The Christian community of Cotopaxi, Colorado, led by Cruz and Nelson Moore, in conjunction with Jashp, restored, preserved and protected the grave sites of the Russian Jewish immigrants who died during the heroic but failed agricultural settlement of 1882-1884.
Article re: Cotopaxi
http://www.jewishmag.com/127mag/cotopaxi/cotopaxi.htm
Marker Text:
The Cotopaxi Jewish Agricultural Colony 1882-1884
"Set up for yourself roadmarks..…the way by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel” Jeremiah 31:21
Nearly 70 Jewish immigrants were settled in and near Cotopaxi. Facing
insurmountable challenges, the ill equipped Colonists made heroic efforts
to farm the rocky land. A synagogue was established, three weddings were
recorded, and three Colony children were the cemetery’s first burials. Local oral history
suggests an adult colonist was possibly buried here. The colonists disbanded
in 1884, with many becoming prominent citizens of Denver and The West.
Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
and members of the Cotopaxi Community
