Entry No. 52 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: haunted

Elmer McCurdy's Grave

Elmer McCurdy was a small-time Oklahoma train robber shot dead by a posse in 1911 — but death was only the beginning of his career. An undertaker embalmed him so well that the body went unclaimed for a year, then spent the next six-plus decades touring carnivals, haunted houses, and low-budget films as a sideshow prop, occasionally mistaken for a wax dummy. The ruse finally unraveled in December 1976 on the set of The Six Million Dollar Man, when a crew member at a Long Beach amusement park tugged on what looked like a mannequin hanging from a noose and the arm snapped off, revealing real bone. He was identified, buried in 1977 beneath two cubic yards of poured concrete in Guthrie's Summit View Cemetery "Boot Hill" alongside fellow outlaw Bill Doolin — and the concrete lid was ordered specifically so Elmer could never be dug up and used as a prop again. As of 2025, the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Dead Outlaw has turned the grave into an active pilgrimage site, with fans leaving Playbills fluttering in the Oklahoma wind.

The move: Drive up to Guthrie (~30 min from OKC), find the Boot Hill corner of Summit View Cemetery, pay your respects to the most-traveled corpse in American history, and leave your own small tribute — a penny, a ticket stub, or a Playbill if you caught the show.

📍 Before you go Summit View Cemetery sits just off N Pine Street, about a 30-minute drive north of OKC. Once you're through the gate, look for the small "Boot Hill" sign and follow it toward the far side of the grounds, near the north fence by the maintenance shed; the two outlaw headstones flank a single tree. Come in daylight so you can actually find them, and favor mild spring or fall over the brutal, exposed Oklahoma summer heat. It's a working cemetery — free and open to the public — so keep your voices down and tread lightly. Pair the trip with a wander through historic downtown Guthrie's Victorian district.

• 📍 Guthrie
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 1808 N Pine St, Guthrie, OK 73044

Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Roadside America · Atlas Obscura · travelok.com · playbill.com

last checked: 2026-06-09