Charles Philip Ingalls was the father of ultra famous children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder, and is one of the subjects of her “Little House” series of books. His character was played by Michael Landon in the television series “Little House on the Prairie”. The real Charles Ingalls was born on Jan. 10, 1836. A rugged pioneer, he and his family journeied across the prairie with other settlers of the time, looking for a new life. He was one of two original founders of the town of DeSmet, South Dakota. Pa Ingalls died on Jun. 8, 1902. He is buried, with most of the rest of his family at DeSmet Cemetary in DeSmet, South Dakota.

Rose Wilder Lane was the only child of renowned children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder. She grew up to become an author in her own right, as well as a pioneer on the women’s political front. Rose was born on Dec. 5, 1886, and passed away on Oct. 30, 1968. She is buried next to her famous parents at the Mansfield Cemetary in Mansfield, Misouri, just down the road from the famous Rocky Ridge Farm where she grew up.

(be warned, I intend to do a write up on every member of the Ingalls and Wilder families that are mentioned in Laura’s books. These people are interesting.)

Almanzo James Wilder, husband of renowned author Laura Ingalls Wilder and the subject of the semi-biographical book “Farmer Boy”, was born on Feb. 13, 1857 at the family farm near Malone, New York. Even before marrying Laura Ingalls Wilder and becoming famous through her works, Almanzo was locally noted as a brave pioneer and a good farmer. After marrying, he took his wife and daughter, Rose, and reloocated to Mansfield Misouri, where he founded the very successful Rocky Ridge Farm. He remained at the farm until his death on Oct. 23, 1949 at the age of 92. He is buried just down the road from Rocky Ridge Farm (now a museum) at the Mansfield Cemetary in Mansfield, Misouri.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, renouned author of books describing prairie life for youthful readers, and whose books inspired the beloved television series “Little House on the Prairie” starring Michael Landon, was born Feb. 7, 1867 in Pepin, Wisconsin. While it is not necessary to elaborate upon her life in great detail as she herself has already taken care of that, it is noteworthy that her family is one of the two founding families in De Smet, South Dakota, where much of her story takes place. Laura married Almanzo Wilder in 1885 and moved to Misouri, where she lived until her death in 1957. Her beloved Rocky Ridge Farm has now become a museum, and she is buried, alongside her husband and her daughter Rose, in the Mansfield Cemetary, just down the road from the farm in Mansfield, Misouri. (I have actually been to this gravesite. It is worth the trip.)

Billy the Kid was born on Nov. 23, 1859 in New York City. In 1877, while working doing odd jobs in Arizona, he killed his first man, and began a legendary killing spree that resulted not only in his place in history, but aso has made millions at the box office. There is, however, much evidence that this first killing was, in fact, self deefense, but the Kid was jailed anyway. He broke out, and fled to New Mexico, where he joined the Jesse Evans gang for a short time. What followed in the next years is food for specularion, depending upon your sympathies. Either Billy the Kid was a horrid murderer who deserved to die, or he was a victim of the politics of the time and the circumstances that surrounded him. Either way, he was shot to death by Sherrif Pat Garret on Jul. 15, 1881 during an escape attempt.

Billy the Kid is buried in the Old Fort Sumner Cemetary in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

Clyde Barrow was born in 19009 and shot to death by Texas Rangers in 1934. His partner in crime, Bonnie Parker, was also killed at that time. This shooting death was the end result of a two year kidnapping and robbery spree that cost twelve people their lives, not counting Bonnie and Clyde. They died near Gibsland, Louisiana, and from what I understand, the car they were in was so riddled with bullets that it was hard to find a square inch left undamaged. Apparemtly, the Rangers weren’t taking any chances. Though they died together, death has separated them… Clyde Barrow is buried in Western Heights Cemetary in Dallas, while Bonnie is interred in the Crown Hill Memorial Park, also in Dallas.

Joe Ball was born in Texas in 1896. After serving in WWI, he returned home to Texas and opened a bar laughably named “The Sociable Inn”. This bar had two distinctions… VERY pretty waitresses, and the five alligators that were kept in a pit out back. The friendly innkeeper would entertain his customers by tossing huge bloody chunks of meat to the alligators, and when that got boring, live cats or dogs. There were many rumors about the man and his bar, most notably where the meat chunks came from, and the fact that waitresses kept vanishing. When the police eventually decided to look into things and went to see the guy, he shot himself and died. Human remains were found in a barrel near the alligator pit, though lack of bodies, and lack of investigation, leave the actual number of victims unknown.

He is buried at the Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Cemetary in Elmendorf, Texas.

Josie Arlington was a notorious New Orleans madam, though other than her rather unsavory occupation, it isn’t clear that she was involved in anything else illegal. Her date of birth has been lost to time, presumably because, in her profession, you just didn’t tell. She died in 1914 and was buried in Metairie Cemetary in New Orleans (I have no idea how this particular cemetary fared when Katrina hit… ).Soon after her death, locals became convinced that her crypt was haunted. The statue of the woman in front of the crypt was said to take on a life of it’s own and wander the graveyard at night. It was discovered upon investigation that a nearby streetlamp, coupled with the wind, was casting an eerie glow on the statue, presumably causing the rumors. She was at some point moved to an undisclosed location in the same cemetary, and the rumors stopped.

This famed horse belonging to Roy Rogers was born in 1932 and died in 1965. Very little needs to be said about this famed horse, since there wasn’t a person in America who didn’t recognise him. Possibly there still isn’t. He is, however, one of our beloved unburied icons. At his death they had him STUFFED. Yep, stuffed and mounted. What a tribute, let me tell ya. Hope my husband doesn’t get any ideas. He can be seen in all his well preserved glory at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Misouri. And, by the way, his real name was White Cloud.

This is THE Morris from all those really cute cat food comercials. Morris was rescued from an animal shelter in Illinois in 1968 and went on to prove that the “poor boy come to greatness” story can still happen in America. If you happen to be a cat, that is. He even visited the White House, signing a bill with a pawprint. Morris died in 1975 and is buried in a marked plot in the flower garden at the famed haunted Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. How his burial place came to be chosen I have no idea, but that is only a couple hours from my house, so I will more than likely be finding out. More on the Crescent Hotel itself later.