Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day Visit to Cripple Creek Cemetery

One of my favorite places in the world is Cripple Creek Colorado. This once famous gold mining camp was home to many famous people of Colorado back in the Gold Rush Days. It is chocked full of history and there is just something about the mountains around this small town that just calls my heart home. Once you have visited here, it will stay with your for a long time.

One of the most famous people of all time in this Gold Rush Town was Pearl DeVere. She was the famous Madam who ran a very "classy" gentleman's establishment....ahem......you can read about her legend HERE. You will want to take the time to do so, it is very interesting.

Today "The Old Homestead" still stands on Myers Avenue just as it once did, and serves as a historic museum. What a step back in time it is to visit here and listen to the tales of Cripple Creek from the guides.

Here is Bennett Avenue...or better known as main street. It still looks pretty much the way it did (minus the casinos) in 1895 after reconstruction from a fire that destroyed almost the whole town. The architecture on the building fronts is still so interesting to view and photograph. The mountain in the back view from Bennett Avenue is where Cripple Creek's Mt. Pisgah Cemetery is located.

I love to visit this old cemetery. I always have and there is hardly a time we are not out in Colorado that we don't make a drive through or a walk around this historic place. Here is a view from the cemetery looking back towards town. The views in the fall when the Aspen trees are golden is a sight to behold.

This cemetery is so interesting, and a real history lesson in itself. If you take the time to walk amongst the graves, read the headstones you can pretty much piece together the lives of those who used to live in this historic place. It is really one of my favorite things to do.

I can almost guarantee this Memorial Day, Pearl will not be forgotten. I have never paid ole' Pearl a visit that her grave was not laden with trinkets of all kinds. Everything from face cream, lotions, coins, jewelry, lotto tickets, flowers, soda pop, food items, ash trays, lighters, playing cards....if you will think about it, maybe these items are things Pearl would have enjoyed while here among us. I have even been known to leave a few things behind at Ole' Pearl's grave a time or two. (Usually, it's when Steve is walking ahead of me somewhere, I think he sometimes thinks I have a little problem)...Ahem....

One thing is for sure, Pearl draws me to the mountains high on the hill atop this historic town. I always visit her grave, pause and just stop and say a prayer. Her story.. her life.. her death holds much interest for me, and her story is such a romantic one... in a grim sorta way.

Now, IF, I believed I had ever lived in the past, I would be most sure, I walked the streets of this town in its heyday....Most likely I did not make a living working for ole' Pearl. But none the less, I could have been one of the "good girls" who looked a little too long behind the bolts of fabrics at the dry goods store as she passed on the street. I am sure "good girl" or not, she would have held a fascination for me even then, and that fascination would most likely had been hard to contain. Yep, I tend to believe that is just how it was, IF I believed in that sort of thing. Just sayin'.....

Thanks for letting me entertain you with Pearl's story. You can rest assured, she will have many visitors and lots of trinkets left at her grave today, for Memorial Day.

13 comments:

  1. My Aunt and Uncle spent the last third of their lives living in Cripple Creek. I've been hearing about it for years, but have never even been to Colorado, much less to Cripple Creek.

    Aunt Janet owned and operated a gift shop there. Wouldn't it be "out of this bloggy world" if you somehow knew her? Her name is Janet Hubby. I don't know the name of her shop, but will e-mail my cousin and find out. Aunt Janet has now sold her shop and lives near her son, not in Cripple Creek any more.

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  2. Hi Suzanne...I L♥VED this post!! I am so eager to go visit Cripple Creek...I only wish you & Steve would be there with us...what fun that would be! Hugs, ;-) Bo

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  3. We drove through Cripple Creek a few years ago when we were traveling in Colorado. Our son lives in Denver, and we decided to drive down to Colorado Springs and do some exploring in that area.

    We have a Reader's Digest book of the Most Scenic Drives in America that we like to use when we are exploring. The "Colorado Springs Loop" took us to Cripple Creek. We knew we did not have time in one day to complete the entire suggested route and we wanted to go to Royal Gorge.

    Looking at the little map in our book I noticed that there appeared to be two ways to get south to Hwy. 50 which would take us to Royal Gorge. The book described Shelf Road as "white-knuckle" and "a ledge sliced into the wall of Four-Mile Canyon."

    I didn't think LBeau and our son Hunter would be able to handle "white-knuckle" but I did see another road on the map, Hwy. 67. What I didn't know was that Hwy. 67 would become a gravel road shortly out of Cripple Creek and that often this gravel road would be one lane with sheer cliffs rising on both sides. I though LBeau and Hunter were going to kill me before we got to the main highway, but the scenery was beautiful.

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  4. What a wonderful and interesting post and I would love to visit Cripple Creek too.

    The Raggedy Girl

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  5. I knew this was coming. I am a witness to this quaint, historic town, and truly loved it. You did an excellent job writing this.

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  6. Loved your post...very interesting. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day.

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  7. I was wondering when you would do this---just amazes me that people leave all that stuff on that grave---like she is going to use it !!You did a good job on this post.

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  8. Oh! We love Cripple Creek. My mother-in-law lives in Woodland Park, so we always make the trek up to CC when visiting. It's full of history, and love the train ride. Beautiful country up there.

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  9. Love the history! Thanks for sharing.

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  10. I'm going to be sure to ask my kids to take me here, the next time I'm visiting in Colorado!

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  11. What an interesting and fasinating story. I enjoyed reading your post and would love to go there one day. Thank you.

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  12. Thank-u for your comment.It means so much so much to me.I am so Blessed to have you.May God Bless You! Love,Faye

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  13. Another interesting post (I know I'm reading backwards-I've had a busy week, and not much time to blog visit). How wonderful that Pearl still has trinkets left on her grave! I'd be tempted to leave her something too. What a quaint town it is. Thanks for sharing these pictures and this interesting history. laurie

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Sometimes someone says something really small, and it's like it fits into this empty space in your heart!

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts here, they really mean a lot to me!

Suzanne

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