Manitou Springs celebrates the 24th Annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival on Saturday, October 27, 2018. The Parade starts at 12:00 pm followed by up to 70 teams racing coffins down Manitou Avenue for the ultimate victory! Come for the races, stay for the FREE Coffin Race after party featuring live music.
Here’s some of the history about Emma Crawford:
In 1889 Emma Crawford, suffering from tuberculosis, came to Manitou Springs, Colorado looking for a cure in Manitou Springs’ mineral springs. Unfortunately Emma did not survive and died in 1891. Her dying wish was to be buried on top of Red Mountain in Manitou Springs. Her fiance, William Hildebrand, a civil engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, honored her wishes and she was buried near the summit of Red Mountain.
In 1929, after years of harsh winters and spring rains, Emma and her coffin came racing down the mountainside. The young children who happened upon her remains found only the casket handles, a nameplate, and a few bones.
In 1929, after years of harsh winters and spring rains, Emma and her coffin came racing down the mountainside. The young children who happened upon her remains found only the casket handles, a nameplate, and a few bones.
Some say she still haunts Red Mountain to this day. But you can come to Manitou Springs every year and partake in the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival, and watch the parade.
