Dodge City in Ford County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Boot Hill Cemetery
Photographed By Don Morfe
1. Boot Hill Cemetery Marker
Markers were photographed on May 27, 1996
Inscription.
Boot Hill Cemetery. . This hill was not a pleasant place during the 1870’s. It was covered with buffalo grass, prickly pear and soapweed and was used as a burying ground for drifters, troublemakers, and unknowns from 1872 until 1879. As early as 1879 newspapers were reporting that some people in Dodge City were dying with their boots on and were being buried where you are now standing. There were no ceremonies for the dead, no markers on the graves and wolves often dug up the bodies soon after burial. By 1879 when the city council ordered that all bodies be removed from this site, about 34 persons had been interred on Boot Hill. In 1916 most of the hill was excavated to make room for a new city swimming pool. You are now at what was the northwest corner of the original graveyard.
This hill was not a pleasant place during the 1870’s. It was covered with buffalo grass, prickly pear and soapweed and was used as a burying ground for drifters, troublemakers, and unknowns from 1872 until 1879. As early as 1879 newspapers were reporting that some people in Dodge City were dying with their boots on and were being buried where you are now standing. There were no ceremonies for the dead, no markers on the graves and wolves often dug up the bodies soon after burial. By 1879 when the city council ordered that all bodies be removed from this site, about 34 persons had been interred on Boot Hill. In 1916 most of the hill was excavated to make room for a new city swimming pool. You are now at what was the northwest corner of the original graveyard.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
Location. 37° 45.174′ N, 100° 1.272′ W. Marker is in Dodge City, Kansas, in Ford County. Marker is on West Wyatt Earp Blvd. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 West Wyatt Earp Blvd, Dodge City KS 67801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 764 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 20, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
