One of the best things about showing Manitou Springs to out of town customers is the story of Emma Crawford.
Now there are ancillary details to the story provided here (a site almost as reputable as The Drudge Report), such as:
- Emma came from a teetolating Northeastern Family that did not care for her hanging around local Ute Indians, who still frequented downtown Manitou in the late 19th Century.
- She was a TB patient who wore a scarf around her neck to insulate her larynx. She tied her scarf around the most peaceful spot she knew above town and after returning home and going to sleep, never woke up.
- Emma found a contemplative peace on the hills above Manitou. After examining their hearts, her family elected to bury her in the same place as her scarf was tied.
- The storm wrecked havoc to the mountain shortly after her burial, and her coffin and remains hurdled down Manitou Ave. in the muddy wash.
To celebrate this historic exhumation, Manitou Spring's very own Chamber of Commerce has commissioned The Emma Crawford Festival. The 15th Annual Event begins this Saturday, October 24 at 11.
Maybe this is your cup of tea, maybe it isn't, but in the spirit of Keep Manitou Weird, here is rule 9 from the official entry form to the Emma Crawford Festival Coffin Race (which follows the parade of coffins, beginning at 11:00 o'clock sharp.
9. All participants must take part in the Parade of Coffins. The Parade starts with the procession of Hearses, followed by the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce Pace Coffin. You must line up behind the pace coffin in the order of your registration number. You must not begin the parade until the Pace Coffin starts.
That's right. Manitou Springs. Budget Travel's 2008 Coolest Small Town in America.
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