Get to Know Your Greenway
Riverside Cemetery
Photos

By: J.J. Clark
SPREE Staff Writer
Other Get to Know Your Greenway Articles on left

Grab your camera and go exploring the famous gravestones of Denver's past pioneers at Riverside Cemetery along the South Platte River!

Nestled against train tracks and Brighton Boulevard on one side, a healthy dose of Denver's industrial district on another, and finally the South Platte River, Riverside Cemetery is an escape from Denver as most people know it. It is a window to the history on which modern Denver was built. Touting the gravestones of such historical figures as

Barney Ford, Augusta Tabor, and John Evans, the cemetery shows signs of age and neglect. As the memories of Denver's pioneer past decay into its modern vision, so does one of the last remaining odes to Denver's pioneer grandparents. Its once boomtown frenzy and ghost town fears are quieted by the metropolitan permanence of professional sports stadiums and chic urban living.

The smell of coal permeates the air as a recent trainload passes by the historic cemetery. After business hours in the industrial district this cemetery harbors the sounds of birds singing from the countless trees lining the dirt roads and paths adjacent to the gravestones. It is a quiet but thrilling historic monument on Denver's perimeter. Visible from the entry gates are the Rocky Mountains. The view is unimpeded as the gold bearing Rockies stand as home to skiers in place of miners, chair lifts in place of mine shafts, and resort housing in place of gold rusher's cabins.

For more detailed information about the cemetery, visit the website at:

fairmountheritagefoundation.org

To browse the famous people buried at Riverside Cemetery and even see pictures of their gravestones visit Find a Grave Here