Dick Duck Cemetery

Many cemeteries have their own "rock star" that draws in visitors and Dick Duck is no different. Dick Duck Cemetery in Catoosa, Oklahoma was already being used as a cemetery when Richard "Dick" Duck donated it in the early 1830s. However, people don't come to see Richard. It's a different "Duck" that lures them in.

Bluford "Blue" Duck (no relation to Richard) was born in Cherokee Nation and an outlaw who participated in stage hold-ups and rustlings. On the long list of famous outlaws, his name didn't rank high. However, stories have circulated that Blue not only knew female outlaw Belle Starr but had an affair with her prior to her marriage to Sam Starr. Only a single photograph is proof the two knew each other which may have helped him later on in his life. Also, Larry McMurty used Blue as inspiration for his book Lonesome Dove.

Blue, also known by his Cherokee name Sha-con-gah Kaw-wan-nu, got drunk on the night of June 23, 1884 and was riding with William Christie in the Flint Districk of Cherokee Nation. They crossed paths with a farmer named Samuel Wyrick and for unknown reasons began firing his revolver at him. Then, reloaded and shot a nearby Native American boy who worked by Wyrick as he was attempting to get help. Then rode to the next farm over and shot and missed Wyrick's neighbor. Duck and Christie was later tracked down and arrested. Both were sentenced to hangby Judge Issac Parker on July 23, 1886 but with the help with Belle and his lawyer Thomas Marcum, Blue's was later changed to life in prison in 1886. He was transferred to Menard Penitentiary at Chester, Illinois on October 16, 1886. Christie was cleared of all charges. Nine years after his sentence, he became ill with consumption. President Grover Cleveland pardoned the outlaw on March 20, 1895, allowing him to spend his final month with his friends and family. On May 7, 1895, Bluford "Blue" Duck was laid to rest in Dick Duck Cemetery.

Many believe Blue along with the spirits of children haunts the cemetery. Visitors have spotted shadow figures of sizes throughout the property. Some have heard voices, speaking in Native American languages, and whispers and felt cold spots as well as the sensation of someone running their fingers through hair. The other spirits are believed to belong to kids who have "Half Breed" marked on their headstones who died between 1882 and 1883. Not much more is known about them. According to Find A Grave, there are a couple of adults with "Half Breed" on their headstones as well. I'm not sure it has any more significance than a reflection of the times they lived in. People have seen and heard these children spirits in the cemetery at night and have an overwhelming feeling of dread whenever they stood near their graves.

Sources:

Examiner - Haunted Cemeteries of Oklahoma

Find a Grave - Bluford "Blue" Duck

Examiner - Seeking Paranormal Answers at Cemeteries