Human Skull Discovered Near Site of Historic County Tragedy
This story first appeared in The Fairbury Daily News on June 3, 1965
The cranium or upper part of a human skull has been uncovered at the historic Oregon Trail Rock Creek Crossing site east of Fairbury. Speculation is that it may be that of one of “Wild Bill” Hickok’s unfortunate victims at the Rock Creek Station shooting July 12,1861. A crack in the skull indicates the victim could have received a heavy blow on the head.
The skull was found by Guy Kirby of Fairbury, on the Donald Engelman farm and three miles northeast of Endicott. It was picked up from the burial site of James Gordon, the third man killed in that early day trail tragedy.
Mr. Engelman recently purchased the land and, not knowing of the burial site had cleared the land for cultivation. The grubbing of the trees undoubtedly worked the skull to the surface. The day Kirby found the skull he was discing the land. Seeing what he thought was a rock, he got off the tractor to throw it off the field, thus discovering what it was. Had a blade of the disc struck it, the skull would have been pulverized. Engelman also related he had observed the skull but it was so turned he thought it to be an old tree root.
Kirby turned the skull over to Levi Bloyd of Fairbury, local historian, who became very interested in it when he was shown where it had been found. Bloyd had always believed that Gordon’s body had been removed, as were the other two men killed at that time. What gave him this impression was the deep depression he found at this site many years ago, looking as if the grave had been open. Years ago he had also been told that one of the men killed at Rock Creek was in a museum, although be has never been able to prove it.
When “Wild Bill” Shot Gordon on that fateful day 104 years ago, it was done when Gordon was running to the aid of his employer, David McCanles, who had already been shot by Hickok.
Gordon had accompanied McCanles, James Woods, a cousin of McCanles, and McCanles’ 12 year old son, Monroe, to the Rock Creek Station.
When Gordon and Woods heard the shooting they raced for the cabin to see McCanles injured and on the ground. As they ran towards McCanles, “Wild Bill” started firing at them. Woods was wounded and ran around the corner of the cabin where he fell to have his head bludgeoned in by Wellman with a hoe. When ‘Gordon was wounded he turned back toward the stable and ran down along the creek, soon falling from the loss of blood.
Apparently “Doc” Brink, the Pony Express rider and who at this time had probably replaced Hickok as stock tender at the station, had returned from his hunting and came upon this last killing and was forced to finish Gordon off with his gun.
The three victims were buried the next day by settlers from up and down the trail. McCanles and Woods were placed in the McCanles burial ground and Gordon was buried near where he fell, a short distance south of the old rock ford on the west side of the Oregon Trail.
The skull was taken to Marvin Kivett, director of the Nebraska Historical Society in Lincoln to obtain further data. Bloyd wants it reburied at the site which will not be disturbed again, according to Engelman.
Editor’s Note: So did the skull belong to James Gordon? As far as we can tell, that mystery has never been solved. Another mystery than remains unsolved is, where the heck is that skull now? FJN contacted the Nebraska Historical Society, the Fairbury City Museum and read through every old newspaper we could find. Nobody seems to know where the skull of James Gordon, if that is who it is, finally ended up. According to Tom Mooney, Curator of Manuscripts for the Nebraska Historical Society, “My guess is that they couldn’t really make any sort of determination about the skull at the time and probably just returned it to Levi Bloyd for reburial.”
