Hillside Cemetery, Fort Lupton

Hillside Cemetery was established in 1874 as a private cemetery by the Hillside Cemetery Company, also known as The Hillside Cemetery Association, Inc. The need was created when John Henderson was killed accidentally in 1874 while hunting for ducks near the old Wattenberg Place. During the discussion about Henderson’s accident, someone remarked that the community needed a regular cemetery and John Haynes offered to donate some land if the others would fence it. Thus, John Henderson was the first person buried in Hillside Cemetery.

Prior to the opening of the cemetery, people were buried on the land of homesteads. After the cemetery was dedicated, many of the pioneers moved their deceased family members from scattered graves to the Hillside Cemetery. The first were the children of William Grant Winbourn, founder of the Town of Fort Lupton and father of its first mayor, Thomas C. Winbourn.

On May 4th, 1949 Ordinance Number 215 was adopted and the Town of Fort Lupton acquired the cemetery from Hillside Cemetery Association and has operated it as a public cemetery since.

Additions to the cemetery were made in 1892, 1920, 1950, 1972, and 2000. The cemetery occupies approximately 8.6 acres of land with over 7,000 people buried.