A special presentation will be made in Bayard at the end of August, honoring the last Union Civil War veteran from Guthrie County.

John Palmer served with the 51st Wisconsin Infantry in the Civil War, and later he moved to Bayard. He died in December of 1942 at the age of 98. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War organization is in the midst of a project to find and mark the grave site of the last veteran in all 99 counties, and their quest will bring them to Palmer’s grave in the Highland Cemetery near Bayard.

A ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 26th at 1:30 p.m., and will be carried out by the Sons group in full Civil War-era uniform. The community is encouraged to attend and witness the marking of Palmer’s grave.