Pay your respects to Colorado’s first pioneers on History Colorado’s Riverside Cemetery Tour. You may walk or ride with The Model A Ford Club of Colorado’s tombstone taxi service.  Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel and a team of hysterical historians  will introduce you to characters such as Nathan A. Baker, whose daughter claimed he “loved horses more than his own blood kin,” and lies under a life sized Arabian stone stallion named Frank. You will meet Lester Drake in his miner’s cabin, Aunt Clara Brown, Countess Katrina Murat, Silas Soule, Kiku Oyama, and Barney Ford. Additional subterranean celebrities include Colorado governors, educators, businessmen and businesswomen, and others who shaped Denver into the “Queen City of the Rockies”.

Information at History Colorado – (303) 866-4686 or http://www.coloradohistory.org. Reservations at (303) 866-4686.

Saturday, October 30, 2010 – 1:00 4:00 PM.
Cost: $25 for History Colorado members/$30 non-History Colorado members.

You are invited!
Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery
2010 Annual Members Meeting and Reception

When: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010, 10 a.m. ­– noon

Where: Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral, Community Hall

Address: 349 E 47th Ave, Denver, 80216
(map is available at bottom of this page)

You are invited to attend the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery annual meeting and election of new board members. Join us to meet the board of directors, hear about our initiatives, and find out how to get involved in supporting Denver’s oldest cemetery.

The annual meeting will include information on our monument archive program (Doc-A-Block) and our long-term planning initiative (Riverside 2020), a brief update from our Committee Chairs, and opportunities for volunteer involvement. We will also elect up to five new board members*.

Agenda:

10:00
Annual Meeting with Committee Updates
Annual Meeting and Election of Board Members Agenda

– Welcome and Acknowledgements
– Introduction of Current Board
– FHRC mission, history, and goals
– Program Updates (Walk-A-Bout, Doc-A-Block, and Riverside 2020)
– Request for Interest in Board Positions
– Election of New Directors*
– Member Comments and Questions
– Adjourn

Coffee, Juice, and Light Snacks will be served.

RSVP by sending an email to friends@friendsofriversidecemetery.org

Note *Call for New Board Members: We are looking for up to five people to serve on the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery Board of Directors. The new board members will be elected to serve three year terms. New members will serve in an at large capacity, but will be encouraged to help with particular committees, including Preservation, Communications, History and Research, and Events.

If you are interested in serving on the board of the Friends of Historic Riverside, please contact Hugh Graham via email at hugh@hughgrahamcreative.com or by phone at 303-458-6077

Map to Holy Transfiguration Cathedral:

View Larger Map

The Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery is a volunteer run 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to increasing awareness and preservation of Denver’s oldest and most historic cemetery.

Halloween Cemetery Tour and Spirits of Riverside Art Show

When the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery wanted to raise money to help restore Denver’s oldest cemetery to its former splendor, they brought a host of historical city figures back to life on Halloween. Period-clad reenactors revived such characters as Sand Creek Massacre good guy Silas Soule, turn-of-the-century temperance worker and police matron Sadie Likens, African-American social climbers Barney and Julia Ford, brewer Philip Zang and many others as tour participants trekked through the burial ground; afterward, an FHRC-sponsored Spirits of Riverside art show reception at the Wynkoop Brewing Company featured Riverside RIP Ale and Riverside-inspired works by local artists.

Truth be told, we weren’t doing the tour to raise money (it was a free tour, after all), but we did manage to raise awareness. Thanks again to everyone who made it such a memorable event, including all our volunteers, the actors, and the more than 600 people who attended.

“This year’s Healing Run is dedicated to memory of Captain Silas S. Soule whose courageous acts led to an investigation of the actions of the Colorado Cavalry by a congressional committee.”

145th Anniversary of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre
November 29, 1864
A commemoration for the victims and survivors of the massacre and for healing ancestral homelands.

Sand Creek Healing Run 2008

Friday November 27th
7:00 a.m. Sunrise Ceremony – TBD
Continue ‘Healing Run’ to Denver
7:00 p.m. Candlelight Vigil at the Denver Art Museum Wheel sculpture, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver

Saturday November 28th
8:00 a.m. Honoring Ceremony for Captain Silas Soule, Company D 1st Colorado Cavalry, U.S. Army and Lt. Joseph A. Cramer, Company K 8th Ohio Cavalry, U.S. Army at Riverside Cemetery, 5201 Brighton Boulevard, Denver
9:00 a.m. Continue ‘Healing Run’ from Riverside Cemetery to 15th and Arapahoe
4 miles distance – RUNNERS MUST REGISTER TO RUN
9:50 a.m. At 15th and Arapahoe —near the site where Soule was assassinated—the runners will join with walkers and continue on to the State Capitol Building
11:00 a.m. Presentation at the Colorado State Capitol Building (West steps)
12 Noon Reception for Sand Creek Healing Run/Walk Participants at the Colorado
Historical Society, Boettcher Auditorium, 1300 Broadway, Denver

NOTE: ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST WALK THE LAST 1-MILE

Sand Creek Healing Run 2008

Financial contributions to support activities in Denver are still being accepted – make contributions payable to:
Colorado Historical Society
Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run/Walk Planning Committee
Attn: William Convery
1300 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203

Absolutely no drugs or alcohol allowed. This event is produced in conjunction with the Fairmount Heritage Foundation. For more information, visit the Sand Creek Massacre Healing Run/Walk Facebook Group Page.

Download the Highlights of Riverside tour booklet in Acrobat PDF format; feel free to share it and print it as you see fit. If all you need is a quick map of the cemetery, here you go:

Here’s the text of the proclamation:
Riverside Cemetery Day
October 31, 2009

WHEREAS, Riverside Cemetery was founded in 1876 and has the distinction
of being among the first cemeteries in the Rocky Mountain West; and

WHEREAS, in 1992, the cemetery was designated a National Historic
District and holds a fundamental place within Colorado history as the
longest continually operating cemetery within Denver city limits; and

WHEREAS, many of Colorado’s most famous pioneers found their final
resting place at Riverside, including Augusta Tabor, Barney and Julia Ford,
Silas Soule, three territorial governors – John Evans, Samuel Elbert, and
John Routt – and numerous mayors, entrepreneurs, and civic figures; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, Riverside Cemetery was listed as one of Colorado’s
“most endangered places” by Colorado Preservation Incorporated as it
faces irrigational and decay difficulties; and

WHEREAS, the State of Colorado encourages individuals to help raise
awareness in order to generate cooperative support and innovative solutions
to preserve this valuable asset to Colorado’s rich history;

Therefore, I, Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby
proclaim October 31, 2009,

RIVERSIDE CEMETERY DAY

in the State of Colorado.

GIVEN under my hand and the
Executive Seal of the State of
Colorado, this twenty-eighth day
of October, 2009

Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor

Governor John Evans Memorial at Riverside. Photo courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Dept.

Halloween Cemetery Tour October 31st 2-4 pm:
The Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery are presenting a tour of Riverside on Saturday, October 31st, from 2 to 4 pm. Join us for Colorado stories told by actors and experts about some Colorado’s most important historical figures, including John Evans, Augusta Tabor, Silas Soule, Clara Brown, and many others. This is an entertaining way to experience the environment at Riverside in a way the whole family will enjoy. Guided tours will leave every 15 minutes between 2 and 3:15pm; there is no charge, and all are encouraged to attend. *Dress for a chilly October hike*
Please let us know you’re coming by emailing us at events@friendsofriversidecemetery.org. We’ll do our best to accomodate everyone as efficiently as possible. There is no charge for the tours.

Art Reception at the Wynkoop October 31st, 5-7 pm
Following the tour, stop by the Wynkoop to warm-up and view exceptional artwork inspired by the landscape at Riverside. Read more about the “Spirits of Riverside” Art Show.

Wynkoop Beer: In conjunction with Riverside Month, the Wynkoop Brewing Company will be offering a special seasonal beer, Riverside RIP Pumpkin Ale.

The Wynkoop Brewing Company is located at 1634 18th Street at the corner of 18th and Wynkoop in lower downtown Denver. More info at wynkoop.com

Riverside Cemetery is located just two miles north of downtown Denver at 5201 Brighton Boulevard.

For more information and directions, visit friendsofriversidecemetery.org.

The Wynkoop Brewing Company, in conjunction with the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery, is hosting an exhibition of exceptional artwork inspired by the landscape at Riverside. The show will be presented on the second floor of Denver’s oldest brewpub From October 10th through November 15th.

Archer, photograph by Izah Gallagher, one of the artworks to be presented at the Wynkoop

Many of the artworks will be for sale, and a portion of the proceeds goes to support the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery.

Wynkoop Beer: In conjunction with the celebration of Riverside during the Month of October, the Wynkoop will also be offering a special seasonal beer, Riverside RIP Pumpkin Ale.

The Wynkoop Brewing Company is located at 1634 18th Street at the corner of 18th and Wynkoop in lower downtown Denver.

Riverside Cemetery is located just two miles north of downtown Denver at 5201 Brighton Boulevard.

The Clifton and Lizzie Bell Children Monuments at Riverside

Tickets are $12.00 for Adults and $10.00 for Children.

Reservations are required. Make your reservation by calling 303-322-3895 or emailing heritage@fairmountheritagefoundation.org