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Wildhorn Ranch Cemetery

Date Photographed: June 7, 2001
Marked Burials: 2
Volunteers: Linda Vixie

Wildhorn Ranch is located approximately 14 miles north of Florissant. From Highway 24, turn north onto County Road 1, then left onto County Road 31. Turn right onto Wildhorn Road. Turn left at Lakeview Drive and drive until you pass under an entrance arch over the road. The turnoff to the ranch itself is a few hundred feet further to the left. (Signs to Wildhorn ranch appear along the entire route.) The single red granite marker is on a hill directly across the road from the ranch entrance. Not visible from the road because of the steep hill, it is ringed with white quartz and red granite base. According to GPS-derived geolocation (accurate to within 10 meters), the cemetery's coordinates are 39°03'55.2"N and 105°15'28.2"W.

Buried here are the Hoders, previous owners of the ranch. Their marker reads:

HENRY ANDREW HODER
JAN. 30, 1904
AUG. 29, 1971

VIRGINIA STORY HODER
JAN. 6, 1909
SEPT. 4, 1965

HOME IS THE SAILOR
HOME FROM THE SEA
AND THE HUNTER FROM THE HILL

Other ranch employees and Hoder's first wife are also said to be buried here, but this has not been verified, and there are no markers for them.

Fenced cemetery is out of sight atop this small hill Cemetery at crest of hill

Update: Between June 8 and July 2, 2002, the arson-set Hayman Fire burned 138,000 acres in this part of Colorado, destroying many buildings. It's been reported that the Wild Horn Ranch was among those burned. PPGS hasn't visited the area since the fire, but it's likely that the signs to the ranch are gone, as well as the buildings. Undoubtedly the granite markers survived.