetery
The first national cemetery in the Pacific Northwest is now in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Willamette National Cemetery is the last Oregon entry into the National Register of Historic Places.
Located on more than 300 acres in Multnomah and Clackamas counties, Willamette National Cemetery was the first national cemetery in the Pacific Northwest.
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It was created by Congress in 1941 but World War 2 delayed its opening.
Burials started in 1951.
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The cemetery uses only flat granite markers as opposed to upright marble markers common in cemeteries.
The National Park Service, which runs the register, said the cemetery was eligible for inclusion "as a result of their Congressional designation as nationally significant places of burial and commemoration."
There are more than 150,000 people interred there.
Photo Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation
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