Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
19 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
21 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Kansas The Original Boot Hill Cemetery

The Original Boot Hill Cemetery

The first graveyard named "Boot Hill" was established in Hays, Kansas, years before better known cemeteries with the same name.

Hays, Kansas

Added By
Daniel Aronhalt
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Statue and sign   Nukemzzz / Atlas Obscura User
Statue and sign   Nukemzzz / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque at the site   Nukemzzz / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Many Wild West towns have a Boot Hill Cemetery, but this one is the first—predating even the famous graveyards of Dodge City and Tombstone.

While a sign at the site and the accompanying website claim bodies remain buried here, there are no visible markers to tell their stories. Instead, you’ll find a small, grassy corner lot, and a statue with a plaque, quietly reminding the surrounding homes that the spirits of the Old West may still linger.

Related Tags

Graveyards Old West Cemeteries

Community Contributors

Added By

Nukemzzz

Published

October 31, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_Hill
  • https://www.visithays.com/191/Boot-Hill-Cemetery
The Original Boot Hill Cemetery
1800 Fort St
Hays, Kansas, 67601
United States
38.878463, -99.327741
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

St. Fidelis Basilica

Victoria, Kansas

miles away

Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

La Crosse, Kansas

miles away

Cedar Bluff Reservoir

Ransom, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 130
Stories 12

Nearby Places

St. Fidelis Basilica

Victoria, Kansas

miles away

Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

La Crosse, Kansas

miles away

Cedar Bluff Reservoir

Ransom, Kansas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kansas

Kansas

United States

Places 130
Stories 12

Related Places

  • Silver City Cemetery Landmark.

    Eureka, Utah

    Silver City Cemetery

    These headstones and a few stone foundations are all that remain of a once-booming mining town.

  • A well-tended site.

    Green River, Utah

    Elgin Cemetery Sentimental Statues

    A cemetery full of touching tombstones from a community of railroad workers, uranium miners, and Cold War missile launchers.

  • The memorial to the Jewish pioneers.

    Tombstone, Arizona

    Jewish Pioneers Memorial

    The Jewish section of the famous Boothill Graveyard was abandoned for nearly 100 years.

  • Doc’s Griffin, Georgia grave?

    Griffin, Georgia

    Doc Holliday's Grave in Griffin

    Could this grave be the true resting place of legendary gunfighter "Doc" Holliday? Unclear.

  • Paju, South Korea

    Military Cemetery for North Korean Soldiers

    A seldom-visited resting place for North Korean soldiers and spies.

  • “ANDREAS MORGENRØDT – Time Traveller – 1996–2064”

    Copenhagen, Denmark

    The Time Traveler's Grave

    Hidden in plain sight, a gravestone seemingly inscribed from the future stands among the cemetery’s historic tombs.

  • Allinge, Denmark

    The Russian Cemetery in Allinge

    World War II Soviet Russian soldiers were buried on the Danish island after the war had ended.

  • From the entrance.

    Cork, Ireland

    Temple Hill Cemetery in Ballintemple

    Both Catholic and Protestant graves dot this 17th-century burial ground.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.