Valley Brook Cemetery

Our Friday Roadtrips this October are going to be to a few cemeteries in Colorado.

Our first trip will be to Valley Brook Cemetery - located in Breckenridge, Colorado.

This cemetery is home to almost 5,000 residents. Many of whom were moved here when nearby cemeteries had to be cleared for mining ventures. 

  This cemetery covers almost 20 acres and is actually two cemeteries that sit side by side. In 1882, a Breckenridge resident donated the southern portion of his placer mine to the local Masonic lodge to use as their cemetery. He then donated the northern portion of the land to the town as a public cemetery. The town of Breckenridge then sold off plots to families as well as other fraternal organizations.  

Valley Brook Cemetery is laid out in streets and circles - forming a Celtic Cross. This reflects the heritage of many of the early residents of Breckenridge. The streets are named after the local wildflowers and trees.

A walk through an old cemetery like this one, is very much a history lesson unto itself. A person can take note of the high mortality rate of infants and small children, especially after an extremely hard winter. The wealthier people had tombstones carved fron native stone while those buried in 'Potters Field' had wood markers that deteriorated over time and are now simply marked as unknown. 

This was a very peaceful cemetery. Probably one of the more pleasant ones that I have wandered. And even with all the quiet solitude, there were signs of life. 

A burrow next to a tombstone. 

And a curious chipmunk watching us ever so closely.