What Lies Beneath Colorado

This book series will feature the stories of pioneer cemeteries in the western states, written by local authors, revealing the tales behind the intriguing, lost, abandoned, forgotten, and earlies pioneer cemeteries. Each book will include photos, essays, and stories of locations and individuals whose deaths and history have been forgotten–or at least, abandoned—and which tell a story about the region in which they lived. Many of these old sites are located on private land or are not maintained by cities, counties, or other agencies. Along with individual family stories and histories of these outlying graveyards, there will be a chapter on headstones, symbols, and burial traditions used by pioneers or early settlers. There will also be a chapter on some of the West’s famous or infamous characters buried in the state’s oldest cemeteries. The book will be illustrated with archival images and modern photos of graveyards.

Eilene Lyon became fascinated by history as a child when her parents took her to historic sites throughout the eastern states. She writes primarily about history and genealogy. Understanding how historic events impacted ordinary, unsung people has become her life’s work.

She has published articles in Michigan History Magazine, Latah Legacy (Latah County [Idaho] Historical Society), and other historical society and genealogical society publications. She has shared more than 300 stories on her blog, Myricopia.com. Eilene is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), Women Writing the West (WWW), Phi Kappa Phi, and the Southwest Colorado Genealogical Society (SWCOGEN), for which she serves as secretary. She has given several presentations for the SWCOGEN. Her first book, Fortune’s Frenzy: A California Gold Rush Odyssey (TwoDot, July 2023) chronicles her ancestors’ attempts to strike it rich during the California gold rush, only to be swindled by predatory lenders closer to home. Eilene currently lives in Durango, Colorado.