Colorado Spirit Quest # 434 Crestone Cemetery

~ The Town of Crestone's Green Cemetery ~

The Crestone Cemetery is probably the only active cemetery in Colorado that made it all the way through the 20th century without requiring embalming, caskets, concrete vaults, and/or monuments.

The cemetery is a 1911 forty-acre federal land grant restricted to use as cemetery or park only. Six acres were fenced and platted into 20' x 20' lots, each with spaces for six graves. These platted lots may be quartered or halved into lots that accommodate one or three non-cremated burials and an unlimited number of ashes. The other 34 acres have never been developed and are planned for future use as wilderness or natural burials.

Because Crestone is geographically isolated and 50 miles from the nearest commercial mortuary, most funerals over the last 100 years were at home or in the old school. Probably less than a quarter of the burials were embalmed, and there are no known concrete vaults enclosing caskets. Such burials, now termed “green”, are still permitted and common in the General Area of the cemetery. One section of the cemetery has been designated for green burials only. It serves those who would like a green burial that is not near other graves with metal caskets, concrete vaults or embalming chemicals.

In 2011, the Crestone Cemetery became the first Green Burial Council member and provider in Colorado.

Purchase of interment rights in the Green Section requires an agreement that each burial will observe the following regulations: Burial containers shall be limited to those made from materials that are nontoxic/nonhazardous and natural/plant derived, with shrouds permissible. Decedents are not to have been embalmed, or embalmed only with Green Burial Council approved nontoxic chemicals. The use of vaults (partial, inverted, or otherwise) is prohibited.

Colorado law permits non-embalmed burials within 72 hours, and private transport to the cemetery if in a hermetically sealed container (such as a closed wooden casket). Green Burial Council approved embalming chemicals are made from natural oils and other ingredients that postpone natural biodegrading and can extend the time before burial by a few days.

Decoration containers (including, but not limited to vases, pots, cans, and jars), artificial flowers, and other non-biodegradable decorations are not permitted in the Green Section. Please insert live flowers or foliage directly into the sandy soil. Non-biodegradable decorations and containers are permitted in the General Section.

The native pinon-juniper vegetation and semi-arid mountain climate provide a beautiful and natural setting that eliminates wasteful and expensive watering and mowing.

A Veterans Memorial has been erected near the entrance to honor those buried in the cemetery who served in wars from as far back as the Civil War. Their names are engraved on the back of the memorial. Volunteers also place flags at their graves for Memorial Day.

! The Exciting Cache Series!

“COLORADO SPIRIT QUEST”

REMEMBER:

If you are APPREHENSIVE about cemeteries – AVOID this series.

The Colorado Spirit Quest is a series of Caches placed by many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors that have ‘walked’ before us.

If you are interested in being a part of this project, contact may be made by sending an e-mail to the owner of “Colorado Spirit Quest #1 – Mountain Passage”. Use the ‘Send Message” link at the center of the page of their profile.

There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural and mountain communities across Colorado. This series will introduce you to many of them.

The cache pages will provide a virtual history tour of the cemeteries and tombstones.

The CSQ endeavor is an enormous and relentless task and will only flourish if there is a multitude of volunteer cachers willing to place these caches.

After locating the cache container, take some time to reflect back on the lives of those pioneers and the effort it took to make Colorado such a great state.

Each person that places a CSQ cache is responsible for its maintenance.

Thanks to the volunteers: Greasepot, Taylorgeotracker, Ivy Dog Parents, Team Boogity3, Grand High Pobah, Boborr 80909, Imusttravel2000, Buzz Lightyear I, Sandhill 49er, MrVolkswagen, Isisfan, Rockymtn8iv, Fork-L-Man, Outdrlvr201, Condor1, 2Cachedivers, arthurat, smilz787, Kyotmoon, Mountain Roamer, SugarPug, Team Tiger Pride, ernie66, drnetwork, Team w-bar-v, Dynamite Rabbit, DustyKat, mtnbirders, RustyBeerCan & Marma, grymreaper, nteclpr, Moose1 & Mama Moose, Joe Friday, 3cacheteers, 3cacheteers, Dasha Aussies, KB0UMW, hiking_fool, tripping, res71cue and 1Mrs1Ogre, and nickgatt, kingbee, The misgnoners, rbradu, shashyaz&foxy, Bugranger, Lyonden ut., Any Direction, Sewnssew, The Meandering Monkeys, Charlie-n-Geri, skibum1, gooftroop 4, stubywwjd, MaDDoGGaming, kingbee, Wolverine, Random Acts, lbmiller, BTBugs, God chaser, imcasey, lesslost2, Back Country Horseman and Kaiwarrior.

New VOLUNTEERS are always Welcome

* * * * * * * *