Colorado Spirit Quest #421 - Young Lives Memorials

Colorado Spirit Quest Series

Young Lives Memorials

Gunnison Cemetery

Micro located near the memorials in the cemetery.
Bring your own pen. Do NOT disturb or deface any graves.

Please make sure container is closed securely and re-hidden as well or better than you found it. Maintaining the difficulty rating depends on you.

Cemetery Hours:		Summer:		8:00 am – 7:00 pm
		Winter:		8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Please see the Colorado Spirit Quest #355 Cache for further information on the Gunnison Cemetery.

History:

Tucked away at the back of the Gunnison Cemetery are two memorials to young lives:

Perhaps God Needed A Football Team In Heaven:

On September 11, 1971, a school bus carrying the Gunnison High School Junior Varsity Football team experienced brake failure. The smell of smoke from burning brakes filled the bus before it skidded out of control and crashed on the east side of Monarch Pass near the small town of Garfield.

Eight young men and a coach lost their lives. They are buried together just west of the memorial (see the Football Team Memorial reference point). Several more players were seriously injured.

The tragedy stunned the small mountain community, the state, and the nation.

Childrens Memorial:

A stone angel atop a monument marks the location of several graves for babies and young children.

See the Childrens Memorial reference point for the location.

Please take some time to reflect back on these young lives!! The only guarantee in life is death. Where will you be?

Colorado Spirit Quest Information:

The Colorado Spirit Quest (CSQ) is a series of caches placed by many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors that have “walked” before us. There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural and mountain communities across Colorado. This series will provide a history tour of these cemeteries. If you are apprehensive about cemeteries, avoid this series.

The CSQ endeavor is an enormous and relentless task. It will only flourish if there is a multitude of volunteer cachers willing to place these caches. Each person that places a CSQ cache is responsible for its maintenance.

New volunteers are always Welcome!! If you are interested in being a part of this project, email the owner of Colorado Spirit Quest #1 – Golden Mountain Passage.

Thanks to the current volunteers: Greasepot, Taylorgeotracker, Ivy Dog Parents, Team Boogity3, Grand High Pobah, Boborr 80909, Imusttravel2000, Buzz Lightyear I, Sandhill 49er, MrVolkswagen, Isisfan, Rockymtn8iv, Fork-L-Man, Outdrlvr201, Condor1, 2Cachedivers, arthurat, smilz787, Kyotmoon, Mountain Roamer, SugarPug, Team Tiger Pride, ernie66, drnetwork, Team w-bar-v, Dynamite Rabbit, DustyKat, mtnbirders, RustyBeerCan & Marma, grymreaper, nteclpr, Moose1 & Mama Moose, Joe Friday, 3cacheteers, Dasha Aussies, KB0UMW, hiking_fool, tripping, res71cue and 1Mrs1Ogre, and nickgatt, kingbee, The misgnoners, rbradu, shashyaz&foxy, Bugranger Lyonden ut., Any Direction, Sewnssew, and The Meandering Monkeys.

Additional Waypoints

RC4C4QE - Childrens Memorial
N 38° 32.874 W 106° 53.780
Childrens Memorial
RF4C4QE - Football Team Memorial
N 38° 32.866 W 106° 53.779
Football Team Memorial