The site of Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery was a 440-acre farm located in rural
Jefferson County between
Denver and
Golden which as purchased in the 1860s by Bishop
Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, Denver's first resident bishop. Bishop Machebeuf later donated the land to the Catholic Diocese of Denver. Mt. Olivet Cemetery now includes 393 acres. Mt. Olivet Cemetery was consecrated on September 25, 1892 by Bishop
Nicholas Chrysostom Matz. On that day, a special
Union Pacific train left
Denver Union Station carrying 1,500 people to Mt. Olivet for the cemetery consecration. Bishop Matz officiated at the dedication and described Mt. Olivet as the “new City of the Dead.” The primary Denver cemetery until that time had been Prospect Hill Cemetery, southeast of the city. In 1890 the city designated those grounds to be turned into a park. The Catholic section of Prospect Hill Cemetery was then renamed Mount Calvary Cemetery. The first burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery was Elizabeth Kelley of Annunciation Parish on July 5, 1892. An examination of the record book of Mt. Olivet tells a graphic history of the times. Causes of death entered in the late 1800s include “died of softening of the brain,” and “died of acute insanity,” and “died of cramps.” Other poignant entries include a mother and child “killed by Indians” August 26, 1868. Six members of another family were killed in a snow slide on March 10, 1884; 12 members of the family now lie together, side by side, at Mt. Olivet. Reddy Gallagher was a red-headed, colorful boxer and wrestler who was a major proponent of the sport of boxing in Denver and had a long career as a sports columnist for
The Denver Post. Mt. Olivet succeeded Mt. Calvary, the first Catholic cemetery in Denver, located at 900 York Street, which is now part of
Cheesman Park and the
Denver Botanic Gardens. After Mt. Olivet became the principal Catholic cemetery, Mt. Calvary was closed. In 1950, the land of Mt. Calvary Cemetery was sold by the Archdiocese of Denver to the City of Denver with the provision that it would not be used for commercial purposes, and that the city would pay the expenses of reinterring the bodies from Mt. Calvary to Mt. Olivet. In 1950, from June to September, the remains of more than 7,000 persons were moved from Mt. Calvary to Mt. Olivet. Most of the bodies were reinterred in Section 24 while about 1,000 where buried elsewhere at Mt. Olivet, in family plots. Extraordinary care was taken to ensure that the remains of each person were carefully identified and transferred and the new burial spot was painstakingly marked. Of the total buried at Mt. Calvary, approximately 50% were infants and children. Amazing mementos were found when graves were opened. Several disinterred bodies were of men in full military uniform, including spurs and swords. One grave contained several newspapers dating back to April 22, 1905; a copy of The Boston Post headlined the opening game of the American League between Philadelphia and Boston, in which Rube Waddell saved the day for Philadelphia. Another astonishing tale from men who worked on the project relates that when the grave of an Irish woman from Leadville was uncovered, the scent of rose petals filled the air. There was great consternation that the body of a saint might have been disinterred. Sanctity terrified all the created great problems for Church officials who had to verify or deny the saintliness. Despite intensive research by The Denver Catholic Register, the Irish woman remains a mystery. Some of the greatest orators of Denver preached at the
Memorial Day Masses. Orators like Msgr. William O’Ryan, Msgr. Hugh L. McMenamin, Msgr. Francis Walsh, and Fr. E. J. Mannix delivered stirring sermons on patriotism and the virtue of praying for souls of the dead. In one of his sermons at a Memorial Day Mass, Bishop Tihen reportedly urged those at Mass to visit the cemetery often, to bring their picnic lunches and enjoy the beauty as a park of inspiration. ==Notable burials==