Dolores Mission and Cemetery

Dolores Mission and Cemetery. . , This Catholic church and cemetery are important components of the small Hispanic community in Picket Wire Canyonlands dating from the late 1870s through 1890s. In 1889, Damacio Lopez, the original owner, sold this land to Reverend Bishop Mattz of the Denver diocese of Catholic Church for $1. The Catholic Church donated the 0.11-acre parcel to the US Forest Service in 2007. , Churches were important architectural elements in Hispanic communities and were symbolic of the social values of the inhabitants. They also gave structure to every day life. The Lopez donation of land to the church reflects his importance in the community, and gave added significance and focus to the community. Although the construction date of the church is unknown, it was likely built in the late 1880s to early 1890s. Its stone masonry and adobe construction is representative of the blend of Hispanic and Euro-American influenced architecture in the region. , The elaborately designed headstones appear to have been imported into the canyon as blanks and later personalized with the names of the deceased. Most of the headstones are those of young children who died between 1895 and 1900: their short lies illustrate the hardships early inhabitants faced. Additional unmarked graves are also present. , Please do not touch or pick up these fragile headstones.