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Post by snsurone on Apr 8, 2020 0:56:50 GMT
In Westerns, baddies who were finally gunned down by the heroes were buried in a plot of ground called "Boot Hill" under crude wooden markers and located about a mile or so from the nearest town. In those days of "cow towns" and "whistle stops", there was plenty of ground on the prairie for these cemeteries. But as the US grew and developed from an agrarian into an industrial nation, the "Boot Hills" were bulldozed to make room for buildings and roads. This started with the expansion of railroads out west. I'd wager that numerous skeletons were unearthed during the period of urban development. Whatever became of them, I don't know; they were probably just scattered, although skulls may have been used in productions pf "Hamlet".  BTW, can anyone tell me how "Boot Hill" got its name/ |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 2:58:15 GMT
... can anyone tell me how "Boot Hill" got its name/ Origin of term Although many towns use the name "Boot Hill", the first graveyard named "Boot Hill" was at Hays, Kansas, 5 years before the founding of Dodge City, Kansas. The term alludes to the fact that many of its occupants were cowboys who "died with their boots on," the implication here being they died violently, as in gunfights or by hanging, and not of natural causes. The term became commonplace throughout the Old West, with some Boot Hills becoming famous, such as Dodge City, Kansas, Tombstone, Arizona, and Deadwood, South Dakota.  more information at : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_HillBoothill Graveyard The most notable use of the name "Boot Hill" is at the Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona. 31°43′11.6″N 110°04′13.6″W Formerly called the "Tombstone Cemetery", the plot features the graves of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury; the three men who were killed during the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Located on the northwest corner of the town, the graveyard is believed to hold over 300 persons, 205 of which are recorded. This was due to some people (especially Chinese and Jewish immigrants) being buried without record. There is a separate Jewish cemetery nearby with some markers restored, and there are also marked graves of Chinese. However, most of the loss was due to neglect of grave markers and theft of these wooden relics as souvenirs. For example, when former Tombstone Mayor John Clum visited Tombstone for the first Helldorado celebration in 1929, he was unable to locate the grave of his wife Mary, who had been buried in Boothill. The Tombstone "boothill" cemetery was closed in late 1886, as the new "City Cemetery" on Allen Street opened. Thereafter, Boothill was referred to as the "old city cemetery" and neglected. It was used after that only to bury a few later outlaws (some legally hanged and one shot in a robbery), as well as a few colorful Western characters and one man (Emmett Crook Nunnally) who had spent many volunteer hours restoring it. Currently, the Boothill Graveyard is open to the public for a $3 fee, and is a popular stop for tourists visiting Tombstone.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 2:59:48 GMT
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 3:05:15 GMT
 The Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona is well worth a visit. As is the Birdcage Theater. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 3:14:32 GMT
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 3:31:38 GMT
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 3:34:33 GMT
 This is an actual horse drawn hearse from the Days of Wyatt Earp, now at the Birdcage Theater in Tombstone, Arizona. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 4:06:30 GMT
 Boot Hill (1969) ~~ La collina degli stivali (original title) "Victims of oppressive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers."  |
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Post by snsurone on Apr 8, 2020 12:39:23 GMT
Thank you for the replies, BAT.  It explains the first season of the classic TV show GUNSMOKE, where each episode began with a prologue of Matt Dillon walking around Boot Hill, with his voice-over narration set the stage for the story that followed. |
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Post by Prime etc. on Apr 8, 2020 19:01:28 GMT
SHOWDOWN AT BOOT HILL "An unusual western plot that is character driven and reaches beyond right/wrong morality, requiring its male and female leads to develop and act on introspection. Charles Bronson portrays a Marshall who has turned bounty hunter explicitly as a reaction to his being "short" and unable to command the allegiance of those he is to protect. His beliefs and lifestyle are challenged by Doc played by John Carradine who sees something of his younger self in this angry man with a gun. Also driving the psychological elements of the film is the Marshall's growing attachment to Jill (Carole Mathews) and her daughter Sally (Fintan Meyler)."
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2020 20:11:33 GMT
The first season of the classic TV show GUNSMOKE, each episode began with a prologue of Matt Dillon walking around Boot Hill, with his voice-over narration set the stage for the story that followed. 
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 9, 2020 16:52:19 GMT
In Westerns, baddies who were finally gunned down by the heroes were buried in a plot of ground called "Boot Hill" under crude wooden markers and located about a mile or so from the nearest town.But as the US grew and developed from an agrarian into an industrial nation, the "Boot Hills" were bulldozed to make room for buildings and roads. This started with the expansion of railroads out west. Do you have some sort of link to substantiate this information ? Have been to many former "frontier towns' and the old cemeteries are there and they are not located a mile away from the town. They are often in the back of the local church which has been there since "frontier" days.
As for the railroads being allowed to "bulldoze"local cemeteries . Local cemeteries were used for local residents .. not just for the "baddies". No way would the residents of a town allow the bones of their families to be "scattered" ! When cemeteries are "in the way" of construction the bodies / bones are re-located.
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Post by snsurone on Apr 9, 2020 20:52:57 GMT
Boot Hill was the burial grounds of outlaws, and not of prominent families whose members were interred in the churchyards you mentioned.
I'd bet that nobody gave a rat's behind if outlaws' bones were scattered, any more than they cared what happened to the remains of African slaves or Native Americans.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 9, 2020 21:14:51 GMT
Boot Hill was the burial grounds of outlaws, and not of prominent families whose members were interred in the churchyards you mentioned. "Boot Hill Cemetery " in Tombstone Arizona, for instance, shelters the remains of ordinary town residents as well as outlaws. "Boot Hill" in Dodge City, Kansas and the old town cemetery in Willcox, Arizona .. ditto. www.tombstoneaz.net/the-boothill-cemetery.html
It's a name that became attached to old western cemeteries irregardless of the former occupation of their occupants
There are many websites with images of old western cemeteries ... some pictures are similar to ones I have taken in my travels.
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Post by snsurone on Apr 11, 2020 12:46:43 GMT
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Post by mattgarth on Apr 11, 2020 13:05:25 GMT
Boot Hill
Boot Hill
So cold
So still
-- Frankie Laine sings in GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 11, 2020 13:35:37 GMT
Sleep well. It must have been exhausting following all those links and exploring the old towns of the west. 
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 11, 2020 13:50:20 GMT
Seriously .. I am sorry that you seem to take offense at being given information. You ask questions... I enjoy researching and answering questions. Posting a link is the often quickest way to answer a question. Occasionally documented information is more accurate than stated opinion. My replies have nothing to do with who posted the question and no offense is intended by replying to you or, for that matter, to anyone else.
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Post by snsurone on Apr 11, 2020 21:23:19 GMT
BAT, I don't mind being given information.
In an earlier post, I actually thanked you.
It's your argumentative attitude that bothers me.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I read (present tense) that you are itching for an argument contrary to what you say.
And if I'm correct, I'm not the only one who feels this way.
On some posts, you actually become personal.
I suggest that you take a good, long look in the mirror.
And maybe see a counsellor about your combativeness.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 11, 2020 22:20:36 GMT
...you are itching for an argument ... Nope. I posted some info to answer a specific question, added some CLASSIC FILM and television related additions and attempted to correct some erroneous opinions. Take it or leave it. 
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