Walking through Riverside Cemetery is like walking through a huge interesting outside museum. Riverside Cemetery located at 5201 Brighton Boulevard, covers 145 acres and is filled with fascinating headstones and facts of past days and past pioneers.

Riverside cemetery was founded in 1876 the same year that Colorado became a state, and the grounds are full of gravestones from the 1800's. These gravestones include a variety of crosses, horses, dogs, many tree trunks and statues.

Self-guided tours begin at the office where a pamphlet with map and descriptions is available for $2.00. Green markers with numbers on them lead the visitor through the stations either by car or by walking. The cemetery, with its array of remarkable headstones, weaves tales of pioneer life that can be read by reading the tombstones and the booklet. Little babies, young children, many nationalities (with headstones in their native language) tell of a life that had different fears, problems and death than ours.

Rows of Serbian crosses with 4 C's on them tell of refugees who fled from Europe to travel to Globeville, close to Commerce City, to worship. They worked in mines in Leadville, Ludlow, Trinidad and Lafayette. The crosses tell the story of refugees who were laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery who died of Black Lung Disease from working in the mines or from the influenza epidemic in the early 1900's.

One of the most interesting headstones is a mining cabin made of gray sandstone that marks the grave of Lester Drake, pioneer of Black Hawk and early gold seeker, who died in 1889. The cabin is remarkably realistic with the shovel and other tools.

On Armistice Day heroes are honored. The shows are always interesting. Soldiers appear in uniform of the past. The air is split by the sound of the big canon.

You can spend a short time driving through Riverside Cemetery and reading the tombstones, or you can spend hours walking through this peaceful resting place of Rocky Mountain pioneers. It's one of the best museums you'll ever walk through.

Riverside Cemetery is filled with fascinating stories and famous people.

One such person is John L. Routt, First Governor of Colorado, who served as Captain of an Illinois regiment in the Civil War. Routt came to Colorado while it was still a territory and served as Mayor of Denver from 1883 to 1885. He was the Postmaster General and was the First Governor of Colorado when it was a territory. He was the first Governor of the State of Colorado. Routt County is named after him.

Routt bought part interest in the Morning Star Mine which later sold for a million dollars and netted the ex-governor a goodly fortune. Another interesting story and monument is a lifesize horse statue called the Baker Horse. The horse has no saddle, harness or rider and was erected by Mrs. W.A. Snell, daughter of Nathan Addison Baker. Baker, who is actually buried elsewhere, was one of Denver's first pioneers and a successful real estate man. It was believed that Baker loved his horses more than his own family.

Note from Dorothy: August 31, 2003 - I recently received a letter from Carole L. Alden correcting the last paragraph about the Baker horse. Since it is a very interesting story I am including the two letters that she sent me. Just follow this link. clarification on Baker horse