Grave of Silas Soule

Silas Soule was the Union cavalry officer who, at Sand Creek in 1864, ordered his men to hold fire and refused to take part in the massacre of around 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho — then testified to the truth of it, and was assassinated on a downtown Denver street weeks later. His grave isn't a monument: it's a plain government-issue soldier's headstone in Section 27 of Riverside, Denver's oldest operating cemetery (1876), tucked in the far northeast corner south of the flagpole, easy to walk right past. The Cheyenne still decorate it out of respect, and every fall it's the starting point of the Sand Creek Spiritual Healing Run from this grave to the massacre site. Riverside itself is a half-forgotten National Historic District along the Brighton industrial corridor that most Denverites have never set foot in.

The move: Go on a quiet weekday: print the section map first, find the headstone in Section 27, then walk the rest of Riverside's 1876 grounds — it's a slow, reflective, slightly off-the-grid history walk rather than a light outing.

• 📍 Swansea / Brighton Blvd corridor (Riverside Cemetery)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Riverside Cemetery, 5201 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216 (Section 27, far northeast corner, south of the flagpole)

Hours: Riverside Cemetery open daily 8am-5pm. Grave is unmarked by signage; bring/print a section map. Sand Creek Spiritual Healing Run gathers here annually in fall (Oct/Nov).

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

Verified 2026-06-07.