Oklahoma’s Outlaw Roots: A Visit to Belle Starr’s Grave and Cabin
The Belle Starr’s grave and cabin is a great place to visit for anyone interested in the Wild West. Known as the “Bandit Queen,” Belle Starr was a notorious outlaw who rode alongside Jesse James and harbored fugitives in Indian Territory.
Tucked off a country road near Porum, Oklahoma, you’ll find a quiet, rustic memorial site with the outlaw’s final resting place and a replica of her log cabin.
We visited the site on a cool spring afternoon. We could have driven right by it if it had not been for a historical sign noting Younger’s Bend. The parking is large enough for two or three cars at best.
Visiting Belle Starr’s Grave and Cabin
Getting out of the car, there are two paths to choose from. A small dirt path to the left leads to her grave, and a larger gravel road leads to the cabin.
We took the path to her grave first. The short walk had a slight incline and was overgrown in places. We saw two snakes along the way. They moved too fast to try to figure out what species. After the short walk, we arrived at Belle Star’s Grave. Her headstone sits solemnly under the shade of trees. Her headstone was covered in offerings from visitors, some of which looked as though they had been there for years. Everything from pennies to bullets, fake flowers, and even a chewing tobacco tin was there.
The headstone is engraved with a poetic epitaph.
“Shed not for her the bitter tear,
Nor give the heart to vain regret,
Tis but the casket that lies here,
The gem that filled it sparkles yet.”
After snapping a few pictures, we took a path to the cabin. Though reconstructed, the cabin gives a feel for Belle’s rough-and-tumble lifestyle. It was well cared for and looked like it would have been a pretty nice place to live, which is exactly what she did until two days before her 41st birthday.
Belle Starr’s Unsolved Murder
On February 3, 1889, Belle Starr was gunned down while she was riding home from a neighbor’s house.
She was shot and fell off her horse during the ambush. Whoever the attacker was, they wanted to make sure she was dead because they shot her again. She died from shotgun wounds to the back, neck, shoulder, and face. Folklore says she was shot with her own double-barreled shotgun.
Several people have been accused of murdering her, including her son, Edgar Watson (a neighbor), and her husband. No one was ever convicted.
To this day. Belle Starr’s murder remains unsolved.
The history and legend of Belle Starr brought us to visit this off-the-beaten-path gem. If you are in the area, it is worth a quick visit to enjoy a small piece of Oklahoma outlaw lore.
If you are in the area, make sure to check our nearby Robber’s Cave State Park, which is about an hour’s drive south. The park is rumored to have been used by the Jesse James Gang as a hideout to avoid the law.
