Down Memory Lane

 Want to soak up the local history?  Well then, a visit to the local cemetery might fit the bill.  Or maybe not, if you are squeamish about walking around headstones with a "grave" look on your face.😂

We got our exercise and history lesson at the same time by walking over to the Silver City Cemetery located right next to Rose Valley RV Park.  It required a walk on a dusty gravel road to and from the cemetery, but the day was young and it was a gorgeous morning.  The sign at the entrance gave us a synopsis of important people who were buried here.

We were also told about a wall on the side that has mosaic images of the people listed above.  It is currently a work in progress, with some of the faces fully finished and other mosaics not started at all.

Mosaic picture of Ben Lilly, famous lion hunter and guide for Teddy Roosevelt.  He must have led an exciting life.

And below is the one for Billy the Kid's mother, Katherine Antrim who died in 1874.  Last time we were here, we found her grave, but not this year.

People are still being buried here with their loved ones.  Some of the family sections are clearly set off with iron fences or with cement curbing, many  have benches for family members to sit on.  Sadly, the old graves appear not to be maintained by the cemetery itself, becoming weedy and strewn with pieces of paper or tumbleweed pieces.

One of the interesting headstones I found was shaped like a cylinder.  Mr (or maybe Mrs.) Fitzsimmons lived from 1848 to 1905.  It was hard to read because it had been out in the weather for over 100 years.  This was a first time I've ever seen one shaped like this.  

Sandy, Jerry and I commented on the one below.  This lady outlived 3 different husbands!

The Town and Country Garden Club of Silver City maintains two rose gardens on the west end of the cemetery.  The gardens are on a small hill overlooking the grounds and hills beyond.

I had to lean over the wrought iron fence to get a close up of the gorgeous pink roses.  As the saying goes "Take time to stop and smell the roses".  I did just that.😊.  Then it was time to head back to our site at the RV park.