Halloween is just around the corner. To commemorate the holiday, the DP has published a spread on Colorado’s Historic Graves. You can see the complete list – here – all the way from Buffalo Bill Cody to John Denver. My personal favorite in the epitaph-on-tombstone department? It’s Doc Holliday’s…
When it comes to unusual backstories, there’s always gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson having his ashes shot out of a cannon near Aspen. But for the truly bizarre, it’s hard to beat the tale of Alferd Packer, sole survivor of the ill-fated Donner Party, mentioned here before in these pages. For those of you unfamiliar with the gory details, Packer cannibalized his fellow travelers on a trip across the Sierras during the harsh winter of 1873. He then went on to became the world’s most unlikely vegetarian. Oh, and in case you were wondering: He served 18 years in prison for his crimes before being paroled. After that he lived another 16 years on the outside where presumably he subsisted on root vegetables and hummus. Alas, it was too little, too late.
I find it curious that, of all Colorado’s notorious sons and daughters, it’s Linda Lovelace (née Linda Boreman) whose grave ended up unmarked. As some of you may remember, she starred in the trailblazing porn classic, “Deep Throat.” As I bet very few of you remember, she netted a measly $1,250 for her cinematic efforts. In my book, that’s a much bigger crime than anything that happened to Alferd Packer’s fellow travelers in the winter of 1873. But I digress. <Ahem.>
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And if all that doesn’t get your blood running for Halloween?
Well, then nothing ever will – though you can’t say I didn’t try.
Say, you got those full-size Snickers ready yet?
Only five shopping days left, you know.
Hey, what would Alferd Packer do?
Hmm… I wonder. 😉