No wonder all those people got liquored up and trashed the town and each other every night. Dodge City is in the middle of nowhere. The barren landscape alone was enough to make me understand why the west was so wild.
This is what I learned during my visit to Dodge City:
- Dodge City is in Ford County.
- Only one woman is buried on Boot Hill:
Alice Chambers died of "natural causes," had few friends, and possessed little or no money. She was the last person to be laid to rest on Boot Hill (May 5, 1879) and was the owner of an unsuccessful dance hall and saloon. A full-fledged member of a group referred to as "soiled doves," Alice was a favorite of many. Her last words were, "Circumstances led me to this end."
A number of questions come to mind:
- If she was a favorite of many, why did she have few friends?
- If the answer to that question is what I think it is, why did she die broke and why was her saloon so unsuccessful?
OK. I started out writing this as a humorous story. When I took the photo I thought it was impressive that she was the only woman buried amidst a bunch of shady characters who mostly ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time or pissing off the wrong people, namely the Dodge City "Vigilance Committee" (does your church have one of those?). And being a member of the Soiled Doves . . . how glamorously scandalous does that sound? The Dirty Dozen, the MeeMaws, and WNDC all would have paled in comparison.
Now I just wonder what circumstances led her to the circumstances that led to her untimely demise? We don't know the situation she may have found herself in that prompted her to pick up a career in entertainment. Deceased husband, negligent parents, poor choices . . . My guess is she made poor decisions regarding the finances of her could-be lucrative career, poor decisions about her lifestyle choice, poor decisions about the kind of folks she hung out with . . . decisions that, if placed in the same time and in the same situation, we might have made in order to survive.
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Let anyone who among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. -Jesus
2 comments:
Love this post Susie!!! Have you tried to research this gal? I bet you'd find something out there on her somewhere.
Yep, you never know where anyone could've/should've ended up if only their circumstances were changed in the slightest.
I'm commenting for 2 reasons:
1. I think this is truly a very sad story and I find it's reality heart-breaking.
2. I hate it when people only comment on funny stories! It makes me paranoid when that happens to me, so I just wanted you to know I actually read your "serious" story, I concur with your conclusions and opinion, and thank you for also sharing from your heart as well as providing us with much needed comedy on your blog space!
Rock on, Sus!
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