SPRING VALLEY CEMETERY




Spring Valley, so named for abundant underground springs in the area, was one of the earliest settlements in Colorado Territory having been settled in 1860 by a community of German, English, Welsh and Irish settlers

As pioneers crossed the Platte Valley Divide in covered wagons, Spring Valley Cemetery began as a burial site. Indians avoided the hillsides so settlers believed their loved ones would be undisturbed at this high location. The oldest known grave stones marked 1870 are those of two children from the family of Horace Reynolds a riding circuit preacher.

Daniel Holden, a cattle rancher and early pioneer of the area donated the back portion of the cemetery to “The People of Spring Valley” on February 22, 1877. Later the front two acres were purchased from Newton Alderman on April 16, 1913 giving the cemetery access to Spring Valley Road.

Many of the first graves were unmarked so Henry Gandy, an early trustee, began marking those with lava stone engraved with a “G.” Today all but nine have been identified thanks to dedicated board members Iola and Richard Geiger.

In 1965, J. Louis Killen left monies for a chapel to be built upon the cemetery grounds in memory of his parents. The Killen Memorial chapel was dedicated

May 21, 1966 and currently holds non denominational church services and Sunday school weekly. Marriages, funerals and other community events are also held at this lovely church in very beautiful surroundings.

Today, the Spring Valley Cemetery Association, a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation, administers the cemetery and manages the chapel. Memorial Day dinners have been held since 1969 to raise operational funds and also includes a spring clean up and maintenance for the cemetery grounds.


 For a list of those buried at the cemetery please visit http://files.usgwarchives.org/co/douglas/cemeteries/spvalley.txt
Further information on Larkspur area and historic residence buried at the cemetery see below;

Newton Baten Alderman

Best Family
Brown Family, Sam Brown
Sallie Thomas Bucks
John Calhoun
Anna Baker Geiger
Edwin Greener
Joanna Thomas Hodgin
James Louis Killin
Jerome E. Kinner

Lucy Aubella Lambert
Lorenzo Leppert
Ada Bucks Lorraine
Pat Murphy
Jany Richey

Anna Russell
Malrie Taylor

Younger Family