A great way to kick off summer is with a tour of Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Friday, June 6, at 7 p.m.

As the Civil War raged a group of religious pilgrims left southwestern Iowa where their leader, Alpheus Cutler, said he had a vision of a new home in Minnesota on a piece of land between two lakes. Though Cutler died In August 1864, his followers were determined to fulfill his prophecy. In September, a scouting party of several families including children, left Iowa to begin the trip. After wintering in Red Wing, they started out again in April and in May 1865, reached an area between West Battle Lake and Lake Clitherall they believed was the location Cutler had foreseen. Thus was established Clitherall, Otter Tail County’s first permanent settlement. Mount Pleasant is the final resting place for many early Cutlerites.

Please bring a portable chair to listen to the fascinating stories of people buried in this idyllic place. The cost for the tour is $10. For more information contact the Otter Tail County Historical Society at (218) 736-6038.