Ro Troia

Spooky Dead People Rise Again in Boulder Colorado

It’s that time of year again when Boulder Colorado’s “Meet the Spirit’s” event happens.   It takes place at the historic Columbia Cemetery in downtown Boulder where local volunteers bring back to life colorful historic characters and city founders by presenting short biographical monologues.  Dressed in full regalia complete with Victorian mourners, funeral music and vintage hearses.  You won’t want to miss the reenactment of a solemn Masonic burial service.   More than 30 Columbia spirits were brought back to life among them the well known bounty hunter, trapper, linguist and Indian scout Tom Horn.

Tom was hanged for killing a 15 year old boy he mistook for a cattle rustler November 20th 1903 at the age of 43.  The controversy of his confession still is a point of contention for Wyoming, and his death symbolically marked the passing of the Old West.

The famous Joseph Sturtevant known as “Rocky Mountain Joe“, was found dead April 6, 1910 near the Interurban railroad tracks 5 miles north of Denver after being put off a railcard for having no money.  Joe was the official photographer for Chautauqua and he acted as a guide and driver for groups of ladies who
“wished a short expedition by tally-ho” into the mountains.  He also was a great story teller to children by thrilling them with Indian and mountain exploits.

Captain David Nichols came to Boulder in 1859 as a blacksmith.  After being involved in the Mexican War, he was active in the Civil War and fought with Chivington at the Battle of Sand Creek where he was elected to the Colorado Legislative and became the Speaker of the House in 1873 and then appointed to the Board of Commissioner for the State Penitentiary in 1878.  He later became a farmer and instrumental in getting the University to locate to Boulder.  He was known for his famous ride from Denver to Boulder when he leaped on a horse and galloped to the State Legislature with the news that assured Boulder’s claim for the site. He died of heart trouble Dec 16, 1900.

Marinus Gilbert “Marine” Smith, born in 1819 and died Jan 11, 1901, cause of death unknown.  After the Boulder flood of 1894 he was declared insane, fearing imaginary enemies,  and taken to Pueblo Asylum.  During his lifetime in Boulder he donated 25 acres for the University of Colorado to insure it was established here and he also sold 10 acres to Columbia Lodge #14 for the Columbia Cemetery.  He became the first person to raise fruits and vegetables in the Boulder Colorado area and the first farmer to dig irrigation ditches.

The area of Martin Acres in South Boulder was originally owned by William “Billy” Martin.  He was the discoverer of Caribou Mine, a silver mine.  He sold his land at Caribou and 1876 and bought and developed a showcase farm SE of Boulder in 1872 which he expanded to 250 acres in 1879,  which later was known as  Martin Acres. Billy Martin died of heart disease Dec 1860.

One of the better know madams of Boulder in the late 1880’s and 1890’s, Mary Etta Kingsley, born Dec 1860 came to Boulder in 1882.  Upon her death July 1902, there was quite a controversy over the distribution of her belongings: Real Estate (River Street, now known as Canyon St), gold necklace, earrings, breast pin, 17 bottles of beer, 4 cuspadors.  Attorney Junius Berkley apparently thought one should not refer to her “profession” and he wrote the court that her “houses which had been used and occupied and known as houses of ________ situated in a part of the city of Boulder where some of the neighboring houses are used as houses of ________.  Therefore it was necessary to have a caretaker to protect said property.  According to the administrator, both dwellings are so circumstanced that it has been and will be practically impossible to let the same to desirable tenants.”

George Farrell Fonda was one of Boulder’s best athletes which was a pre-requisite for membership on a hose team.  He became a member of the volunteer fire department at age 16 in 1874.  He served in many directorship positions such as the Colorado Pharmaceutical Assoc., Boulder Milling and Elevator Co. and the First National Bank.  He was chief of the fire department, a tuba player in the Boulder band, member of its hose-racing and baseball teams as well as a member of civic committees promoting street car lines, industry, hotels and many other areas meant to improve the city.  His home which he built at 8th and Pine St (now known as the Historic Mapleton district) is one of the historic landmark homes still in use in Boulder City.  He died  Nov 1858 from Uremia and arterial sclerosis.

Eben G. Fine was a prominent business leader, conservationist, mountaineer, photographer and an avid promoter of Boulder City.  Born Nov 1865, Mr. Fine moved to Boulder at the age of 21 to work as a pharmacist. He was an originator of Chautauqua in the late 1890’s and served on the board for more than 50 years. He was the first president of the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club, served as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in building the Hotel Boulderado which opened New Years Eve 1909.  He served on the semi-centennial board committee in 1909 and invited 16 Ute Indians to participate as “Boulder’s First Citizens”.  Eben Fine Park as we know it today began as an “auto park” where visitors to Boulder could stop and camp.  After his death in April 1957 from “falling out of a window on his head” the park was dedicated to his memory in 1959.

Pioneer and financier Andrew  J. Macky was known as Boulder’s “richest citizen” and was highly esteemed.  Born Nov 1834, he came to Colorado’s gold fields in 1858.  During his profession of being a carpenter, he built the first frame house in Boulder at 14th and Pearl in 1860.  He owned the first brick building in Boulder at 12th and Pearl.  He organized the first National Bank and became it’s president in 1877.  He bought the first car here in 1902.  He left $300,000-$400,000 to the University of Colorado for an auditorium or main building and $50,000 for the windows and orphans home – and you wonder why the University of Colorado named their auditorium after him – Macky Auditorium.

One of the most recognized headstones in the cemetery is for Paula Barchilin who died from pneumonia at the age of 2 in May of 1964.  Her parents made her tombstone out of fiberglass to represent a lollipop.  Legend has is that she died from a lollipop stuck in her throat, but I think that’s just what they tell the school children when they take them on a field trip!

Eccentric felon, Ellen Deardoff was known for her bad behavior and her body is buried in  a plot of anatomical parts from the University of Colorado’s med school.

Boarded on the north by Pleasant St, on the East by 9th St., to the south; College St., and to the west 8th St., Columbia Cemetery’s (also known as Pioneer Park, Masonic, Old, Boulder and City Cemetery) 10.5 acres was purchased by the Columbia Lodge #14 (Ancient Free and Accepted Masons) from one of their members after they had determined that Boulder really needed a cemetery.  It’s first burial was Anna Eggleston who died on May 16, 1870.   In December of 1870, the Masons sold 1/4th of the cemetery to Boulder Lodge #9 (Independent Order of Odd Fellows).  After realizing financial difficulties the City of Boulder took over the ownership in 1966.  Since then it’ s been managed by the Boulder Parks and Recreation.   The city approved a landmark designation for the cemetery in 1977 and Historic Boulder spearheaded an effort to be good stewards of this historic cemetery which includes walking tours and the biennial “Meet the Spirits” costumed event to educate the public.

Today the Columbia Cemetery is a historic, cultural and artistic resource for Boulder in the historic University Hill neighborhood. There are aprox. 6500 persons buried in Columbia Cemetery with generally less than 5 burials a year. There are over 700 persons who are believed to be buried in Columbia but their specific burial location in the Cemetery is still unknown.   It is a favorite strolling place to people to enjoy the quiet serentiy and to visit the “living dead”.

Tags: Tags: boulder co cemetery, boulder co history, boulder co real estate, boulder colorado, boulder colorado neighborhoods

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 7:46 am and is filed under Boulder Subdivisions and Neighborhoods, Focus on Boulder. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Eric said at October 23rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm

   I think the correct birth year for Mary Etta Kingsley isn’t 1902 – most likely that is the year of her death. Colorful story – pioneer women were no doubt even more colorful.

2. blogi said at February 25th, 2011 at 5:03 am

   Such a good blog. Well done

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