A Visit with General Palmer and Queen

On January 28th, at the Steeple Center, Bob Stovall and I had the delightful opportunity to portray William Jackson Palmer and his wife Queen Palmer for the Canon City Public Library Chautauqua program.

Growing up in my hometown of Canon City, it was a pleasure to stand on stage and share the history of Colorado Springs with my friends and the wonderful audience in attendance.

General Palmer played a crucial role in the development not only of Colorado Springs but also across the entire Front Range of Colorado and parts of Northern New Mexico.

Evergreen Cemetery Pioneer Pollinator Garden

 For the last several years I have tended  my own pollinator garden(s) at home. I've slowly added sections of my yard that are now home to numerous species of bees, butterflys and hummingbirds. 

This year we decided that the "forgotten" area of Evergreen Cemetery aka Pauper's field deserves a new lease on life.

Instead of forgotten and untended this section in the far south east corner of the cemetery, the final resting place to over 1200 souls is breathing new life as 

The Evergreen Cemetery Pioneer's Pollinator Garden.

This June, my friend Brenda and I had seeded the entire section over two very wet June Saturday mornings. Over $500 of Colorado Native Wildflower seeds were sown amongst the wild grasses, cactus, sage and milkweed  already growing.

The area looked untended as the grasses and native plants grew several feet due to our very wet June, however, bees and other pollinators discovered this new banquet table. 

The plants went to seed, which is why they were not cut until late this fall. Next spring and summer, as the seeds take hold we will be blessed with a beautiful wild flower garden to honor our area's pioneers who lie at rest in one of the prettiest areas of the cemetery.

A Rose by any other Name---

Did you know that Evergreen Cemetery once boasted the title of the World's Largest Rose Garden? From the early 1900s to the 1960s, thousands of roses adorned the cemetery's grounds, creating a breathtaking display for visiting families. Trellises adorned with blooming roses welcomed visitors, but over time, as families moved on or passed away, the next generation didn't continue the legacy.

By the 1970s, the once-magnificent rose garden faced challenges—unruly roses and trellises that posed hazards to maintenance crews. In an effort to address these issues, over 800 trellises were removed, leaving only a handful of roses. Interestingly, many of these remaining roses are classified as old growth roses (OGR) or heirloom roses, known for their rich fragrances and large, beautiful blooms. The term "old growth roses" specifically refers to roses that predate 1867!

Enter Bill and Anita Eickley, vital partners of the Pikes Peak Rose Society, who are now dedicated to preserving the few historic roses that remain. Their commitment is evident in projects like the Never Forget Garden at the front office and the new Garden of Memories situated between the Evergreen Chapel and the Evergreen Heritage office.

An annual highlight is the Rose Sale sponsored by The Pikes Peak Rose Society at Evergreen Chapel every May. To ensure you don't miss this event in 2024, be sure to sign up for updates and news. It's a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and support the preservation of Evergreen Cemetery's unique and historic rose heritage.

Did you notice our  National Register of Historic Places boulder has a new home!

1912 Evergreen Cemetery's New Office Building!

Join us on a journey back in time as Evergreen Heritage explores the history of Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries.

We begin with the announcement of the new Evergreen Cemetery office from 1912. I wish photos existed of the original wooden office building mentioned in the article.

 

Wreaths For Evergreen!

Evergreen Heritage has honored our nation's military heritage for over 20 years. These events include historic walking tours, presentations and our annual Memorial Day Commemoration.

 In 2017, Evergreen Heritage introduced Wreaths Across America a community event honoring our veterans and first responders.

The fundraising aspect of the Wreaths Across America program is equally significant. Five dollars from each wreath purchased goes back to the nonprofit that sells the wreaths. In the past, several individual groups have raised substantial amounts for their specific causes, without any financial benefit for Evergreen Cemetery.

It's vital to understand that even though both cemeteries are city owned and operated, there is no city funding available for restoration projects. These cemeteries are enterprises, meaning they must be self-sufficient. To put this into perspective, other enterprises in Colorado Springs, such as the Pikes Peak Highway and Patty Jewitt Golf Course, have recurring revenue streams, which the cemetery lacks.

To undertake our restoration projects successfully, we need the financial support of our community through participation in our fundraising events. Our handful of dedicated volunteers cannot achieve this goal on our own; we need the entire community to join us in preserving our history.

Starting in December 2023, funding from wreaths purchased through Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society (Evergreen Heritage) will mark the beginning of the financial journey toward restoring the Evergreen Chapel. Our goal is to secure the necessary funds to commence the restoration within the next two years as we embark on the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Colorado Statehood and the 250th Anniversary of the United States.

We warmly invite you to join us in supporting Evergreen Heritage/Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society, an organization that serves our entire community and strives to honor the memory of those who have served our nation. Your support is crucial in helping us achieve our mission.

Click the link below!

Purchase Wreaths For Evergreen Cemetery

Frank Maynard--Cowboy, Poet and Author

 

Frank H Maynard, Block 77

Cowboy, Carpenter, Poet, and Author

Francis Henry Maynard, known as Frank Maynard was an old-time cowboy of the American West who claimed authorship of the revised version of the well-known ballad, "The Streets of Laredo". After a decade of roaming the West, Maynard settled down in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Yet, his interest remained in reminiscences of his time as a cowboy and the desire to tell his special story for posterity.

Maynard was born in Iowa City in Johnson County in eastern Iowa, the second of five children of Horace Maynard and Georgiana Maynard. At the age of sixteen, Maynard left home to look for adventure, first along the Platte River. He lived for a time in Towanda in Butler County, Kansas. The other Maynard family members soon moved to Butler County, and for a time young Maynard and his father hauled freight from Emporia to Wichita, Kansas. In 1870, Maynard went on his first buffalo hunt in Kingman County, Kansas.

In the spring of 1872 at the age of eighteen, Maynard was "officially" a cowboy, a livelihood that he maintained until his marriage in 1881. In the spring and summer of 1872, he helped to drive a herd of horses, which had been wintered in Kansas to Jacksboro in Jack County in north central Texas. On the return to Kansas, he joined other drovers on a cattle drive.

After nine years as a cowboy, Maynard married and began work as a carpenter. He joined the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Modern Woodmen of America and was the treasurer of the organization by 1890. He became a partner in a speculative venture, the Buckeye Gold Mining and Milling Company located near Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Maynard began writing articles and poems about his western experience, particularly by 1911. He put new words to what became "Cowboy's Lament" as early as 1876. Maynard sang one of his poems over the grave of his friend, Ed Masterson, Marshal of Dodge City and brother of Bat Masterson. Marshal Ed Masterson was killed in a gunfight on April 9, 1878, in Dodge City, Kansas. Maynard wrote the author Jack London, who urged him to write short articles for magazines before trying to produce a book-length manuscript of Maynard's days in the Old West. In 1911, Maynard produced Rhymes of the Range and Trail, copyrighted and self-published, probably in few copies.

Maynard left a memoir that was discovered, edited, and published in 2010 under the title Cowboy's Lament: A Life on the Open Range, by Jim Hoy. In his memoir, Maynard relates about many events of the West, including stampedes, grasshopper pestilences, how to kill buffalo with a single shot, white outlaws posing as Indians, instances of genuine friendship on the plains, mistaken hangings, and his acquaintance with prominent western figures, such as Bill Tilghman, Wyatt Earp, and Buffalo Bill Cody.

Maynard was ill for much of the last year of his life, apparently a victim of cardiovascular disease and other ailments. The Maynard's are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

Most of the information for this article is from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_H._Maynard

Evergreen Heritage Story Boards Are Back!

We are thrilled to announce that our story boards have been revived, bringing to life the captivating history of some of the remarkable individuals laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery. Our current collection of story boards shines a spotlight on the inspiring stories of the veterans buried here, showcasing their courage and sacrifice. But this is just the beginning! Stay tuned as we continue to unveil new stories, each one a testament to the extraordinary lives that have shaped our community. Join us in this journey of remembering these amazing heroes.