Entry No. 81 — the Denver file — filed under: dark history
John Chivington's Grave at Fairmount Cemetery
“The stone bears his name and not one word about what he did”
Fairmount is Denver's beautiful Victorian garden cemetery — heritage roses, a Gothic chapel, pioneer notables. Almost no one wandering it knows that under a plain gray headstone lies Col. John Chivington, the man who ordered the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, where peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho — an estimated 70 to 600 people, most of them women and children — were slaughtered and mutilated. A Congressional investigation condemned him in the harshest terms and ended his career, but he was never court-martialed and died a free man in 1894. The stone bears his name and not one word about what he did; you have to bring that history with you.
The story
Fairmount Cemetery at Quebec and Alameda looks like every late-19th-century civic vision of eternal peace: manicured lawns, grand mausoleums, heritage rose bushes, and towering trees shading Denver's pioneer founders. But walk into the older western section and you will find a modest, plain gray headstone that anchors one of the darkest stains in American military history. It marks the grave of Colonel John Milton Chivington—a Methodist minister known as the 'Fighting Parson' who commanded the 1st Colorado Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War.
On November 29, 1864, Chivington led roughly 700 troops to Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado, launching an unprovoked dawn attack on a peaceful camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho people under a white flag of truce. His men slaughtered an estimated 70 to 600 people—mostly women, children, and infants—and brutally mutilated the bodies, taking scalps as trophies back to Denver. Although a Congressional investigation condemned Chivington in the harshest terms and ended his political ambitions, he was never court-martialed due to his resignation. He died in Denver as a free man in 1894.
What makes standing at this grave unsettling isn't supernatural lore; it's the total official silence. The gray marker bears his name and dates, but not a single word about Sand Creek or the lives destroyed under his command. At his death, local newspapers ran glowing eulogies while Masonic rites accompanied his burial. The stone stands as a physical monument to how easily a city's mythmakers can scrub atrocity from public view, forcing you to bring the uncomfortable truth with you.
What it's like
Drive in through the main gates near Quebec and Alameda, park along the paved cemetery roads for free, and step out into the quiet grounds. Finding the plot on your own is genuinely difficult because Chivington's plain marker blends in with hundreds of surrounding 19th-century headstones. Head straight to the cemetery office near the entrance for exact lot directions, or pull up Find a Grave memorial #6926943 on your phone before walking into the older western Victorian section. Because Fairmount is an active, working cemetery, give active funeral services a wide berth, keep your voice down, and pair your walk with a stop at the 1890s Ivy Chapel and the heritage rose collection.
The move: Wander Fairmount's older Victorian sections for the landscaping and pioneer headstones, then deliberately seek out Chivington's plain marker and sit with the gap between Denver's pretty pioneer mythology and what actually happened at Sand Creek.
📍 Before you go Fairmount sits at Quebec and Alameda in east Denver; the main entrance and the historic Gate Lodge are near that corner, and on-site parking is ample and free. The grave is genuinely hard to find on your own — it's a plain gray headstone in the older, western Victorian section, with no marker explaining who he was — so it's worth stopping at the office for the exact lot, or noting the Find a Grave location beforehand. Come in daylight; this is an active cemetery, so move quietly and steer clear of any services. Pair the visit with the Gothic Ivy Chapel and the heritage rose gardens. Transit is thin out here; driving or a rideshare is easiest.
- 📍 Montclair / East Denver
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Fairmount Cemetery, 430 S Quebec St, Denver, CO 80247; Chivington is interred under a gray headstone in the older section (Find a Grave memorial #6926943) — call the cemetery office for the exact lot
Hours: Fairmount Cemetery grounds open daily during daylight hours (roughly 8am-5pm; gates close at dusk); office weekdays. It's an active cemetery — be quiet and respectful, especially near services.
Pair it with
- Cheesman Park Pavilion & Its Buried Dead — Pair two sides of Denver's historical record: a city park built over thousands of forgotten graves and the quiet plot where one of Colorado's most infamous figures was laid to rest.
- Riverside Cemetery History & Mystery Tours — Follow Fairmount's lush Victorian grounds with a visit to Denver's older, neglected original cemetery for a broader look at how early Colorado remembered—and abandoned—its pioneer generation.
- Riverside Cemetery Block 12 — Denver's Forgotten Potters Field — Trade the quiet, manicured section surrounding Chivington's headstone for Riverside's stark potter's field, another physical location tied to the casualties left out of Denver's heroic origin story.
Good to know
Where exactly is John Chivington buried within Fairmount Cemetery?
He is interred under a simple gray headstone in the older western section of the cemetery. Because there are no signs pointing to it, visit the cemetery office near the 430 S Quebec St entrance for lot coordinates or use Find a Grave memorial #6926943.
Is there an educational plaque or historical marker at the grave?
No. The headstone is a standard private marker erected around his 1894 death and contains no mention of the Sand Creek Massacre or his military record.
When can I visit and how much does it cost?
The grounds are open daily during daylight hours (roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., gates close at dusk) with free admission and parking. The cemetery office is open on weekdays.
How should I get to Fairmount Cemetery?
Driving or taking a rideshare is recommended, as public transportation to this part of East Denver is limited. The main gate and historic Gate Lodge sit at 430 S Quebec St.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · denvergazette.com
last checked: 2026-06-07