Riverside Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)

Riverside Cemetery, #1. Denver, Colorado, 2015

This is a worthwhile place to visit for a lesson in local history as well as for a little photography. For the latter, pick a day with dramatic weather of some kind, as we had last week.

Unfortunately, Riverside Cemetery, established in 1876 and owned by Fairmount Cemetery Company since 1900, is now considered to be “endangered” and is falling into disrepair–lack of maintenance dollars and the loss of irrigation water rights back in 2001 have been having a slow degenerative effect on the site.

Perhaps, with luck and the improving economy, the efforts of the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery will eventually stop the sad, slow slide into “ghost cemetery” status.

The cemetery is located in the uber-ugly refinery and light industrial zone of north Denver, on Brighton Boulevard, north of I-70 and east of I-25. (You’ll likely find some interesting photographic subject matter in this surrounding “ugly zone” if urban grunge is your thing.)

To titillate your cool curiosity, here are some burials you’ll find at the Riverside Cemetery:

—Aunt Clara Brown – Former slave and Colorado pioneer. Check the link–her story is impressive.

—Captain Silas Soule – A man who refused to participate in Col Chivington’s infamous Sand Creek Massacre.

–Civil War Medal of Honor Winners (David Day, Smith Hastings, George Kelley). See the links for their stories.

—Miguel Antonio Otero – Politician and business leader with the distinction of having served in three national governments: Spain, Mexico, and the United States.

—John Bass – One of the first pro baseball players when it all started back in the 19th century. Died at the age of 38 (or maybe 40) of tuberculosis.

–Several U.S. Congressmen (James Belford, Hiram Bennet, Henry Bromwell).

–Several Denver Mayors (Richard Buckingham, Richard Sopris, Dr. William Sharpley, Amos Steck, Baxter Stiles, Joseph Bates).

–Several Colorado Territorial Governors (Alexander Hunt, Samuel Elbert, John Evans, John Routt).

–A Russian Orthodox Church section, gravestones written in Cyrillic.

—Barney Launcelot Ford – Former slave and prominent African American civil rights leader and businessman. An amazing slave-to-riches story.

—Augusta Louise Pierce Tabor – One of the first women to settle in the Denver area, successful civic leader, philanthropist, and businesswoman.

—Lester Drake’s unusual pioneer cabin grave.

–And Addison Baker’s white horse, “Frank”, looking a bit unkempt (below).