Boothill Cemetery - Billings, Montana
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 45° 48.149 W 108° 28.839
12T E 695770 N 5075189
Historical plaque with a brief history of a pioneer cemetery in the northeast section of Billings, Montana.
Waymark Code: WM6RH3
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2009
Views: 7
Text of marker on site:
Boothill Cemetery
Historical Significance:
Fact, fiction or legend? Coulson Hill Cemetery as it was originally called served the residents of the free wheeling river town of Coulson in the late 1880s and is now the only visible reminder of the once thriving burg. Gunfighters, Indian tribesmen, soldiers, railroad workers, lawmen, women and children were all put to rest in shallow graves here. Although the number of people buried is uncertain. The deaths were caused by disease, accidents, suicides, and murders aplenty. A typical burial would consist of the corpse being thrown over a horse and hauled out to the cemetery where it was laid to rest. After a brief moment of silence, the mourners got back on their horses and raced back to the saloon. Most of the time, the mourners left the boots on the dead bodies, giving the cemetery the nickname "Boothill." The name was widely disputed until Luther S. "Yellowstone" Kelly, a well-known scout in the area, requested being buried in Boothill. After his request, the cemetery's identity was solidified as Boothill Cemetery and it has maintained its unique flavor that keeps the old west alive today.