Living Wheel Park

The town of Parker came to be due to its important location at the intersection of the Cherokee Trail and the Smokey Hill Trail. The Twenty Mile House was a spot where travelers would stop, at the intersection of what is now Parker Road and Mainstreet. And yes, in Parker it's "Mainstreet," not "Main Street." A small park, Living Wheel Park, now sits at this location. It's not a park with picnic tables or playgrounds, but there are a few items worth taking a moment to appreciate.

One of the most prominent features is a large and detailed sculpture by Ralph Crawford called Run to Twenty Mile. It depicts a stagecoach drawn by six horses bringing travelers to Twenty Mile House. 

Though I love many of the art we find around the Denver area, pieces that celebrate our region's western heritage are often among my favorites. This piece is particularly detailed. I may be wrong, but one of the individuals riding in the stagecoach sure looks like he could be Buffalo Bill Cody.

Nearby, is a sculpture called Self Made Man by Bobbie K Carlyle. It depicts a man carving himself out of stone.

The actual wheel-shaped area that gives the park its name is dedicated to honoring our nation's military. The center of the wheel features a sculpture of an eagle called Patient Warrior. The piece is by sculptor Christopher Romero.

To the west side of the wheel, another sculpture serves as a memorial to all US veterans. The plague indicates that it exists as result of an Eagle Scout project conducted by a local youth.

Living Wheel Park is located at 18995 Mainstreet in Parker.

JS Parker Cemetery

Though Parker is another Denver area community that has seen a lot of growth, it still has a bit of a small-town feel. The history of the town is tied to it being the spot where the Smokey Hill Trail and the famous Cherokee Trail met. There, travelers would find a stop known as 20 Mile House. The rest stop had various owners over the years, one of which was James S Parker, who the town would be named for. On a hill north of where the house stood sits the JS Parker Cemetery.

The land where the cemetery sits is the location where Parker buried his young sons, Charlie and Bela. Later, around 1884, he donated the land to be the town cemetery. Parker himself would join the rest of his family there when he died in 1910. Their graves are easy to locate in the southwest corner of the cemetery.

Though the history of the cemetery goes back over 130 years, it doesn't feel as old as you would think. Doing an unscientific survey of the markers shows that the majority of them date back to the 1950's to the 1980's. However, there are some interesting older headstones. One of the most unique is the grave of another Parker pioneer, Jonathan Tallman. The inscription reads, "Jonathan Tallman, Aged 25 Years, Killed by Indians, May 8, 1870." Tallman's grave is located just a few feet away from the Parkers in the southwest corner of the cemetery.

Another notable resident of Parker Cemetery is Linda Boreman, who once upon a time was known as adult film star Linda Lovelace. I can remember the news reports of her death as result of a car accident on C-470 in April of 2002. Her final resting place is unmarked.

The small cemetery is still welcoming new residents to this day. Upon walking up the trail on my visit, one of the first headstones to catch my eye was placed earlier this year. I noticed that several of the markers have unique items that have been added by the families of the departed. I find these items give the cemetery a bit of character. The grounds also host a veterans memorial that sits just to the left of the entry gate, looking out over busy Parker Road.

You can visit this historic cemetery at 10375 S Parker Road.