There is evidence the open fire cremations were occurring in the United States before America was discovered. American Indians were doing cremation. back in 1000-500 BC.
There has been evidence of Minnesota Cremation long before the “discovery” of America. In fact, cremation in the upper Midwest dates back to as early as 1500 BC, during what is defined in archaeology as the Early/Late Archaic period. Specifically, evidence of cremation has been found during this time period in cemetery sites in Wisconsin. Later evidence of cremations during the time period of 1000-500 BC has been found across the upper Midwest – in northeastern Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and quite probably, southeastern Minnesota……
Native Americans continued to practice cremation via open fires. However, what we consider to be the modern-day cremation, distinguished by indoor cremation in a high-powered furnace, did not occur until thousands of years later – in the late 1800s.
The modern-day cremation was heralded by the controversial 1876 cremation of Baron Henry Louis Charles De Palm in Washington, New York. This act was publicized far and wide by virtually every major newspaper, and started a major movement towards cremation. Supporters – called cremationists – applauded De Palm’s cremation. In fact, this cremation was one of the first steps in a major movement, dedicated to promoting cremation over the traditional burial.via www.findarticleonline.com
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