Thoughts On Riverside Cemetery

This past Halloween I drove over to Riverside Cemetery to take some photographs to put on my blog. I was hoping for a cloudy, dreary day to create a spooky atmosphere, and so naturally, it turned out to be hot and sunny. Perhaps next year I will capture that perfect image. In any case, Riverside is Denver's "Pioneer Cemetery," founded in 1876. It is located along the South Platte River, in what was back then countryside, and was a popular burial spot for the rich and famous. However, once the railroad was built along its border, the area became very industrial, which it still is today, making for a less than idyllic atmosphere. Sadly, Fairmount Cemetery, which owns Riverside, decided a few years ago that it could no longer afford to water the grounds, and the grass and trees have all but disappeared. The only green spaces left are close to the Platte River, such as seen in the photograph on the left.

Fairmount still has two full-time maintenance workers on site, and volunteers with a non-profit staff the office on Saturdays, as well as three weekdays during the summer. Many of the grave markers are very ornate, and very Victorian in style, well worth seeing. Unfortunately, many graves are damaged, and there is no money to repair or restore them. There is a group called Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery that tries to bring public attention to this issue, but they can only do so much - Fairmount will not let volunteers do maintenance work or other such duties due to liability issues. The only solution is to raise an additional million dollars to fund operating expenses, but that does not seem likely to happen. And so part of Denver's history is slowly disappearing. At least the geese in the photograph on the right seem to be happy with the place, at least that part of it close to the Platte.