Wisconsin America250: The Frontier of Freedom
As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, Wisconsin honors a frontier history that helped shape our nation from the very start. Since our nations’ founding, this land has been a vital shield for liberty.
The Gateway of the Northwest Territory
Long before statehood, our region was known as part of the Northwest Territory. The historic Fox-Wisconsin waterways served as a vital highway for this early frontier. These rivers connected lakes and streams, making the area a strategic crossroads during the Revolutionary War. Both Native nations and early traders used those waters to move supplies, defend the land, and shape the future of a nation.
Captain Aupaumut and a Legacy of Service
This region became home to one of the American Revolution’s most famous Indigenous heroes. Captain Hendrick Aupaumut, a brilliant Mohican leader, fought bravely for the Patriot cause. His courage was so great that George Washington personally rewarded him with a captain’s sword.
Later in live, Aupaumut relocated his people to Wisconsin to build a new future. He passed down a fierce spirit of patriotism. For generations, his descendants and the children of other Native veterans answered the call to arms. They have and continue to serve with honor in every major American conflict, cementing a family legacy of service that lives on today.
Linking the Past to the Present
This timeless spirit of the frontier did not stay confined to the waterways. If flowed southward, growing stronger with each passing generation. Today, that very same legacy of honor and country is preserved at the Central Wisconsin Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in King. Below, explore the stories of men and women at rest in this hallowed ground.
Betty M. Prieve
- Rank & Branch: AMM3 US NAVY
- War Period: WORLD WAR II
- Date of Birth: 09/20/1923
- Date of Death: 01/09/2017
- Buried at: SECTION C ROW 7 SITE 272
Betty Mae Whitney Prieve was born in Merrill, Wisconsin in 1923. She served with the United States Navy WAVES during World War II as an airplane mechanic. During her service, she trained in New York and Oklahoma and served in Hawaii; her brother was killed in action in the Pacific. Following service, Whitney returned to Wisconsin and was a member of various women veterans’ organizations in Madison. She passed away in 2017 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King, Wisconsin and is buried at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Andrew Wald
- Rank & Branch: AMM3 US NAVY
- War Period: WORLD WAR I
- Date of Birth: 09/25/1889
- Date of Death: 01/12/1960
- Buried at: SECTION 11 ROW 16 SITE 5
Andrew Wald was born on September 25, 1889 in Knapp, Wisconsin, the son of Norwegian immigrants. He was living there and farming when he was drafted into the US Army on July 23, 1918. After training stateside, he deployed to Europe in September 1918 and served initially with Company H, 344th Infantry Regiment.
In early October 1918, he transferred to Company C, 109th Machine Gun Battalion. He participated in fighting in the Theaucourt Sector with that unit. He returned to the States in April 1919 and was discharged on May 15, 1919. He settled in nearby Sherman, Wisconsin following his service and spent the final four years of his life in the Grand Army Home in King, Wisconsin. He passed away on January 12, 1960 and is buried at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin.
Arlin C. Barden
- Rank & Branch: TEC 3 US ARMY | CPT US ARMY
- War Period: WORLD WAR I
- Date of Birth: 06/20/1926
- Date of Death: 04/10/2024
- Buried at: SECTION C1 SITE 25
Arlin C. Barden was born in Waupaca, Wisconsin in 1926. He served during World War II in Europe as an assistant gunner. Following the war, he returned to Wisconsin and served in the Wisconsin National Guard for the next 20 years. He also married a fellow World War II veteran, Betty J. Borchardt, who served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC).
In 1965 Barden took over as the administrator for the Grand Army Home for Veterans in King, Wisconsin. He served in this capacity until his retirement in 1984. Barden passed away in 2024 and is buried at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin.
Thomas H. Grimm
- Rank & Branch: CPL US ARMY
- War Period: WORLD WAR I
- Date of Birth: 02/21/1888
- Date of Death: 10/20/1965
- Buried at: SECTION 14 ROW 9 SITE 1
Thomas Henry Grimm was born in Cuba City, Grant County Wisconsin in 1888. Grimm enlisted in the army in 1917, served overseas in France and Germany, returned to the United States and was discharged in 1919. After his service, he was married by 1930 and lived in La Crosse and Farmington, Wisconsin. Grimm died in 1965 and is buried in the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin.
Dolores M. Clover
- Rank & Branch: HN US NAVY
- War Period: KOREA
- Date of Birth: 11/15/1925
- Date of Death: 03/20/2016
- Buried at: SECTION C ROW 7 SITE 571
Dolores M. Meyer (later Clover) of Granville and Long Lake, Wisconsin served as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy from August 23, 1949 until July 7, 1952, and was stationed at Chelsea US Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts and at US Naval Air Station (USNAS) Quonset Point, Rhode Island where she worked as an X-Ray technician over the course of her service. On April 26, 1952 she married Peter J. Clover and continued to work as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in Green Bay, Wisconsin following service. She also became a member of the Green Bay American Legion Post No. 518 in 1980 and a member of the WAVES National organization in 1991, where she served as the Regional Representative (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin) from 2003-2008 out of Unit #39 located in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Clover passed away in Green Bay in 2016 and is buried at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin.
Brownie
- Rank & Branch: K-9 US ARMY
- War Period: WORLD WAR II
- Date of Birth: 11/1941
- Date of Death: 05/18/1949
Pets become part of our families. During World War II, many families sent loved-ones off to war. Did you know that some family pets were called to serve as well? In fact, there is a well-known dog from King, Wisconsin who did just that.
Oren Kendley raised his dog, Brownie, for about 18 months before he learned about the the U.S. Army asking people to volunteer their dogs for the Dogs for Defense units. Oren selflessly decided to enlist Brownie. Brownie began his sentry training at the Fort Robinson Dog Reception & Training Center in Nebraska in May of 1943.
After training, Brownie was sent to the Pacific Theatre. While serving, he was wounded and lost an eye. He returned to his family in September of 1944.
Brownie was a regular at the veterans home in King where he became a beloved mascot and friend to those who lived there. Tragically, Brownie was struck by a car and died in 1949. He is buried at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin.