Abraham Lincoln often stayed in the Kentucky House, a stagecoach stop on Elkhart Hill owned by his friend Richard Latham. He was also a friend of John Dean Gillett, who was once known as the “Cattle King of the World.” Gillett was the primary financier of Lincoln, IL, the Logan County city that bears Abraham Lincoln’s name. A marker denoting that friendship can be found near the entrance of Elkhart Cemetery. The cemetery is west of the village of Elkhart, on one of the highest points of ground in Illinois.
Besides Gillett’s grave, the cemetery is appointed with an Episcopalian Chapel, built in 1890 by the Culver Stone Co. in memory of Gillett. It is the only privately owned chapel in Illinois. Nearby is the bridge over which the funeral party walked to attend Gillett’s funeral. It is said to be the only private bridge over a public highway in the state.
Richard Oglesby, a friend of Abraham Lincoln, who was also a general, a senator and the only three-time governor of Illinois, is buried in Elkhart Cemetery. The cemetery is also the final resting place of Capt. Adam H. Bogardus, who toured with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show and was known as the “Wing Shot Champion of the World.”