3. McCurdy’s Tombstone Tells the Length of His After Death Travels
Elmer McCurdy died on October 7, 1911. However, according to his tombstone, McCurdy was not laid to rest until April 22, 1977. If you do the math, that is almost 66 years of traveling McCurdy did after the sheriff shot him in Oklahoma. After being located in Los Angeles County and identified, McCurdy made one last journey. He was sent to Guthrie, Oklahoma. His final resting place is Summit View Cemetery. They even gave McCurdy a tombstone which talks more about his corpse’s time after death than McCurdy’s life. The tombstone states, “Elmer McCurdy shot by Sheriff’s posse in Osage Hills on Oct. 7, 1911, Returned to Guthrie, Okla. from Los Angeles County, Calif for burial Apr. 22, 1977.”
Because people wanted to make sure McCurdy did not go on another journey, they buried him in a unique way. At McCurdy’s burial, there was a concrete truck which filled his grave with concrete. However, this has not stopped people from taking home souvenirs from McCurdy’s resting place. Reports state that several tourists have brought small pieces of McCurdy’s tombstone home. It seems that Elmer McCurdy may always be an attraction.