Demo: Lessons from the Pauper Graves: Memorializing Irish Immigrants in Leadville

During the Leadville Silver Rush from 1877-1895, thousands of Irish immigrants poured into Leadville excited to seek wealth and opportunity. They built the most vibrant and one of the largest Irish communities in the Rocky Mountain region. Thousands of them are buried in the pauper section of Leadville’s Evergreen Cemetery, where nearly half of the over 7,000 burials are children under the age of 5. This research led to the construction of the Leadville Irish Pauper Memorial in 2023, now the most significant public history space for Irish history and culture in the American West.