Douglas County restores Rock Ridge Cemetery, preserving early settlers' graves

Tilted stones were reset, cracked markers cleaned and gravesites repaired at Rock Ridge Cemetery in Cherry Valley during several weeks of conservation work at the one-acre burial ground on a hill between Antelope Creek and Cherry Creek. The work covered 36 markers and was aimed at preserving a compact but important record of some of the county’s earliest residents.

The project solicitation opened in March 2020 and closed in April 2020. At the time of the work, the site included 24 monuments, four white crosses and a metal identification sign, with county records counting 32 burials while noting that more may remain unmarked. The conservation effort ultimately restored markers for 29 community members, including four wooden crosses and one galvanized marker for unnamed owners, along with eight footstones and one family plot wall.

The burial ground’s history runs from Hannah Proctor, buried in 1870, to Chris Schreiber, who died in 1953. The land was deeded by John Proctor to the Rock Ridge neighborhood on July 5, 1880, for $5.00. The first known burial was John Proctor’s first wife, and some records list the cemetery as Irving Cemetery or Case Cemetery.

The county's Historic Preservation Board was established to promote awareness and value of the county’s prehistory, history and heritage. The board’s preservation funding comes in part from the voter-approved Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund. Euro-American settlement began in Douglas County as early as the late 1850s, before railroads, farms, dairies, sawmills, mines and resorts shaped the landscape that remains today.

Rock Ridge is one of 37 historic, landmarked properties on the county’s list.