The cemetery now referred to as "Alvarado" is a combination of 6 or 7 early cemeteries created by different groups between the late 1860's and the turn of the century. From the early 1900's through the present day, members of the Masonic Lodge #12, AF& AM, have been the caring stewards - a daunting task undertaken by generations of lodge members on behalf of their own and other organizations. The current sexton is Ned Biggs of Idaho Springs. He has the current records.
The oldest section sits back against the mountain in the old Masonic section. Tyler Disbrow's grave (1869) has been referenced as the oldest although there is an earlier child's grave from 1865. The Masons and the Oddfellows were the first to use the land for cemetery purposes. here were early Masonic lodges in both Empire and Georgetown, so it is quite possible that the lodges acted jointly to form a cemetery for all - certainly for the western end of the county.
Early residents from Empire, Georgetown, Silver Plume, Lawson and Dumont are buried here. Georgetown had a early cemetery inside the town limits, but the rocky soil and windswept nature of the area were always problems. As the
Alvarado cemetery became better know, it became the burial preference for Georgetown residents. The Silver Plume cemetery started with the Oddfellows cemetery in 1881, while the Empire cemetery was organized by the Town of Empire in the 1890's. It is no surprise that many of the pioneers from these towns, many of whom died prior to the establishment of local cemeteries, are buried here.
Courtesy of Christine Bradley, Clear Creek County Archivist.
More information about Alvarado Cemetery, including an early map, is available in The Foothills Inquirer - Volume 6, page 72.
The cemetery is located off Highway I-70 about 40 miles west of Denver on the frontage road. Take the Georgetown exit and at the stop sign go left and follow the frontage road back along the highway about 4 miles until you see the wrought iron gate to the cemetery on the right side.
The base map to the right was used with the original application to register the cemetery. It was prepared and presented for acceptance by the Georgetown Masonic Lodge 12 (AF & AM).
The "Section" notation designate the section of the cemetery. The areas of the cemetery here referred to as "A" now include the whole area to the northeast of the St. Mary's and Glendale Sections. "A" is for Alvarado, the largest section running from the main gate back towards the Handicamp; "G" Glendale section, the heavily wooded area which runs from the main gate over to the large house. "S" is St. Mary's, the catholic section, which is carved out of the Glendale area.
The burial list was created by students of the Anthropology Department of Fort Lewis College under the supervision of Mona Lee. Presented here courtesy of the Clear Creek County, Colorado Archives.
Photos were selected and taken by Foothills Genealogical Society members and friends.
