COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Manitou Springs celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the Emma Crawford Coffin Races on Saturday, drawing out thousands of spectators to watch dozens of costumed teams race homemade coffins through downtown.
Event organizers place the official start of the event in 1995; since then, the annual monster mash has drawn thousands to town near the end of October to celebrate the legend of Emma Crawford (along with the Halloween season) with costumes, fanfare, a parade and coffin races.
News5 reporter Jon McMichael has the story in the video below:
The story surrounding Emma Crawford has it that she came to Manitou Springs in the late 1800s in search of a cure for her tuberculosis; she did not find what she was searching for, eventually succumbed to the illness, and (following her wishes) was buried atop 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.
Now, and for more than three decades, the town remembers her final journey down the mountain via annual coffin races down Manitou Avenue; teams of coffin races construct their own macabre conveyances and task four "pallbearers" to push the coffin, while one "Emma" rides within.
This year, the event saw more than 50 teams compete.
For additional information regarding this unique event, click here.
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