Campo Santo de Cemento Grande is a historic graveyard in West Dallas. Cemento Grande was a company town for Mexican laborers at Trinity Portland Cement in the early twentieth century. The families interred at Campo Santo de Cemento Grande largely migrated from Guanajuato, Mexico to Dallas to work at the cement plant and built the foundations of our city. The soil in this area is rich in limestone and clay, which are key for making cement. The North Texas Master Naturalist (NTMN) chapter is honored to work with descendants of those buried at the cemetery and other members of the Ledbetter community to establish a monarch way station in this historic cemetery. Monarch butterflies migrate every year between Mexico and the United States and are a powerful symbol for migrant justice and connection with ancestors. This work at Campo Santo de Cemento Grande was a NTMN Class Project in 2022, a former site for Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day, and continues to be a NTMN project today.
Location: 4331 Communications Dr. Dallas, Tx 75211 (The cemetery is located behind the large AT&T building. Pull up to the gate and ask the security guard to open the gate.)
2023 Activities – 8 volunteers with 95 hours of service performed
- New project in 2023
- NTMN volunteers worked with Eagle Scouts and Dallas County workers to remove privet, created additional pollinator beds in the cemetery and planted native wildflower seeds. In collaboration with the Ledbetter Neighborhood Association, Campo Santo de Cemento Grande joined the Constellation of Living Memorials Pilot Project.