Greenwood Cemetery

Fremont Peak from Greenwood Cemetery

The Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in Canon City with the first burial taking place in 1865. Among the notables Coloradans buried here are James H. Peabody who served as the 13th and 15th Governor of Colorado (for more on his history and Canon City home, click here). Others of note include Joseph H. Maupin, Attorney General of Colorado; Guy Hardy, U.S. Congressman; Union Brigadier General Robert A. Cameron (who later helped found Colorado Springs, Greeley and Fort Collins); George Rockafellow, the first mayor of Canon City, Truman Blancett, an early mountain man and scout, who died at age 106; Father John Massaro, a pioneer Catholic missionary; and John Davis, Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. There is a monument to Confederate solders which is ironically on the north side of the cemetery and a monument to Union soldiers south of that.

Metal grave marker of an unnamed inmate

There are two large sections of the cemetery where the unclaimed bodies of inmates are buried. Most of these graves are marked with simple metal license-plate-type signs, many without names - inscribed only with "CSP Inmate" for Colorado State Penitentiary. The smaller inmate burial section is found in the southwestern corner of the cemetery and is known as Woodpecker Hill. It was named that because woodpeckers pecked away the original wooden markers. It is said that this location was chosen to insure inmates would never leave sight of the prison.

Territorial Prison from Woodpecker Hill

Click here for more on some of the inmates buried at Greenwood.

Directions: Greenwood Cemetery is located on First Street 0.7 miles south of US-50 in Canon City.

Greenwood Cemetery after an early October snow.