Nebraska Historical Marker
Boot Hill was the final resting place for many early westerners who helped make Ogallala a booming cowtown in the 1870's and 1880's. These people, the cowboys, settlers, and drifters, came to Ogallala when the railroad and the Texas Trail opened a new market for the Texas Longhorn.Although one of the first burials here was a mother and child, many came by running afoul of the law - - some for stealing another man's horse. Others were killed by re-fighting the Civil War or for questioning the gambler's winning hand. In July of 1879 three cowhands were buried in a single day, victims of the sheriff's guns. Another man, Rattlesnake Ed", was buried here after he was shot down over a nine dollar bet in a Monte game in the Cowboy's Rest, a local saloon.
Most were buried with their boots on, thus the name Boot Hill. Their bodies, placed in canvas sacks, were lowered into shallow graves and marked with a wooden headboard. Some of the bodies have since been removed - only the unknown or unclaimed remain in this western cemetery.
| HM Number | HMYKC |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Nebraska: Nebraska State Historical Society series |
| Tags | |
| Marker Number | 24 |
| Placed By | Keith County Historical Society/ Historical Land Mark Council |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Thursday, October 16th, 2014 at 8:57pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 14T E 271229 N 4557068 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 41.13270000, -101.72550000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 41° 7.962', W 101° 43.53' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 41° 7' 57.72" N, 101° 43' 31.80" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 308 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 1009 Parkhill Dr, Ogallala NE 69153, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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