NewsOur Colorado

Actions

Town of Superior trying to preserve historic cemetery amid rapid growth

Posted at 7:20 PM, Apr 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-22 21:51:05-04

Editor's Note: 'Our Colorado' helps us all navigate the challenges related to growth while celebrating life in the state we love. To comment on this or other Our Colorado stories, email us at OurCO@TheDenverChannel.com . See more 'Our Colorado' stories here.

SUPERIOR, Colo. — Colorado is full of small towns that are growing and becoming more modern.

The Boulder County town of Superior is in the midst of a development boom and trying to figure out how to balance the needs of a growing city with the need to preserve the past.

According to Patrick Hammer, the town’s parks and recreation director, Superior has been around since the late 1800s and has a lot of history.

“It’s just a really small town nestled in between a bunch of cities,” Hammer said. “It’s kind of modern but has a small town feel."

Superior Historical Commission chair Larry Dorsey says protecting the area's history is essential.

“Now is an opportunity to pass on the knowledge we have of the past in this town to our more recent residents,” Dorsey said.

He runs Superior’s historical museum and said the town is looking to preserve a historic cemetery, one of its oldest sites.

The cemetery rests on a hill and is the home of 90 former members of the town. However, it's surrounded by encroaching development.

“There are 50 graves are so that are marked,” Dorsey said. “And others that are not. There are two Civil War veterans' graves, and I think about 22 out of the 50 we know of are all children.”

Hammer said the town is proposing a plan to restore the cemetery to keep its history.

“Initially we’re looking at spending $30,000 this year,” Hammer said. “We’re hoping to secure more funding from our elected officials next year.”

According to Hammer, the total cost of the restoration is around $200,000. He said the plan will be presented in a meeting on April 23 at 1 pm at Sport Stable.