A Real Graveyard and a Haunted Toy Shop on the Same Conifer Saturday

At 1 p.m. on May 23, 1891, John Ellis Kennedy was riding along the highway with his father when someone hiding behind the roots of a wind-thrown tree opened fire. He was hit four times. One shot passed through the rim of his father's hat. He was 20 years old, one of 13 children.

He is buried in the small cemetery on the hill above the Hwy 285 and Foxton Road junction. Plenty of Conifer drivers pass it every day, and almost none have stood in it. On Saturday, October 24, 2026, the Conifer Historical Society opens it for guided tours, and that evening StageDoor Theatre opens its third annual haunted house in Aspen Park Village. One Saturday gives you Conifer's true stories in the daylight and a made-up scare after dark, and the times are close enough together to do both.

The Cemetery You Can See but Usually Can't Visit

The Historical Society calls Beaver Ranch Cemetery a burial ground that is no longer in use. It sits at the crest of the hill overlooking Hwy 285 and Foxton Road, on City and County of Denver land. The tour page describes access as restricted and says there is no parking near the graves. That's why the tour is billed as a rare chance to see it.

So the day starts somewhere else. You park at the Big Red Barn on the southeast corner of Hwy 285 and Foxton Road, on private property the barn's owners have opened for the event. A shuttle takes you across the highway, and then you hike a short way up the hill.

Eight Graves, Two Families, One Land Dispute

The cemetery started on the Ellis family's homestead. John and Agnes Ellis came from England to Hutchinson in the early 1860s with their daughter Margaret, her husband George Kennedy, and their daughter Elizabeth, who later married Silas Elliott. John Ellis was an elder in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and ran the tollgate at the foot of Meridian Hill, the spot later known as Elliott Ranch. His wife officially homesteaded the 320-acre ranch in 1889.

The society counts eight known graves, four from the Ellis family and four from the Head family, with burial dates from 1879 to 1893. Its 2023 presentation says new headstones were added beside the original markers that had weathered over time.

John Ellis Kennedy was George and Margaret's son, which made Silas Elliott his uncle by marriage. That family connection is the center of the story. The society's account opens with one line:

"When land access and resources are threatened, land can be thicker than blood and family ties can break."

Before the shooting, the Kennedys had been arguing with two people. Silas Elliott was fighting with them over logging and access on Kennedy family land, and he had accused the Kennedys of shooting at him. The other was William McQuary, an Elliott employee who planned to marry Maggie Elliott and had spoken badly of her to John. Silas and another Elliott employee, William Thomas, were arrested and charged with the killing. Both were acquitted. In 1895 the Kennedy family sold their property and left.

The Head family's story is quieter and harder to hear. According to the society, four children of Willard and Christie Head died of diphtheria within 20 days. One daughter, Lena, survived. A 2001 cemetery transcription lists John Ellis, the four Head children, and John E. Kennedy among the burials. Back then the cemetery was recorded under the name Foxton Cemetery.

The tour promises "stories of pioneers, murder, mysteries and tragedies." Speakers will also cover the history of the property and the pioneers who shaped Conifer and Jefferson. The details above come from the society's 2023 presentation, so this year's speakers may tell them a little differently.

How the Afternoon Fits With the Evening

The Chamber of Commerce listing shows only the 2:30 tour. The ticket page lists two, and either one fits with the Aspen Park evening.

The schedule gives you two easy ways to do both. The early tour ends at 4:00, which leaves time to reach Aspen Park before the Magical Toy Shop opens at 5:00. That works well for families with younger kids. The later tour ends at 5:30, which suits teenagers and adults headed for the 7:00 Haunted Toy Shop.

Aspen Park After Dark

StageDoor Theatre calls itself a community theatre for adults and young people, with youth arts education, performances, and adult workshops and productions. It leased a 1,500-square-foot space in Aspen Park in 2003 and opened its new theatre in April 2010. The haunted house is in its third year, and this year it splits the night by how scared you want to get. The Magical Toy Shop is a non-scary adventure for all ages. The Haunted Toy Shop is billed as "very spooky." One ticket covers both. The suggested donation is $10 for ages 8 and up and $5 for ages 2 to 7, and kids under 2 get in free. Tickets and details are on StageDoor Theatre's website.

The Spooktacular itself is free to walk around. Activities spread through the complex: a pet costume contest, food trucks, face painting and games. Businesses in the complex are offering free activities or discounts. The organizers haven't posted exact times for the contests yet and say to stay tuned.

The sponsors are mostly Aspen Park neighbors: StageDoor Theatre, Bounties Brewhouse, Ripple, Aspen Park Pediatrics, Taspen's Organics, Luna's Mandala, Unleashed and Handyman Connection. Bounties is the newest. It's a book-and-game café and bar from co-owners Lexi Cox and Drew Malhmood that serves coffee, tea and beer and sells books, games and trading cards. According to its site, it's open in unit B211 at 25797 Conifer Road while construction continues next door in B217.

Before You Head Up the Hill

The cemetery half of the day has a few rules, and the ticket page is clear about them:

• Buy tickets ahead of time. Any day-of sales are online only, and no cash is accepted. Tickets on SimpleTix are listed at $12 to $15.
• The tour runs rain or shine, so wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for mountain weather.
• Walking sticks are recommended.
• The terrain means this year's tour isn't accessible for walkers or wheelchairs. The society says next year's will be.
• Check which time slot you're buying. The event page shows one 2:30 to 5:30 window, but it's actually two separate tours.

Where the Historical Society Lives the Rest of the Year

The Conifer Historical Society and Museum was incorporated in January 2009. Its origin story is a dinner-table conversation in which neighbors asked who used to live in a house down on Kuester Road and what anyone knew about an old cemetery off Pleasant Park Road. Today it's based in the former Conifer Junction Schoolhouse. Its next listed event is a Holiday Gift Fair on November 28. You'll find details on the Conifer Historical Society's website.

StageDoor has a busy few weeks ahead. Shark Box Theatre's production of Fools runs October 3 through 17. The Junior Company follows with How to Train Your Dragon JR. from November 6 to 15, and the Senior Company stages Newsies from December 4 to 12. The 49th Holiday Boutique comes to Conifer High School on November 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 100 artisans and a bake sale. On November 28, the Chamber kicks off Light Up Conifer with home decorating, window decorating and building-lighting competitions, plus a community map of the participating locations.

I'm Alicia Sexton, and I love how much of our mountain history comes down to who could reach which piece of land. The Kennedy story turned on a logging and access fight on a family homestead. Access, easements and old ranch boundaries still matter today. If the tour gets you wondering what's behind your own parcel, Let's Connect.