What are we to do with all these dead bodies?
There were residents in “Boulder City” beginning as early as the 1850s. By 1860, the population was 324. In 1861, the Territory of Colorado formed, establishing Boulder as an official city.1 Now that the area was firmly established, the city was growing, and mining opportunities appeared fruitful. Yet, the town was secretly struggling with something that many might overlook when considering city development. While Boulder was busy welcoming new residents, they were battling with the conditions of current residents (or, really, former residents) that had passed. There wasn’t a proper place to bury dead Boulderites by 1870. Some families buried loved ones in Valmont (far east Boulder), or they made small cemeteries in the mountains or in the open land surrounding coal towns.2 Others were buried in Lover’s Hill, which was described by a letter writer to the Boulder County News in November 1869:
In many respects the locality where we now deposit the remains of our friends is an outrage over the most sacred human feelings, but it must be accepted and used because there is no other burying ground provided. When death has claimed a loved one, the thought of carrying the dead form to that bleak and barren bluff—destitute of everything but desolation—must add to pangs already too deep for human endurance.2
Boulder was in desperate need of an official resting place for the dead. Columbia Lodge No. 14 A.F. and a.m. (“Ancient Free and Accepted Masons”) were the first to act on this need and a month later, purchased ten acres of land, becoming official on April 28, 1870.2 3 Columbia Cemetery, having been named after the lodge, was formed and the lodge became the first owners.
Beginning of the end?
Signs of trouble came soon after. Although the cemetery was in business and more bodies were gradually being interred at the site, there were no rules of privacy or protection in place for Columbia or its “residents”. Cattle were still grazing the cemetery land frequently, evident from early photographs showing cowboys herding them around the tombstones. In response, families were building small walls and fences around their plots to protect them.2 To alleviate this for the entire cemetery, a hideous wire-and-post fence was built around the entire property. But these improvements to the cemetery appeared to be one of the last. Although several cemetery sextons were employed in the 1880s and ’90s, the grounds were not well maintained, and this angered many that had family already buried at the cemetery or had pre-purchased plots.
The grass is greener on the other side… literally
After 30 years since its founding, it was becoming apparent to Boulderites that Columbia Cemetery was not where you wanted your loved ones to be interred. No one had considered the necessary watering, planting, and trimming necessary to maintain the grounds.2 In 1904, Green Mountain Cemetery was established by the Boulder Cemetery Association.3 Green Mountain was well cared for, and many frustrated families moved the bodies of their relatives out of Columbia and into Green Mountain. 173 bodies were relocated.3 The disappointment of what was Columbia Cemetery continued for years. In 1909, the cemetery was described as a “disgrace to Boulder” in the Daily Camera.2 When, and how, could Columbia Cemetery be improved?
A real-life game of hot potato
One of the reasons why Columbia had such poor maintenance at the time was because it didn’t have the funds. The cemetery didn’t make a profit until 1900.3 When the Masons did get some money out of the cemetery, they made some improvements like new streets and trees. But that was it. In 1910, the topic of creating a municipal park system was popular, and with it, the renovation of Columbia Cemetery. Because of this public interest, the Park Cemetery Association was created on May 23, 1910.2 James P. Maxwell, the first president of the association, began caring for the cemetery by hiring a dedicated caretaker. The Masons, the original owner, transferred their title to the group within two years. Alas, this new management is here to save the day! In a 1912 issue of the Daily Camera, it was reported:
“Columbia Cemetery is rapidly being transformed into a place of burial, which for beauty, will soon equal that of any in Colorado outside Denver. It is to be made modern as far as money can make it, and will be enclosed with a pretty hedge or iron fence to take the place of the present barbed wire contrivance. The work is being done under the able direction of W. W. Parce, the landscape architect who is also in charge of the improvements at the Chautauqua, at Green Mountain Cemetery and at the University of Colorado.”3
Although that sounds promising, it wasn’t too long before the association started facing financial woes and was soon nearing bankruptcy. Yet again, what was predicted to be promising, turned into defeat. It wasn’t until May 18, 1965, when the group decided to transfer their ownership to the City of Boulder.2 Everyone was excited to have a firmly (and financially) established group now in control of Columbia. However, the Parks board wasn’t. By 1966, the department had very little experience managing a property with such cultural significance and probably could have done without getting into the burial business. Even when the cemetery was in more capable hands, it were hands that did not want it. In turn, there was minimal funding allocated towards the maintenance and management of the cemetery.3 Columbia, unfortunately, was the victim of vandalism and had become a campground for the homeless.
The explanation why
Even when the cemetery was purportedly in good hands, the local government still struggled to care for what was now public, city land. Time and new management were appearing to be more detrimental to the cemetery than helpful. This is a clear example of when “better” land ownership does not necessarily equal proper management and responsibility. Besides, the Park department’s less-than-enthusiastic response could be because, well, they were used to maintaining parks, not burial grounds. Unless they had an intrinsic desire to care for historical land, there was no real aesthetic or economic benefit to maintaining the land compared to what the city had an abundance of– parks and recreational trails.
Final destination: preserving local history
The Boulder Parks and Recreation Department has been in charge of the cemetery since 1965.1 The city gained a landmark designation for Columbia in 1977, establishing its cultural and historical significance to Boulder.3 A few years after, Historic Boulder, Inc. created a campaign to convince the Parks board of the necessity of maintaining the cemetery. The group wanted to create walking tours and educational events to visitors, creating deeper connections to this once dilapidated, and previously disgraced, plot of land.3
The grants the city received from the State Historical Fund of the Colorado Historical Society in the 1990s helped fund major improvements to the cemetery.3 Improvements included “a new grave marker survey and database, the development of a cemetery master plan and conservation plan, photographic documentation of grave markers, restoration of the fence and other historic features, staff training, and grave marker repair and conservation.”3 The Columbia Cemetery Conservation Corps, a professionally-trained volunteer group, was created in 1999, performing conservation work on grave markers and general ground maintenance.3 In 2003, new city rules concerning the cemetery were made restricting recreational activities on the land.3 The cemetery was becoming liked a little too much, as residents were playing disc golf and visiting with their dogs. These issues have since been alleviated.
Although it took over a hundred years and a lot of convincing, Columbia Cemetery’s significance to Boulder has been finally realized as what it was meant to be since the beginning: a safe, quiet place for the dead to sleep.
Sources
1 bouldercoloradousa.com
2 A Walking Tour of Pioneer Cemetery. 1998. The Restoration in Pioneer Committee of Historic Boulder, Inc.
3 bouldercolorado.gov
4 Photographs from Pettem, Silva. 1994. Boulder: evolution of a city and Carnegie Branch Library for Local History
Columbia Cemetery of Boulder, CO 