On labor day I will watch a lot of Gunsmoke on a western channel and got to thinking.
Matt Dillon and Chester or Festus was always burying someone.
They even had shovels in their saddle bags
It seems to me in the real old west with noone around that digging graves in the hard ground was not happening.
I guess Josey Wales was right The buzzards got to eat same as the worms.

I watch gunsmoke all the time, great classic tv

I love Gunsmoke! Great series back in the day. Glad it is still on on certain channels!

I’m glad I’m not the only person this bothers. Some [censored] can jump out from behind a rock and wound each one of them but they still take the time to bury em. Hell with that.

Gunsmoke was greatness

Surprised Matts arm was still attached to his shoulder he must have been shot 100 times in his arm.
What I liked about Marshall Dillon was that he usually put a couple of caps in the bad guy. guy.

they carried the ron popeil pocket shovel, about the same size as their pocket fisherman.

and answer me this, once the bad guy is dead, why didn't they take their guns back to dodge and sell them? wonder how many pistols are layin in those graves.

you would steal from a dead man.........
J175, bless his soul, would be rolling in his grave to hear such nonsense.....

I've got a book that was written in the late 1890's about the indian fighters in south and central Texas that protected the settlers of that era, and the book went into fine detail about numerous events that took place between the Texas Rangers, settlers, and Indians of that time.
There would be a fight, and at times it would be several days before they would set out to look for the individuals to either bring the bodies back or to bury what was left of them.
That was a harsh time, but a worth while read from someone who interviewed actual survivors and witnesses.

Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas
By: Andrew Jackson Sowell

BTW...The real life "Big Foot Wallace" would make Marshall Dillion look like Barney Fife!

Thanks for the book recommendation. Very interested since one ancestor was born 1880's and survived to tell about Indian raids in Erath County. Another ancestor served in Texas Rangers during that era.

I used to work shift work, at 3:00 am you get strange questions from your fellow workers.

There was a guy named Jason once asked me if I could live in another time period when would it be?

I told him I would like the Gunsmoke or western days. He asked me why?

I said that there was just something about riding into a small town on a horse, downing a couple shots of whiskey, going upstairs with one of Miss Kittys girls.

Taking a bath and having her scrub my back and whatever came with it. Then taking another shot of redeye and riding away that appeals to me.....Still does too.

Oh and alcoholic Miss Kitty was never without a drink of booze

if it is a bad guy that got kilt dead then I doubt they care any more and the money could have gone into the "kitty" to bolster matts paycheck. or at least buy festus a new dam vest.

Watching it now. I watch them over and over. I wondered the same thing about the shovel. I don't think they had E-tools back then. 15 shells in a 6 shooter was a hoot!!

And anybody that got shot/hurt/sick had to be carried up to Doc's.,...why the hell didn't Doc have his office downstairs???