The Iron City Cemetery, Near St. Elmo - June 4, 2007
I recently read Memories Of St. Elmo by Charlotte Merrifield,
a historical narrative of the memories of a woman who grew up in town during
St. Elmo's second mining boom in the 1910's. In her recollections and amusing anecdotes, Merrifield includes the
names of many residents of the town, and so I thought it would be
worthwhile to visit the cemetery near St. Elmo,
known as the Iron City Cemetery.
To get there, simply take
Chaffee County Road 162 west into Chalk Creek Canyon. Just before
entering into St. Elmo, make a right at the "Iron City Campground"
sign, drive through the campground area and the cemetery will be on
your left. It is quite a pretty and peaceful area of forest with nice views of the mountains.
My visit to the cemetery was solemn and reflective.
The grounds are well-maintained and at the etrance, there is a directory of names
of those who rest here. There are also some recent burials in the cemetery as well.
All the best,
Steve
Photo Gallery
A modern sign at the entrance. |
It was a really beautiful spring afternoon during my visit.
It had been raining with thunder in St. Elmo just 30 minutes before arriving at
the cemetery, and so I was very appreciative of the more pleasant weather. I really
like this photo of the blue sky, mountain, bright green aspesns,
some of the tombstones and walking path. |
I looked at the directory of names of those buried here. I recognized
three people on the list: The two sons of Pat Hurley (above) who both died before reaching adulthood in the 1890's. Pat Hurley was
the owner of the popular
saloon back in the day.
I also noted the site of Daniel Clark (1842-1927), who served as mayor St. Elmo in the early 20th century. |
An example of an older tombstone that's been weathered by time. |
A view of Mount Mamma from the cemetery. |
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