On my way to the Pawnee Buttes Trailhead, pulled over to explore a cemetery that once served the town of Sligo, CO. The town was abandoned in the mid-20th century, and the cemetery is about all that remains.
Named after County Sligo in Ireland, a destination that inspired the poet William Butler Yeats, the Colorado town was founded to serve the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad.
While the carved stone headstones provide the typical information on the deceased, many of the remaining wooden grave markers no longer reveal anything other than the reality that someone’s bones lie a few feet below.
Scattered throughout the cemetery, small cactuses bloomed with beautiful yellow flowers. They seem to be an appropriate tribute to those brave enough to come out into the Colorado plains, attempting to make a life in such a challenging environment.
