Colorado's cemeteries became a natural setting as our pioneers settled an expanding land and began a new way of life. Economic status may be reflected in the type and size of the tombstone, or monument, or even mausoleum. Family plots may range from a grouping of headstones, to plots with wood or wrought iron fencing, to elaborate stone exedras including a mourner's seat, and intricate carvings. Individual cemeteries typically include county plots, or pauper sections, usually located on the outer edge of the cemetery. Set aside for those who could not afford to purchase burial plots, this section has been historically referred to as the potter's field, a biblical reference.
Cemeteries reflect our social history, often indicating particular hardships.
The lack of medical assistance often resulted in mothers dying in childbirth, as well as young children dying from disease. Diphtheria, typhoid, and the statewide Spanish Influenza of 1917-18, claimed many pioneers, many of whom were infants. Cemeteries across the state have designated sections for babies and infants, a particularly sad reflection of our pioneer history. Organizations such as the Veterans of War, Elks, Masons, their sister organization, the Eastern Star, the Rebekah Lodge, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, set aside plots of land for their fraternal brethren, in an effort to continue unbroken eternity. The International Order of Woodsmen of the World and its' sister organization, Women of Woodcraft, were an early day fraternal insurance company.