As we gear up for Halloween 🎃 this week, I wanted to share a recent experience we had off Cemetery Lane in Aspen. Every year the Aspen Historical Society offers guided tours of the Red Butte Cemetery. For years we've missed it as it never lined up with our schedule. We'd always assume it would be around Halloween. However, it's actually in late August. I'm assuming it's either due to the weather in October or being a little "less spooky" at the end of summer.
Red Butte Cemetery in Aspen
Aspen Historical Society
Finally, this year we were able to attend. We booked the tour online and we were greeted by staff of the Aspen Historical Society. Everyone was pleasant and we didn't quite know what we were in for. What transpired from there is we saw various people scattered throughout the cemetery next to headstones. As the tour commenced, we started to make out that these people were dressed in classic attire as they portrayed the deceased buried there.
Aspen's Ancestors Come to Life
Without spoiling it for future tours, what we then encountered next were some of the iconic families in Aspen that were buried there. Each had their own stories of what it was like to live in Aspen at the time. We heard from 6 volunteers dressed as Dorothy Shaw, Hildur Anderson, Mary Ella Stallard, the Stapleton Family lineage, Jeremy Vagneur and AJ Robinson.
Dorothy Shaw, Hildur Anderson and Mary Ella Stallard
Stapleton Family, Jeremy Vagneur and AJ Robinson
Their stories were fascinating. They talked about the early years, the mining days, the ranching life, the good times and the bad times. Without giving too much away, some of the actors were actual descendants of their ancestors they were portraying.
I'll have to admit, the most scary one was the final story by AJ Robinson that took place in one of the mines. I'll let you use your imagination, but it involves losing your head in the darkness....
Happy Halloween Until Next Year
If you missed this year's tour, we learned that the tour varies from year to year with different stories, so we look forward to next year and wishing you all an awesome Halloween! 👻