Silver Cliff Cemetery facts for kids
The Silver Cliff Cemetery is an old burial ground that started in the early 1880s. It is located just outside the town of Silver Cliff, Colorado. You can find it about a mile south of State Highway 96 on Mill Street.
Contents
About the Cemetery
The Silver Cliff Cemetery is divided into two main parts. One section is set aside for people who were Catholic. The other part is known as the Cross of the Assumption Cemetery and is for Protestant burials. This cemetery is still used today. The Town of Silver Cliff owns and takes care of it.
The Mysterious Blue Lights
The Silver Cliff Cemetery is famous for something very unusual: reports of "dancing blue lights." People say they sometimes see these lights at night. The lights are described as looking like blue lantern lights or bright white spheres. They seem to float through the cemetery and even bounce on the gravestones.
When the Lights Were First Seen
Miners were the first to report seeing these strange lights. They often used the cemetery as a shortcut to get to town faster. One night, a group of miners got lost and then saw the lights appear. News of the lights quickly spread. As the lights became more famous, more people became interested in visiting the cemetery.
What Could the Lights Be?
The mysterious lights were even featured in the August 1969 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Some people think these lights are a natural event called "Wildfire." This phenomenon usually happens in swamps or wet areas.
A skeptic named Karen Stollznow looked into the lights. She suggested there could be several natural reasons for them. For example, our eyes have special parts that are sensitive to the color blue. Also, brief flashes of light called "phosphenes" can be seen by the eye. These flashes can be caused by eye movements. This might explain why the lights seem to "dance" or "float." Stollznow noted that not everyone who visits the cemetery sees the lights. This suggests that seeing the lights might be a personal experience. It could be caused by a person's eyes and mind, especially after they have spent a long time trying to "see" something.
See also
In Spanish: Cementerio de Silver Cliff para niños
