Follow
Organized in 1897, this burial ground served the ranching and farming community of Alta Loma. In 1893, the Alta Loma Investment and Improvement Company, located in Colorado, established the townsite, whose name means "high land" in Spanish. In 1894, William Skirvin, who is buried here, led the first party of settlers to the new town.
When the investment company established Alta Loma, it set aside land for cemetery use. However, it was not until 1897 when the company presented a deed to the town for this property. The first burial here occurred that year, when the infant son of the Stobart family died. Others interred include members of early pioneering families who raised Longhorn cattle in the area, as well as residents of other nearby settlements. In addition, community and business leaders, immigrants, teachers, preachers and veterans of military conflicts dating to World War I are also buried here. The Alta Loma Cemetery Association, organized in 1904, continues to maintain the community burial ground. Cemetery features included curbed plots, vertical stones, false crypts, grave slabs and statuary.
In 1978, Santa Fe incorporated Alta Loma into its city limits. As one of a few remaining vestiges of Alta Loma, this burial ground is a reminder of the non-extant settlement. It continues to serve as a testament of the pioneering men and women who resided here long ago and as a record of their once-thriving community.
This cemetery is just south of Santa Fe in Galveston County. Take FM 646 S, south to 28th Street and turn right. Go to Avenue M and turn left, the cemetery is on the left, less than 1000 feet.
Find a Grave