MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Thousands flocked to Manitou Springs during the last Saturday of October, to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the infamous Emma Crawford Coffin Races.
The annual happening revolves around the wonderfully bizarre tradition of building and racing homemade coffins down Manitou Avenue.
It's an event that is founded on the lore of Emma Crawford, who lived and died in Manitou Springs during the late 1800s.
Her last wish was to be buried on top of Red Mountain; the story goes, that this wish was honored but years of bad weather (and also a grave relocation) took their toll.
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.
So now, and for the past three decades, teams of competitors head to Manitou Springs at the end of every October to race their own coffins through the town.
The Coffin Races are always accompanied by a parade, as well as an after party to continue and further the spooky nature of this unique holiday-adjacent gathering.
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