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Deaths & Graves of the Old West

 

Jeans by Sheplers

 

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JackSlade.jpg (245x184 -- 8151 bytes)Joseph Alfred “Jack” Slade (1829-1864) Jack Slade arrived near Virginia City, Montana after being fired from the Overland Stage Line at Virginia Dale, Colorado. The stage line had long been terrorized by robberies and though the stage line couldn’t prove it, it was thought that Slade was the leader of the outlaw gang. In 1863, an army payroll of $60,000 (which would be about $1 million dollars today) was robbed along the Overland Trail. The treasure has never been recovered. (You can read more about this buried treasure, by clicking HERE.) Slade was a heavy drinker with a bad temper and after arriving in Virginia City, Montana he began wrecking a saloon. Jack was arrested but he tore up the arrest and threatened the judge. Though he pleaded for his life, he was immediately hung. Virginia Dale, his girlfriend (or common law wife) was brought to town by one of Jack's friends, took his body home, pickled it in alcohol in a metal casket, and kept it under her bed for several months. She then took it to Salt Lake City, Utah and buried him in the old Mormon Cemetery where his body remains today.

BelleStarr2.jpg (162x202 -- 5658 bytes)Belle Starr, a/k/a the “Outlaw Queen” (1848-1889) -- Belle was a horse thief, outlaw and part-time prostitute who was the first woman to be tried for a serious crime by Judge Isaac Parker. She was sentenced to five months in prison for horse theft. In 1889 she was shot in the back and killed by an unknown assailant. Belle was buried at her cabin southwest of Porum, Oklahoma near the Eufuala Dam in Muskogee County. Her daughter Pearl had the following inscription engraved to her tombstone:

"Shed not for her the bitter tear,
Nor give the heart to vain regret,
'Tis but the casket that lies here,
The gem that fills it sparkles yet."

 

 

 

 

HenryStarr.jpg (142x179 -- 8632 bytes)Henry Starr (1873-1921) – During his 32 years in crime Henry Starr robbed more banks than both the James-Younger Gang and the Doolin-Dalton Gang put together. He started robbing banks on horseback in 1893 and ended up robbing his last in a car in 1921. Robbing a bank in Harrison, Arkansas, Starr on February 18, 1921 Starr was shot in the back by the former president of the bank. Starr received medical attention but died on February 21, 1921. Henry Starr is buried in the Dewey Cemetery north of Dewey, Oklahoma. There is no marker, but he is buried next to headstone labeled as 'Baby Starr'

CattleKate.jpg (167x206 -- 23172 bytes)Ellen Watson, a/k/a Cattle Kate (1861-1889) Ellen Watson, dubbed by local newspapers in the late 1880’s, as “Cattle Kate,” was long thought of as an outlaw. Watson, and her husband, Jim Averill were hanged by vigilantes near the Sweetwater River in Wyoming on July 20, 1889 for the accused crime of cattle rustling. However, there is a mystery surrounding the hangings and it appears that their deaths were unjustified, perpetrated by powerful land and cattle owners of the time.

The two are buried on what is today the Pathfinder Ranch in Sweetwater Valley. Long ago when the pair was buried, two oak wagon wheels were placed side by side over their graves. Today the wood has long rotted away, but the old iron hub and wheels are still there. Over 100 years later the descendants of Ellen Watson rededicated a marker at the site. Watson and Averill’s remains are on private property.

ColeYounger.jpg (156x209 -- 46307 bytes)Thomas Coleman (Cole) Younger (1844-1916) – Cole was an outlaw and the leader of the Younger Gang. He was wounded and captured following the Northfield bank raid on September 7, 1876. After serving more than twenty years in prison, Cole was paroled in 1901 but was not allowed to leave the State of Minnesota. Cole, along with brother Jim sold tombstones and insurance in Minnesota. Cole received an official pardon in 1903 and returned home to Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Cole reunited with Frank James in a touring Wild West show for a time and also went on the lecture circuit preaching the evils of crime. He was known as an elderly churchgoer in his hometown and died quietly in 1916. He is buried in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

JimYounger.jpg (147x197 -- 14573 bytes)James “Jim” Younger (1848-1902) – Jim, a member of the Younger gang was captured and imprisoned after the failed Northfield, Minnesota bank raid on September 7, 1876. Jim was paroled in 1901 and fell in love with a newspaper writer, Alice Miller, but was not permitted to marry under the strict parole terms handed down by the state. Despondent, he killed himself on October 19, 1902. His body was returned to his home where is buried in the Lee Summit Historical Cemetery In Lees Summit, Missouri.

BobYounger.jpg (129x169 -- 15952 bytes)Robert “Bob” Younger – The youngest of the Younger brothers, Bob was severely wounded in the 1876 Northfield raid on September 21, 1876. He was sent to prison, but contracted tuberculosis and died on September 16, 1889. His body was returned to his home where is buried in the Lee Summit Historical Cemetery In Lees Summit, Missouri.

 

 

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Camera - Vintage Photos IconVintage Photographs of the Old West - From our personal Photo Print Shop, you can now order prints that provide dramatic glimpses into the rich heritage of the American West. From notorious outlaws, to Indian Chiefs, buffalo roaming the range, and pioneers on the trail, this varied collection grows daily.

         

We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

-- Charles Bukowski

 

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