Evergreen Cemetery (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Evergreen Cemetery is the city-maintained cemetery for Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado. When Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 there were already two cemeteries serving El Paso County but both were quickly found to be inadequate in serving the needs of the rapidly growing city. In 1874, the founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer, founded a new cemetery two miles from town. The original names were the Mount Washington or Mountain Home Cemetery. In 1877, the name was changed to Evergreen Cemetery. In 1875, the original ten acres (4.0 ha) or so was deeded to the city of Colorado Springs and it has been a city owned and operated cemetery since then. In 1993 the cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original ten acres has grown to over 220 acres (0.89 km2) with 90,000 plus burials in 2014 and the cemetery still performs about 700 burials per year. Evergreen Cemetery is the burial place of many of the people that built the city of Colorado Springs along with founders of many neighboring cities. It is also the burial place of many of the people that made millions from the last Colorado gold rush, world renowned artists, writers and composers, philanthropists, captains of industry and business, Union and Confederate soldiers, sports figures, politicians, actors, and even an astronaut. Notable burials Gretchen "Gretta" McRae (1898–1978), civil rights activist, writer William Jackson Palmer (1836–1909), railroad builder, city father Winfield Scott Stratton (1848–1902), mine owner, philanthropist James Ferguson Burns (1853–1917), mine owner, philanthropist Edward William Purvis (1857–1888), British officer and Hawaiian official Francis Henry Maynard (1853–1926), cowboy, author Franklin Eli Brooks (1860–1916), politician William H. Gill (1886–1976), Major general, U.S. Army Leo Arthur Hoegh (1908–2000), military figure Helen Hunt Jackson (1830–1885), activist Bob Johnson (ice hockey, born 1931) (1931–1991), hockey coach Stan Keller (1907–1990), bandleader Floyd K. Lindstrom (1912–1944), military figure John Franklin Forrest (1927–1997), military figure Robert Williamson Steele (1820–1901), territorial governor Marshall Sprague (1909–1994), author Dale Gardner (1948–2014), astronaut Frederick Phillips Raynham (1893–1954), British aviator Vic Heyliger (1912–2006), hockey player and coach Harry Hunter Seldomridge (1864–1927), politician Allen Tupper True (1881–1955), illustrator Stephanie Westerfeld (1943–1961), figure skater Sharon Westerfeld (1935–1961), sister of Stephanie Westerfeld Andy Adams (writer) (1859–1935), writer Pat Brady (1914–1972), actor Irving Howbert (1846–1934), public servant, businessman Sherman Coolidge (1862–1932), Episcopal Church priest, Indian advocate Roland W. Reed (Royal Jr.) (1864–1934), artist, photographer Hildreth Frost (1880–1955), Captain in Colorado National Guard during Colorado Coalfield War. Gerald Lippiatt (1874–1913), union organizer killed in the early stages of the Colorado Coalfield War. One Commonwealth war grave, of a Canadian Army soldier of World War I. Dorolyn Lines (1901-1975), American engineer William A. Conant (1816–1909), American merchant, politician, and railroad agent James C. Dobson (1936-2025), American author and psychologist See also National Register of Historic Places listings in El Paso County, Colorado Fairview Cemetery (Colorado Springs, Colorado) References External links Evergreen Cemetery at Find a Grave