Who was Emma Crawford?
She was a young lady who died of tuberculosis on December 4, 1891, at the age of 19.
In 1889, Emma and her family moved to Manitou Springs (where they lived on Ruxton Avenue) in the hope that the local mineral springs (from which the city took its name) and the mountain air might be a cure for her illness. This belief was not unusual at the time and many people suffering from the disease found their way to Manitou Springs.
Emma and her family were spiritualists. Both Emma and her mother believed that they had Native American spirits that guided them (fittingly the City of Manitou Springs also takes its name from Native American spirit lore.) It is said that Emma hiked to the top of Red Mountain and had a vision there. In her vision, her spirit guide appeared near the summit. The story has it that she tied a scarf to a tree at the spot. Her dying wish was to be buried there.
Emma was engaged to William Hildebrand, a railway engineer working on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, prior to moving to Manitou Springs. William relocated to Manitou Springs to be with her, but she passed away before they could be wed.
Her fiance and a team of 11 other stalwart pallbearers made sure she got her wish to be buried on Red Mountain (even though they didn't have legal permission to do so). It took them two days to carry her coffin to the top of the 7200 ft. slope. There she was buried and there she stayed... for years, but not forever.
In the years that followed, her grave-site became a popular hiking spot for fellow spiritualists. They are said to have visited the spot in the hopes of communicating with Emma's spirit. In 1912, Emma's grave was relocated to the Southern slope when a railway was built going up the mountain. Ironically, railroad engineers undid that which had been done by one of their own. Once again, however, this would not be Emma's final resting place.
Her move was a double disaster. The railroad was a failure and moving Emma's remains left her vulnerable to the effects of weather. The granite of the mountain eroded with each passing storm and eventually Emma's coffin became unearthed. In August of 1929, severe rains caused her coffin and remains to slide down the mountain, breaking the coffin apart in the ordeal. There in the canyon below, her skull and other bones along with coffin handles and her nameplate were discovered by two local boys. They brought the remains to the city hall. One story has it that she was reburied immediately. However, there is another story that says Emma's restless remains stayed in storage for two years as the city tried in vain to find surviving relatives. Finally, one of her pallbearers, Bill Crosby, took responsibility for her remains. It was then that she was interred once again at Crystal Valley Cemetery. Either way, she was buried in an unmarked grave. In 2004 (10 years after her memorial festival began) Historic Manitou Springs, Inc. (the nonprofit organization that operates the Heritage Center) provided Emma with a memorial stone.
It is believed by some that Emma's ghost haunts the slopes of Red Mountain. Some say that she won't rest until her body is finally returned to the resting place she chose for herself. The story was included in the Haunted Rockies episode of the Haunted History TV show.
She was a young lady who died of tuberculosis on December 4, 1891, at the age of 19.
In 1889, Emma and her family moved to Manitou Springs (where they lived on Ruxton Avenue) in the hope that the local mineral springs (from which the city took its name) and the mountain air might be a cure for her illness. This belief was not unusual at the time and many people suffering from the disease found their way to Manitou Springs.
Emma and her family were spiritualists. Both Emma and her mother believed that they had Native American spirits that guided them (fittingly the City of Manitou Springs also takes its name from Native American spirit lore.) It is said that Emma hiked to the top of Red Mountain and had a vision there. In her vision, her spirit guide appeared near the summit. The story has it that she tied a scarf to a tree at the spot. Her dying wish was to be buried there.
Emma was engaged to William Hildebrand, a railway engineer working on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, prior to moving to Manitou Springs. William relocated to Manitou Springs to be with her, but she passed away before they could be wed.
Her fiance and a team of 11 other stalwart pallbearers made sure she got her wish to be buried on Red Mountain (even though they didn't have legal permission to do so). It took them two days to carry her coffin to the top of the 7200 ft. slope. There she was buried and there she stayed... for years, but not forever.
In the years that followed, her grave-site became a popular hiking spot for fellow spiritualists. They are said to have visited the spot in the hopes of communicating with Emma's spirit. In 1912, Emma's grave was relocated to the Southern slope when a railway was built going up the mountain. Ironically, railroad engineers undid that which had been done by one of their own. Once again, however, this would not be Emma's final resting place.
Her move was a double disaster. The railroad was a failure and moving Emma's remains left her vulnerable to the effects of weather. The granite of the mountain eroded with each passing storm and eventually Emma's coffin became unearthed. In August of 1929, severe rains caused her coffin and remains to slide down the mountain, breaking the coffin apart in the ordeal. There in the canyon below, her skull and other bones along with coffin handles and her nameplate were discovered by two local boys. They brought the remains to the city hall. One story has it that she was reburied immediately. However, there is another story that says Emma's restless remains stayed in storage for two years as the city tried in vain to find surviving relatives. Finally, one of her pallbearers, Bill Crosby, took responsibility for her remains. It was then that she was interred once again at Crystal Valley Cemetery. Either way, she was buried in an unmarked grave. In 2004 (10 years after her memorial festival began) Historic Manitou Springs, Inc. (the nonprofit organization that operates the Heritage Center) provided Emma with a memorial stone.
It is believed by some that Emma's ghost haunts the slopes of Red Mountain. Some say that she won't rest until her body is finally returned to the resting place she chose for herself. The story was included in the Haunted Rockies episode of the Haunted History TV show.
