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 Cruse Mausoleum - Resurrection Cemetery - Helena, MT
N 46° 37.656 W 112° 01.174
12T E 421950 N 5164286
The impressive Cruse Mausoleum stands at the center of Resurrection Cemetery, being the final resting place of Helena businessman Thomas Cruse, his wife, their daughter, and a few other family members.
Waymark Code: WM11RXW
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 12/13/2019
Views: 1
Volume 70 of "Engineering News" (1913) indicates that the mausoleum is 43' high, and Volume 36 of "The Construction News" (1913), noted "work to start at once" at a cost of $60,000. The mausoleum is constructed of marble, Classical in its design, with a rounded cap and a Celtic cross in front of the cap at the western (main) elevation. The family initial, "C", is on both doors, and there are multiple, non-descript stained glass windows on all sides. "Thomas Cruse" is complemented by wreaths just a few feet above the entrance, and it is the only identifier as to who may be interred within. Besides Mr. Cruse and his wife and daughter, James J. Cruse, Mary Ann (Cruse) Sweeney, and Richard Cruse are at rest here.
History:
A native of Ireland, Thomas Cruse immigrated to the United States in 1856. He prospected for gold across multiple states before coming to Helena in 1867. By 1876, his hard work paid off, literally, as he made his fortune northwest of Helena in Marysville with the Drumlummon Mine. After he sold the mine, he remained active in business, including mining, and he operated multiple banks: Some of his money was used towards building the state capitol and the St. Helena Cathedral.
Cruse married Margaret Carter in 1886, but Mrs. Cruse didn't survive the year, dying from complications from the birth of their daughter, Mary Margaret, who was known as "Mamie". Mr. Cruse had to raise Mamie himself, but as a young adult, she found plenty of trouble, being described as spoiled and stubborn. Mr. Cruse stopped an attempted elopement when Mamie was seventeen, but she went onto have a short marriage with a broker, ending in divorce, and she remarried in 1911. A staunch Catholic, Mr. Cruse didn't approve, and when Mamie was picked up in the streets of Butte in 1913, she was placed in the care of the sisters at the House of the Good Shepherd in an attempt to straighten her out. That she was an alcoholic was common knowledge, and rumors buzzed about possible drug addiction and loose behavior. She died in 1913 of what was then called "Bright's Disease" (acute nephritis), and was buried with her mother in the old St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Helena.
Just after Mr. Cruse died in 1914, St. Helena Cathedral was dedicated, and besides having put up money for its construction, he also left a final gift to his daughter: Fifteen bronze bells inscribed with "In memory of Mary Margaret Cruse, by her father, Thomas" are still rung on special occasions today. Presumably, the mausoleum was complete by 1914, as the Findagrave pages for both Margaret Cruse and Mamie Cruse note that they were disinterred from St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery at some point that year and placed inside this mausoleum.
Visiting Hours/Restrictions:
The cemetery is open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM.
Address:
Resurrection Cemetery
3685 N Montana Ave
Helena, MT USA
59602
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Post a minimum of at least one picture, Gps not required. Explain experience of visit.
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