Not everyone buried at Columbia Cemetery was pioneers, educators, or civic leaders. Nevertheless, they were one of Boulder’s first residents and helped create the foundations of Boulder to what it is today. Because many of these people do not have such prominence in Boulder history, photographs of them are limited or nonexistent. The following are residents of the cemetery that lived interesting lives or simply have a fascinating story to tell:
Dorothy Gay Howard (d. 1954)
The body of Dorothy Howard was first buried as “Jane Doe.”1 Her body was found in Boulder Canyon and her tombstone reads “age about 20 years.” It wasn’t until recently that her body was finally identified.2
May Tully Mayall (b. 1872, d. 1918)
May T. Mayall was a widow for a few years after her husband died in 1906.1 In 1910, she was accused of “improper parential care of their four children.” During her trial, she was accused of being a drunkard and her secret, common-law marriage with a 21-year-old and their baby become public news. The jury decided to let her keep the children.1
Major Richard H. Whiteley (b. 1830, d. 1890)
Originally from Georgia, Major Whiteley served in the Confederacy and was a member of Congress.1 When moving to Boulder, he was a very popular lawyer. However, when he divorced his wife, described as a “refined and elegant young lady, and has the respect and sympathy of everyone in Boulder”, and married a younger lady. His marriage arrangements made local news in The Boulder News and Banner of August 1884: “The circumstances of the case, and more especially his unseemly haste in marrying again, have shocked the public sensibilities as hardly any other occurrence in this city has ever done.”1
Mitsuye Ogata (b. 1879, d. 1970) and Yonesaku Ogata (b. 1878, d. 1954)
Although these two are buried in Columbia Cemetery, there isn’t a whole lot of information about them. There were actually a lot of residents in Boulder from Japan, likely having moved to the area to get jobs building railroads. There are two other Japanese tombstones in the same section as the Ogatas, but they are less well-preserved.1
Oscar Allen (unknown)
Oscar was Boulder’s first constable. His first responsibility as a constable was tagging and licensing stray dogs, with a $1 bonus for every dog he disposed of.1 As supported by many sources, Boulder had a terrible dog problem in the early days. A citizen lamented that there was “not another small town in the world that can support as many, useless, cussed dogs as Boulder.”1
Sources
1 A Walking Tour of Pioneer Cemetery. 1998. The Restoration in Pioneer Committee of Historic Boulder, Inc.
2 bouldercolorado.gov
Photographs from Wikipedia
Columbia Cemetery of Boulder, CO 