Cheesman park, in Denver, Colorado, is a lush park in the center of a bustling city. The park is a beautiful green space, with expansive lawns, jogging trails, and a dramatic neoclassical pavilion. Just east of the park, Denver Botanic Gardens features themed areas and an amphitheater for popular summer concerts. It’s safe to assume that most visitors don’t realize that they’re walking, sitting, or jogging on the grave of one of the many who had been buried there in the 19th century.

While the park was founded in 1907, it’s history dates back even further. In 1858, General William Larimer seized the claim of the St. Charles Town Company, despite the fact that the land actually belonged to the Arapaho Indians, and established his own town. This town later became Denver. In November 1858, Larimer set aside 320 acres of land for a cemetery. He named it Mount Prospect Cemetery, and designated several large plots on the crest of the hill for the exclusive use of the city’s wealthy and most influential citizens. The outside edges of the cemetery were reserved for criminals and the poor, with the central area saved for the middle class.

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