Alta Loma Cemetery

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Marker No: 15227

Texas Historical Cemetery Marker 

Geographic: 29° 21.067′ N, 95° 5.317′ W

Location: ​Avenue M, southeast of 28th Street, Santa Fe

Marker Text: 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 town site, 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 the 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 include curbed plots, vertical stones, false crypts, grave slabs and statuary. In 1978 Santa Fe incorporated Alta Loma into its city limits. As one of the few remaining vestiges of Alta Loma, this burial ground is a reminder of the non-extant settlement. It continues to serve as a testament to the pioneering men and women who resided here long ago and is a record of their once-thriving community. (2007)