In his foreword to Here Lies Colorado Springs, then Director of Parks and Recreation Paul D. Butcher noted that, “As custodians of Evergreen Cemetery, the City of Colorado Springs embraces its responsibility to preserve the rich history contained in Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries.” The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is pleased to support the preservation of the human stories of these cemeteries while fulfilling our mission to collect and share our region’s unique and complex cultural history. Â
In 2022, Evergreen Cemetery—recognizing the need for preservation and permanent storage of their priceless archival records —transferred sixty historic ledgers, which contain burial records for Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries, to the CSPM. As part of our permanent collection, the ledgers will be preserved and made accessible to the public in perpetuity. Notably, the museum will now partner with City cemetery staff to answer inquiries regarding those buried there.
The ledgers—particularly the Colorado Springs Death Registers—present a unique and robust resource for historians, local researchers, students, and genealogists. The death registers cover the time period from 1881 to 1920. Each entry line includes the name of the individual, their occupation, age, race, birthplace, cause of death, and where they were buried. It also includes where the disease was contracted (if applicable), who reported the death, and the individual’s doctor. What a wealth of information! Â
Our goal is to preserve and share this resource effectively and efficiently. After CSPM staff accepted the ledgers in December 2022, they met with members of the staff and volunteers of Evergreen Cemetery, the Pikes Peak Library District, and the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society. Next, digitization and preservation plans were devised, and volunteers were recruited for the years-long project. The Cemetery Ledger Digitization and Transcription Project began in February 2023, with six dedicated volunteers.
Over the past year, Museum staff have rehoused and inventoried every ledger. They are now stored in our climate controlled and secure archives collections storage. The project requires the photography of every page of every book, so that researchers will eventually have digital access to all 60 ledgers, and allowing us to prioritize preservation of the books themselves. Since the beginning of the project, Jane and Bob Neff have generously dedicated their Wednesday mornings to this time-consuming and exacting work. As of now, over 10,000 pages have been photographed.
“The process of digitizing the Evergreen Cemetery ledgers has provided a keen insight into the history and development of the city of Colorado Springs. This project will provide both historians and families a different way to access the burial records while preserving the integrity of these fragile documents. Each time we scan a book we see familiar names and recall some of the well-known families of the Pikes Peak region. “
To maximize accessibility, CSPM will make these books searchable on our website. To do this, we first need to capture—or transcribe—the data. Four tireless volunteers transcribe these books remotely, using images taken by the Neffs. Together, Margie Yevara, Dianne Hartshorn, Megan Render and Marie Housman have now transcribed over 740 pages. This task requires thoroughness and patience—it cannot be rushed as accuracy is paramount.
“Tuberculosis was the most frequent reason for death in the registers I am transcribing. Also, many Colorado Springs citizens fell victim to the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918 and to diseases we routinely treat with antibiotics today, like bladder and kidney infections. Many people died in the various sanatoria, which I am reminded of as I drive around town today: like the Union Printers Home, the Myron Stratton Home and the Star Ranch. I love history so this project has been right up my alley.”
Behind every good story there is a primary source! We at the CSPM Archives look forward to sharing this valuable historical resource with you at cspm.org, and at the Starsmore Center for Local History in the near future.
Featured Image: Evergreen Chapel on the cemetery grounds, 2023
Hillary Mannion, Archivist
If you are interested in learning more about the CSPM’s collections, please visit www.cspm.org/collections.Â
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