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.)
CAMPO SANTO MONARCH WAYSTATION
Leader: Ginger Greatens
2024 Activities – 14 volunteers with 125 hours of service performed
- Workdays in the fall after gaining access again to the cemetery. The property is in the process of being sold and it took some time to connect with the interim property managers to coordinate access
- In October, site was featured in Preservation Dallas Cemetery Tour with outreach event