Entry No. 19 — the Pueblo file — filed under: haunted
Silver Cliff Cemetery
“National Geographic sent a writer in 1969; he left without an answer.”
The blue-white orbs here first hit print in 1956, when the Wet Mountain Tribune reported ghosts carrying their own lights at night — though miners swore they had seen them since the 1880s. National Geographic sent a writer in August 1969; he watched dim round spots glow among the graves and left without an answer. Locals once killed every light in Silver Cliff and Westcliffe to rule out reflections — the orbs kept dancing. They recede as you approach. Nobody has explained them.
The story
Miners in the 1880s were the first to report blue-white lights creeping across the prairie soil outside Silver Cliff, floating over fresh burial mounds in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristos. The local Wet Mountain Tribune finally put the phenomenon in print in 1956, but the story gained enough momentum that National Geographic dispatched a reporter in August 1969. He stood in the weeds among the graves, watched dim glowing spheres hover over the headstones, and left without an answer.
The town didn't leave room for cheap explanations. To rule out headlights on CO-96 or reflective window glass, locals once coordinated a total blackout, killing every light in both Silver Cliff and Westcliffe. The blue orbs kept bobbing over the plots anyway. The grounds are actually split into two adjoining historical graveyards—the Protestant Silver Cliff Cemetery and the Catholic Assumption Cemetery—sitting exposed on uneven, wind-scoured high-prairie grass.
Decades later, nobody has pinned down a definitive physical mechanism. Whether it's piezoluminescence from quartz under tectonic stress, dry mountain gas, or old silver prospectors refusing to put down their lamps, the phenomenon follows one consistent rule: the moment you try to close the distance, the light recedes or vanishes entirely.
What it's like
Drive a mile south of CO-96 down Mill Street (County Road 340) until the pavement dies into dirt at the perimeter fence. Park along the gate, turn off your engine, and do not turn on a flashlight—your eyes need at least twenty minutes in unbroken dark to detect the dim, luminescent spots. Watch your footing on the prairie turf between 1880s markers as you move between the Protestant and Catholic sections. It gets cold fast on the high valley floor, and on a moonless night, the silence is total until you spot a faint blue glow floating three feet off the ground.
The move: Drive out on a moonless night, kill your headlights at the gate, and walk the rows together until one of you spots a blue orb — no flashlights, your eyes need twenty minutes to adjust.
📍 Before you go The cemetery sits about a mile south of CO-96 on Mill Street (County Road 340) — the last stretch is dirt, and you park along the fence by the gate. It is actually two adjoining graveyards, the Protestant Silver Cliff section and the Catholic Assumption section, on uneven prairie ground, so watch your footing among the 1880s stones. The orbs only show on truly dark nights: aim for a new moon, and pair the trip with dinner in Westcliffe, a certified Dark Sky community five minutes away. From Pueblo it is roughly 55 miles west via CO-96 through Wetmore.
- 📍 Silver Cliff (adjacent to Westcliffe)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1435 Mill St (County Road 340), about 1 mile south of CO-96, Silver Cliff, CO 81252
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Westcliffe & Silver Cliff Dark Sky Community Star Parties — Pair your orb hunt with open stargazing in these adjacent dark-sky towns, five minutes from the cemetery gate.
- Smokey Jack Observatory — Check out deep-space nebulas through a 14-inch telescope in Bluff Park before killing your lights for terrestrial ghost hunting.
- Mission: Wolf — Spend the afternoon visiting rescued wolves high in the Wet Mountains before descending to the valley floor for a moonless night.
Good to know
How do I reach the cemetery from Pueblo?
Drive roughly 55 miles west on CO-96 through Wetmore. Once in Silver Cliff, head south on Mill Street (County Road 340) for about a mile until you reach the dirt section by the cemetery gate.
When is the best time to go looking for the orbs?
Plan your visit around a new moon or a clear, moonless night. The sister towns are a certified Dark Sky area, but even moderate moonlight will wash out the faint blue-white glow.
Are there two separate graveyards on the property?
Yes. The site comprises two adjacent 1880s burial grounds: the Protestant Silver Cliff Cemetery and the Catholic Assumption Cemetery.
Can I use a flashlight or smartphone light?
Skip them entirely. Artificial light ruins your night vision and makes it impossible to pick up the dim, receding orbs against the dark horizon.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · Wikipedia · Official site · legendsofamerica.com · hauntedcolorado.net
last checked: 2026-06-11