Surrounded by the most beautiful scenic views, wide open space, and peaceful nature sounds is the Riverview Cemetery in Pickstown. This hidden gem is located at the end of White Swan Street east of the golf course on two and a half acres of land on top of the hill overlooking both Pickstown and the Missouri River. What began as just an idea in 2013 came to fruition in 2016 when the cemetery officially opened, making it one of the newest cemeteries in the area. As it is a relatively new cemetery, there are only nine filled burial plots and two columbarium vaults that have been interred. The cemetery currently offers 720 plots but if ever needed could easily expand to the east of the property.

The whole idea behind the Riverview Cemetery came from Richard Dvorak. He would drive down White Swan Street near the old rubble pile to check the water levels for his livestock and drove past the hill where Riverview Cemetery is now located. The idea came to him one day that Pickstown did not have a cemetery and that the hill would be the perfect setting for one. The town of Pickstown was a flourishing town during the building of the Fort Randall Dam, but once completed the occupants of the town reduced dramatically. In recent years though there are more people moving to and building in Pickstown and with more people staying, it was another reason that Dvorak thought a cemetery was necessary.

The cemetery is very unique in several ways. The first being that it is ran by the Pickstown Cemetery Association which is a nonprofit entity. The Cemetery Association is made of local volunteers who do most of the work needed themselves. Current association officers are: President, Robert (Buzzy) Durham; Vice-President, Steve Fuchs; Secretary, Jean Crowe; Treasurer, Colleen Permann; Sexton, Richard Crabtree; Jim Dresden; and Diana Wackel. The volunteers not only donate their time, but also many resources for the project. Any revenue from the sale of the cemetery plots and fees is used strictly for the maintenance and operative costs of the cemetery. Burial plots are $400 each and a niche in the columbarium is $550.

Another unique feature of this cemetery is the columbarium that is used for those that are cremated. The only one of its kind in the area, the columbarium was shipped to Pickstown from Oregon, weighs 6,500 pounds, and is made of polished granite that has 48 niches. Located on the south end of the cemetery near the flag, the columbarium has a beautiful meditation garden surrounding it along with a bench. The cemetery currently has just one columbarium with 24 of the 48 niches available already sold, but the association has discussed the addition of a second that would possibly be terraced down the southern slope so as to not impede the views.

A final unique component of the cemetery is that it has burial plots for natural burials of which the cemetery has approximately 35 of. This feature was added as more people are looking to give themselves back to nature when they pass in order to minimize their impact on the environment. Natural burials take place in natural settings in this case a kind of meadow atmosphere; the body is placed in a biodegradable casket or wrapped in a shroud; the grave is hand dug and marked with a small stone, native plant, etc.; the body is buried 3-4 feet in the soil; and the land is restored and protected as part of the natural ecosystem. Natural burials must be done within the first 24 hours of a person passing and require a sheriff or coroner present at the time of burial for proper identification purposes. At this time there have been no natural burials at the cemetery, but this cemetery is one of the only few in South Dakota that offer this type of burial.

The cemetery is open to anyone wishing to be buried there; it does not have any religious or cultural affiliation. There are however a few rules and regulations of the cemetery. One rule that is very important is that all head stones will be required to have a foundation and have to be installed at ground level as well as any and all markers. This is important as it is volunteers that do all of the mowing and maintaining of the grounds and they want to be able to mow in an efficient way that allows the grounds to be kept pristine. Another rule is that no shrubs or flowers are to be planted other than those planted by the Association; the only exception to this rule is that flowers are allowed for a two-week period, a week before and a week after Memorial Day.

As the Riverview Cemetery is a nonprofit organization, there are no maintenance or up keep fees for the families of those buried and interred within its grounds. The cemetery association is responsible for all of the mowing, weed removal, and tree removal. The association is also responsible for record keeping as well as any reporting required by the county and/or state. They also issue burial permits as needed.

The City of Pickstown graciously donated the property on which the cemetery now sits, and also handled moving the rubble pile and gate. Jim and Julie Jaeger donated all but $500 of the expenses of the columbarium. Among the people who have volunteered their time, skills, and supplies in order for this project to be completed for the Pickstown community are: Diana Wackel, Kenny Nelson, Jeff Dvorak, Boyd Dvorak, the Dennis and Colleen Permann family, Jim Dresden, Rod Payer, Burton Weaver, Steve Fuchs, Richard Crabtree, Richard Dvorak, Robert Durham, Jeff Doom, Fred Kirwan, and Mark Fortuna. The Riverview Cemetery was a community effort that was done for the community as a whole. If anyone is interested in getting involved with the nonprofit organization or if interested in looking at/purchasing plots please contact Robert Durham or Steve Fuchs for more information.