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ENLARGE
An American flag adorns the gravesite of a veteran this past Memorial Day at the Dillon Cemetery.
DILLON — For many, the Dillon Cemetery is considered an excellent community asset — a window into the past, a beautiful destination to visit or a final resting place for friends and family. In 1885, the cemetery was created in the old part of Dillon, but it was moved to its current location in 1962 to accommodate the new Dillon Reservoir.
To preserve the heritage of the graveyard, the local Cemetery Advisory Committee is raising money to install headstones on unmarked graves. The committee has so far raised $8,000 — enough money to install 38 headstones throughout the cemetery.
“We have only a handful (of grave sites) that we don't know who they are,” said Jan Thomas, the staff liaison for the Cemetery Advisory Committee, adding that the unknowns were likely miners. “Many graves were previously marked with a tin marker, but they're gone now or illegible.”
Thomas said the committee has 96 headstones to go, and they still need to raise $21,500.
To preserve the heritage of the graveyard, the local Cemetery Advisory Committee is raising money to install headstones on unmarked graves. The committee has so far raised $8,000 — enough money to install 38 headstones throughout the cemetery.
“We have only a handful (of grave sites) that we don't know who they are,” said Jan Thomas, the staff liaison for the Cemetery Advisory Committee, adding that the unknowns were likely miners. “Many graves were previously marked with a tin marker, but they're gone now or illegible.”
Thomas said the committee has 96 headstones to go, and they still need to raise $21,500.
Dedication to stewardship
The Cemetery Advisory Committee joined together in 2003 to help the Dillon Town Council “perpetuate the dignity and history of the site and those individuals interred there,” said Dr. Penington Wimbush, the cemetery advisory chairman, in a letter.“The Cemetery Committee is very dedicated to the stewardship of the cemetery and the headstone replacement project is an important component to this commitment,” Thomas said.
An underground water tank was also installed near the entrance of the cemetery to better water plants and trees.
To donate to the tomb stone project, call the Dillon Town Clerk's office at (970) 262-3406 or send it to: The Cemetery Advisory Committee, Town of Dillon, P.O. Box 8, Dillon, CO 80435.
Caitlin Row can be reached at (970) 668-4633 or at
crow@summitdaily.com.
