Entry No. 44 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: history

Tincup Cemetery

Perched at 10,158 feet in Taylor Park, Tincup's 1879 cemetery occupies four separate treeless knolls, each assigned by creed or circumstance. Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish sections hold pioneers, stillborn twins, and a centenarian who recorded -52°F in 1895. Boot Hill — tree-covered with panoramic views — takes the gamblers, the godless, and the shot. Harry Rivers, the town marshal killed by a saloon patron in 1882, is here. So is Black Jack Cameron, whose missing wooden marker allegedly read: "Here Lies Black Jack Cameron / He Held Five Aces." The six-grave Jewish knoll holds four Harris infants and two Klauber boys, none older than twelve days to five years. Roughly ninety burials in all, markers ranging from inscribed stone to sticks and rocks.

The move: Drive over Cumberland Pass on a clear summer morning, walk the four knolls slowly and read every legible marker, then stop at Taylor Park Trading Post for lunch before the return. Pack a picnic if the post is closed — there is nothing else out there, and that is the point.

📍 Before you go The cemetery is free and open year-round in principle, but Tincup is inaccessible from roughly late October through late June due to snow. The main approach via Cumberland Pass from Pitkin is a well-graded dirt road passable by most passenger vehicles in summer. Tincup Pass from the east requires high-clearance 4WD. No services in town — fill up in Gunnison or Pitkin. From Grand Junction allow roughly 3.5 hours. The road and pass can close earlier than expected after fall storms; check with the Salida Ranger District at (719) 539-3591 for current conditions.

• 📍 Tincup
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: County Road 765, Tincup, CO 81210 — drive straight through town, turn left at the fork past the main street, then left again following small cemetery signs; cemetery sits on the knolls just west of the townsite

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