Unsung Heroes of Colorado and Their Final Resting Place
The Everything Ventured Anthropology Club from CU Denver took a field trip to Denver's oldest cemetery this week. Driving up to the 77-acre plot that houses the Riverside Cemetery, it is hard to reconcile this spot as the final resting place of over 67,000 individuals when you are met by the sound of a train going by and the smell of nearby factories. At first the industrial surroundings, dusty road, and dry vegetation hinder any feelings of peace, but then the spectacular view towards the Rocky Mountains and the warm sunshine anchor you in the moment and it is easy to see why this place was chosen in 1876 to be Denver's newest cemetery. Much has changed since the first residents of the cemetery were laid to rest. Unfortunately, the cemetery’s water rights were revoked in the 1970s, so the once proud trees that offered shade and respite from the Colorado sun have withered. The story of Riverside Cemetery is a familiar one, that of