Leech Lake Band granted $3 million for veterans cemetery

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has a $3 million federal grant to construct a veterans cemetery in Cass Lake.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says Leech Lake Veterans Cemetery will be developed on three acres and serve nearly 3,000 tribal veterans and their families.

The grant will fund the construction of a main entrance, an administration and maintenance facility, a memorial wall and walk, an assembly and committal shelter, about 450 gravesites and 64 columbarium niches.

The closest national cemetery is Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, more than 200 miles away. The closest state cemetery is Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, Minnesota, about 100 miles away.