Talkin' Tombstones

Although I have purposefully located and photographically documented many family tombstones over the years, this is the first year I have volunteered to document unrelated markers. I spent a good deal of time over the summer months in the Valley Brook Cemetery and the Breckenridge Masonic Cemetery, both in Breckenridge, Colorado; and one full day at the Frisco Cemetery in Frisco, Colorado. Out of all of those headstones, I found some that made me stop and think, some that made me laugh, some that made me consider the history of what life must have been like in our environment in the high Rocky Mountains.

The most interesting, and memorable, by far is the marker for one Bob Lott. Buried in the Pauper section of the Valley Brook Cemetery, he is recorded in his obituary as the only African American living in Summit County in 1913.

His marker reads:
"Placed by his many friends, In memory of BOB LOTT; NEGRO; Died Apr. 13, 1913 Aged 55 years. A loyal citizen and faithful friend. 'His skin was black but white his heart, Bob always tried to do his part.'"

It would appear through some simple and time restricted searches that Mr. Lott did not have any descendants, and has essentially been lost in time as so many others have.

Until now.