Entry No. 33 — the Durango file — filed under: history
Lone Tree Cemetery
Perched at nearly 9,000 feet on the east end of Telluride, Lone Tree Cemetery was dedicated in 1887 when the mining boom was at full roar. More than 2,000 people are buried here — many without headstones — representing over 21 nations, a testament to the immigrant labor that dug out the silver and gold. Graves hold a remarkable cross-section of frontier life: Finnish labor martyr John Bartell, killed at the Smuggler-Union Mine in 1901 and now a symbol of the workers' rights struggle; Lizzie Dailey of the Red Light District, buried on the "respectable" side of town; and the Remine brothers, who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War then somehow ended up neighbors in death on the same Colorado hillside.
The move: Walk the rows at golden hour when the San Juan peaks catch alpenglow behind the headstones. Read the inscriptions aloud to each other — each stone opens a conversation about luck, labor, and who gets remembered. Eerie and quietly romantic.
📍 Before you go The cemetery is open seasonally May through October, sunrise to sunset — it is closed in winter. No admission fee for self-guided visits. The Telluride Historical Museum offers guided tours (around $15, pre-registration required) that bring the residents to life; check telluridemuseum.org for the schedule. Telluride is about 2 to 2.5 hours from Durango via CO-145 over Lizard Head Pass. Wear layers — at 9,000 feet the temperature drops fast once the sun dips behind the box canyon walls.
- 📍 Telluride
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1015 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride, CO 81435 (east end of town; also accessible via the Columbia Avenue gate)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11