“Waking The Dead” extends the tour with a new stop

History comes to life with the 14th annual Waking the Dead Tours, where performers retell the stories of some of the historical figures buried at Highland Cemetery.

The tour features storytellers at ten graves in Highland Cemetery, each representing a historical figure, including Great Falls founder Paris Gibson, artist Charlie Russell, Western film star George Montgomery and other figures who shaped the Great Falls area.

One of the tour hosts, Dwight Smith, explains, “It’s important that we know the history of our city. It’s important to know it and experience living history. When you come to a cemetery, there’s not a lot of talking. But when you have storytellers talking about these famous people and what they did for our city and how they got this thing started, it’s very rewarding.”

Smith will also appear on the tour as a storyteller and portray Medal of Honor winner Captain John E. Moran.

This year, a new stop was added to the tour: Potter’s Field, an unmarked mass burial site used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for those who could not afford a grave.

The Genealogy Society recently combed through the records to identify the thousands of unidentified people buried in the grave. They were able to find out who was buried there, when they died, and what they died of.

Flags representing each person have been placed in the field. Highland Cemetery also plans to erect a monument to mark the area and list the names of those who have not yet been identified. The history of the pauper’s cemetery and some of those buried there will be told on the tour.

Tickets for the tour are $20 for the ride or $15 for the walk. All proceeds benefit Great Falls Park and Recreation. Tickets can be purchased at Kaufmans Menswear Center at 411 Central Avenue in downtown Great Falls.

Tours will be held on Sunday, June 30th at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Highland Cemetery, 2010 33rd Avenue South.