Colorado Confederates (Part 5)
At the top of a red shale mountain sits Linwood Cemetery. The town of Glenwood Springs lies serenely below. The cemetery, which is now known as Pioneer Cemetery, is the oldest graveyard in town. The earliest headstone inscription is dated 1875, and the most recent is dated 1967. The cemetery plays host to several Civil War veterans. Most fought for the Union, and most have unmarked graves. Linwood Cemetery’s most famous resident, however, is none other than Doc Holliday.
Legend has it that John Henry Holliday came to Glenwood Springs because he heard the hot springs would relieve his tuberculosis. However, they only aggravated his symptoms. He died in November 1887. Some say he was buried in the basement of a house at the base of the mountain, because the rocky, 3/4 mile trail leading up to the grave was too muddy for a horse to climb with a hearse. Others say he is buried in Potters Field, which is a section in the cemetery designated for paupers. I’ve been told that no one knows exactly where he’s buried, because the townsfolk were afraid the grave would be robbed by souvenir hunters. Doc Holliday’s father fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Another famous resident interred in Linwood Cemetery is Kid Curry. He was a member of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s Wild Bunch, and was supposedly one of the wildest in the bunch.
Like most old cemeteries, Linwood Cemetery will hold a Ghost Walk every weekend in October. The event is sponsored by the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Frontier Historical Society. For more info, please visit:
J.D.R. Hawkins 