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where the wild west comes alive
Gravesites Lost
The page will document lost, unknown or unmarked final resting places of westerners. This is not the grand total, and we will be adding items as we remember them. If you have any input, please email us:
James Averill and Ella Watson - The first people hanged in what would be known
as the Johnson County War. Averill owned a bar/saloon which was a gathering place for "rustlers".
Ella Watson was a prostitute who took cattle as payment for her services. The cattle were stolen
from local ranches. On July 20, 1889, five men rode to the Averill and Watson home and hanged
the pair. After stretching the rope for thirty hours, they were cut down and buried near the Averill cabin. This
area is now at the bottom of the Seminole Resevoir.
James Moon - Jim Moon was a frontier gambler and saloon owner in Ellsworth, KS
Dodge City, KS and finally Denver, CO. During the Chinese riots in Denver where an angry mob was
beating and lynching these immigrants on the basis of cheap labor, Moon stood outside a Chinese
business with a gun in each hand and held off the mob alone. Moon later stated "These
Chinks do my laundry and I was there to see nobody bothered them". So much for chivalry. Moon's
violent temper and abusive manner ended June 16, 1881 when he was killed in a gunfight
outside his Ocean Oyster Saloon. He is buried in the northwest part of Lot 32 in the Riverside
Cemetery, Denver, CO, but there is no headstone.
Harvey Logan (aka Kid Curry)- Harvey Logan was a member of the Wild Bunch
having rustled livestock in Johnson County Wyoming, robbed a number of trains and at least one
bank. After the June, 1904 train robbery, Harvey Logan and others engaged the pursuing posse.
Logan was wounded and the rest of the bandits fled. When the posse came upon the body one of the
bullet wounds was self-inflicted. This person was identified by Pinkertons as Harvey Logan,
but one person identified the body as a local cowboy Tap Duncan. Recently a researcher found
that Tap Duncan had moved to Arizona and died there. However, if you look at the two known
photos of Harvey Logan (Ft. Worth and Nashville photos), the picture of the person found
dead near Rifle, CO does not look like Harvey Logan. The most convincing item is a
drawing of Harvey Logan done for a Nashville newspaper. The sketch shows Harvey Logan after
shaving his beard. This drawing and the person found dead near Rifle do look similar.
Harvey Logan was buried in the Hill Top Cemetery (sometimes called Linwood) in Glenwood Springs,
CO. The grave is not marked and the location may not be known. It is the same cemetery which
contains Doc Holliday's grave.
Tom O'Day- O'Day was one of the bank robbers who held up the bank
in Belle Fourche, SD along with Wild Bunch members Kid Curry, George Currie and the Sundance Kid.
After being caught for this robbery, Tom O'Day reformed and served as a celebrity of sorts
at a saloon/resort in Deadwood, SD. He is buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Dunlap, IA
in the O'Day plot, but there is no marker. A headstone for a Tom O'Day exists, but the dates do not
match this Tom O'Day. Maybe it is a cloak.
Sam Ketchum- An older brother of Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum, Sam was also
involved in robbing trains. After one particular train robbery, Sam along with Wild Bunch members
Elzy Lay and possibly Kid Curry hid out in Turkey Creek Canyon. A posse found the group and a gun battle
resulted in Sam and Elzy Lay being wounded. Also, five of the eight lawmen were wounded
and one eventually died from the wounds. Sam Ketchum was taken to the Santa Fe Prison and he died of blood poisoning from
the wound. He is buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Santa Fe. The exact spot is not marked and not known.
Some say it is in the far SE corner along the fence. Others state he was buried outside the fence
and the grave was covered with asphalt when Cerrillos Road was widened.
Dave Rudabaugh- A outlaw who was part of the Hoodoo Brown gang in Las Vegas,
New Mexico and one of the "Regulators" with Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County war, Rudabaugh
settled in Mexico owning a ranch. In a shootout at a cantina, Dave killed two locals and wounded
a third before he was killed. His head was paraded around town on a stick.
Jeff Milton- A Texas Ranger, deputy sheriff, chief of police in El Paso and
a range detective, Jeff Milton's career as a lawman was extraordinary and controversial. When
he died in Tucson, Arizona, Milton was cremated and his ashes were spread over the Arizona
desert.
Henry Newton Brown- Brown rode with Billy the Kid in New Mexico as a
"Regulator" and became a lawman in Caldwell, Kansas. While serving as a lawman, he and others
robbed the bank in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Captured and jailed in Medicine Lodge, a mob stormed
the jail and Brown was killed while trying to escape the inevitable hanging. Many rumors of where
he was finally buried have been told, but no definitive marker or body has been found.
Sequoyah- Sequoyah was the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. Although
illiterate Sequoyah managed to provide a writing method for his native language. While spreading
the use of this monumental accomplishment in Mexico, Sequoyah died and was buried somewhere in
Mexico.
Harry Tracy- Harry Tracy was not an outlaw or gunman, but rather a killer
and criminal. He committed suicide when he was surrounded by a posse in eastern Washington.
His body was returned to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem and buried in the cemetery outside the
prison. Since that time the prison has been expanded and parking lots extended. Harry Tracy
may now lie under a Winnebago from time to time.
L.H. Musgrove- Musgrove was a leader of a well organized group of outlaws.
This group would steal horses and livestock and move them to another state to sell. Musgrove
was finally captured by Dave Cook's Rocky Mountain Detective Agency and put in a Denver Jail.
While Cook was away, a lynching mob stormed the jail and hanged him from a bridge over Cherry
Creek. He was buried in an old Denver City cemetery. The growth of the city required removal
of the bodies to other cemeteries. However, only half the bodies were actually moved and Musgrove
is probably buried in Cheesman City Park. He might even be buried under the camels at the
Denver Zoo.
Frank Stilwell- Stilwell was one of the characters in Tombstone. He was
killed by Earp and Company in Tucson, AZ. Frank Stilwell was buried in an old Tucson city
cemetery. When this cemetery was eliminated due to city growth, his body was moved to the
Evergreen Cemetery and buried in an unmarked mass grave.
Hugh Glass- Hugh Glass was a fur trapper who was mauled in a battle with
a grizzly. Left for dead Glass recovered enough to crawl hundreds of miles to the nearest fort
and survived. The movie "A Man in the Wilderness" was based on his life. He was killed by Arikaras while trapping along the Yellowstone River in Montana.
Exact site is not known.
Jedediah Smith- Jedediah Smith was a bible toting fur trapper. Considered
one of the great fur trappers, Smith was killed while traveling on the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe
trail by Comanches just south of present day Ulysses, KS. Exact site is not known.
Cochise- Cochise was the great leader of the Chiricahua Apaches. He died
of dyspepsia on June 8, 1874. His burial place was/is known only by a select few. It is
believed he was buried in the mountains now known as Cochise Stronghold in southeast Arizona.
Crazy Horse- Crazy Horse was the great leader of the Oglala Sioux. After
surrendering at Fort Robinson, NE, he was bayoneted and died the same night. His burial place
was/is known by a select few. Four possible places have been documented over the years, but
some things are better left as mysteries.
Dick Broadwell- Dick Broadwell was one of the bank robbers with the Daltons
on their fateful day in Coffeyville, KS. Broadwell's family retrieved the body and carted it back
to Hutchinson, KS. Dick Broadwell was buried under the cover of darkness and the exact location
is not known. The final resting place is probably in the Broadwell plot in the Hutchinson Cemetery.
Jim Beckwourth - Jim Beckwourth was a fur trapper. He eventually went and lived
with the Crow indians where he died and was placed on a traditional burial platform.
Ed Masterson - Ed Masterson was the brother of Bat Masterson and a lawman
in Dodge City. He was killed while disarming a drunken cowboy. Ed was buried in the Fort Dodge
military cemetery, then moved to a city cemetery in Dodge City. When this cemetery was eliminated
due to city growth, he was moved to the Maple Grove Cemetery. Sometime during these
transfers, the identification of his remains were lost. Bat Masterson spent time trying to
locate the site, but was not successful.