A little mystery is always around the corner for us. Very often when we set out for adventure, it is a roll of the dice where we’ll end up. We happened upon this grave several years ago on one of these aimless outings. We’ve rolled it around in the back of our brains for later study and we finally returned to investigate and visit. We wanted to find out more about this lonely grave in the Wet Mountains.
The grave lies a little ways off of the main road on a forest road, adjacent to a campsite with one small fire ring made of local rocks. The marker reads Florence Mortuary on the bottom and the general information of a gentleman from the 1800s. The name on the marker simply says Nelson N Bradley. It is labeled as a cemetery online with 1 memorial in instant result grave searches.
A local historical society in Pueblo had an article on this in 2007 labeled under Pueblo Lore. The article reads that a forest ranger sent in a request for information about a single grave several miles above Beulah. It was found with a headstone reading his name and dates and an old fence around it. This road is not really remote, but gets pretty rough in the winter, there are not many residences nearby. The main road is an unpaved road connecting Beulah to San Isabel Lake and the Rye area. The grave is on a short camping and forest access road, easy access most of the time. However, it would have been a pretty dang remote location when this grave was dug in 1885. This was no more than a ranchers road if anything before the road was built.
It also mentions that there may have been a wooden structure that burned and locals talk about Bradley School. The article reads that the school is in historical records in Beulah for the upper part of South Creek. According to the article there are records about the school being active from 1891 to 1903. The article then goes on to say that the school was on a local farmers ranch land.
The dates of the school are after his death, so could it just be coincidence or named after him since he was buried in the area? There were other Bradleys listed in that article, could they have been settled in that area later in the area? I didn’t investigate further, there were a lot of names to examine and a long trail of unanswered genealogy. Additionally, there are no Bradleys buried in Beulah cemetery. Was there actually a Bradley School?
Here’s the information I saw on his family trees that are available online and his grave index. His online grave record states that he was born in Canada in May of 1817 and that his middle name is Niram. The date is a year off from the birth date listed on the grave marker. He had a wife, Anna Thurston and 10 children, all in Michigan. My mind automatically thought of the wife and children waiting for him to send for them when he settled, as this was very often the case. Had he died waiting to join them again?
His records blur a little more when it states he passed away in January of 1885 in Madison, Kansas. The likelihood of him being buried on a remote hill in far off Colorado doesn’t quite make sense. That’s roughly 530 miles from his grave site. Was his family in Colorado and could they have sent for his body to bury him here on this mountain? Possibility of this could be likely if the family was already here, but at large expense. Another record of his states his death was in December 1885 in Beulah, Colorado. That’s 11 months difference and 1 state.
Nothing really adds up. It’s not really an uncommon occurrence to be off a bit on date accuracy. But the entire state difference is too much. Now, I see why the info found was in a lore publication. And I get why the publication also said the researcher was even more confused.
Here’s what is solid, this marker that says Nelson N Bradley 1816 to 1885, with marker made by Florence Mortuary. The photo listed on his grave profile online in 2022 shows his actual gravesite as it looks now. I think I first saw this grave around 2015, but I can’t remember if there was concrete around the marker then.
Rest in Peace Nelson, you are not Forgotten.
*Disclaimer – I’m not a historian, genealogist, scholar or writer. I aim to honor and remember all the souls and landmarks I encounter in my explorations. Sharing these helps to keep their memory from fading away. I do my best to find information and I’m always open to edits and corrections when needed. I would never post anything incorrectly with harmful intent. Cemeteries are full of stories, sometimes I can find them, sometimes I can’t.
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