I Visited Belle Starr's Grave

Belle Starr, the Outlaw Queen, made her way into the pantheon of legendary wild west bandits by living an exciting life and having a series of outlandish adventures, some of which are actually true.  Yes, like many legends, most of her exploits began, not from a six-shooter's flow of bullets but rather, from the flow of ink of a writer's quill.

But tall tales beget fame and fame begets monuments.  The picture above is a statue of the notorious highwaywoman that can be found at the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary near Bartlesville. It's impressive but it's not the only place in Oklahoma to remember the infamous rogue.  Her final resting place is near Stigler, close to the Lake Eufaula dam but you need to make a little effort to find it.  So let's take a look.

The first thing to know is that the grave is on private property so when you go, don't be douchey.  That essentially means don't trash the place.  The owners maintain a great trail that leads to the grave.  It starts at the end of their driveway and has signage instructing visitors where to go.  It's also conveniently near a historic marker.

According to the marker, it looks like the Canadian River used to pass through this area and it was home to Belle and her husband.  The outlaw life doesn't necessarily end tidily so only Belle made it back home to be interred.  And to see her final resting place, you need to head down the trail.

There are plenty of signs along the path.  Many of them warn about spiders and snakes and there are lots of "Enter at Your Own Risk" signs.  That may seem a little hostile but it's probably just the owners protecting themselves from liability.  Remember, they don't have to make their private property accessible, they're essentially just doing it to be nice.  And they did a great job on the trail.  It's an easy-to-follow short hike.

And here it is...you can see there's a fairly elaborate headstone and that she's interred above ground.  Like many graves, past visitors have left mementos like dollars, shotgun shells, trinkets, but mostly coins.  I've seen this before at other historic grave sites and I assume it's just good old fashioned "paying tribute."

I didn't stay long and I didn't want to disturb anything.  The dead need their rest.  So I headed back down the trail (only getting lost once) and was back in the car in no time headed off for my next adventure.  One that would surely pale in comparison to the those of the Outlaw Queen...

Frasier's Dog is Not Buried in Oklahoma

The best parts of many road trips involve stopping along the way at some of the more unusual attractions.  Oklahoma is full of these kind of stops, not just along Route 66, but across the state.  You never have to look too far to find some roadside wonder to brighten up your travels.

But one thing you won't find along the back roads in the Sooner State is a monument to "Moose," the canine actor who played the role of "Eddie" on the long running NBC sitcom "Frasier."  Why would anyone even expect to find such a thing?  That's all thanks to another sitcom...

On a season 4 episode of The Mindy Project, two of the characters ("That Guy From That Thing" and "That Other Guy, I Know I've Seen Him in Something") decide to do a Road Trip Episode™.  Soon enough, the boys find themselves in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Of course, it's a real life Oklahoma town along the Mother Road but the episode would have you believe it's the final resting place of "the dog from Frasier."  The prop department even whipped up a nice monument (which I wish I owned):

In my research I couldn't find the actual grave of Moose which leads me to believe there's just not one.  I'd like to think he was cremated and his remains were divided into lockets worn around the necks of the cast and crew of Frasier every single day.  It just feels right to me.

After reading this, if you are now in the process of canceling your plans for a Catoosa road trip, then allow me to talk you back into it.  You don't need a dead dog when you can have a giant whale:

The Blue Whale makes his home in Catoosa and travelers come from all over to walk into his big smiling face.  Unfortunately the only pic of him I have handy is this one of me shooting video of him several years ago.  At least it helps to give a little perspective of how big he is.

I'll head out there again soon to get some betters for his own blog entry.  And speaking of which, there is a grave of a famous TV animal in Oklahoma for your viewing pleasure but you'll have to head out to Tahlequah to see it:

But Mr. Ed's grave is a story for another time...to be continued?!?

Ashes to Ashes

The Marlboro Man is one of the most iconic and successful marketing campaigns ever but there's always been one huge flaw.  Rugged, grizzled types pose for magazine ads and drip testosterone as they take a pull from a Marlboro cigarette and they cause sales to skyrocket but they are frequently replaced.  Not necessarily to freshen up the campaign but because smoking tends to kill people.

So when it comes to tracking down gravestones of famous people, it shouldn't be too surprising to find several belonging to former Marlboro Men.  But in the "Bull Rider's Reprieve" section of the Mt. Olive Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma you can find a grave of a Marlboro Man who is still alive:

Oklahoma cowboy Max "Turk" Robinson got the job as the Marlboro Man just by having the right look.  He was a longtime staple of the rodeo circuit when a photo of him on a horse was published and got the tobacco company's attention.  He had the exact look of an authentic cowboy because he was one.  But he has one unique characteristic that other Marlboro Men don't...which may be why his grave is empty...

He doesn't smoke.  I guess that would be kind of like if Colonel Sanders was a vegetarian but you can't argue with results.  I guess clean living and the cowboy lifestyle has a lot going for it. 

Turk is still somewhat active in the rodeo community and still does appearances at Oklahoma casinos and in parades so maybe you can get to meet him someday and take a picture with him not smoking.  So here's to your health!