Ogallala in Keith County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Boot Hill

Nebraska Historical Marker

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, December 10, 2011

1. Boot Hill Marker

Inscription. 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.

Erected by Keith County Historical Society/ Historical Land Mark Council. (Marker

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Number 24.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1879.

Location. 41° 7.962′ N, 101° 43.53′ W. Marker is in Ogallala, Nebraska, in Keith County. It is at the intersection of Parkhill Drive and West 10th Street on Parkhill Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1008 Parkhill Drive, Ogallala NE 69153, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Boot Hill Kiosk (a few steps from this marker); The Trail Boss (within shouting distance of this marker); Cowboy Capital (approx. ¼ mile

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, December 10, 2011

2. Boot Hill Marker

away); Keith County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); KOGA AM & FM (approx. half a mile away); End of the Texas Trail (approx. half a mile away); Standard Oil Gas Station (approx. half a mile away); The Mormon Trail (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ogallala.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, December 10, 2011

3. Boot Hill Marker

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, December 10, 2011

4. Boot Hill

The statue is entitled "The Trail Boss."

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,054 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 1, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.