The Story of How Willie Keil Saved the Lives of Many Traveling the Oregon Trail in 1855

• Catherine Mary Weidum article about Willie Keil.  Story of how dead Willie Keil led a wagon train in 1855 even though he was dead at the time!  -- Weidum, Catherine Mary. "Willie Keil Saved Lives on the Long Journey West . . . Even Though He Was Dead." Wild West. Aug. 1996. TheHistoryNet.com. 12 Jan. 2002. Permission received from the author to reprint the article.  

• Excerpt from The Well Traveled Casket: Oregon Folklore. Describes how Willie Keil led the wagons west in 1855 from his coffin.  Nash, Tom and Scofield, Twila. Meadowlark Books. 684 Liberty. Ashland, OR 97520

• Willie Keil's Grave and the Giesy Family (Keil Colony) Cemetery -- View pictures of Willie Keil's grave and the Giesy Family (Keil Colony) Cemetery, Pacific County, Washington, where Willie and other pioneers are buried.

• List of those who are buried at the Giesy Family (Keil Colony) Cemetery, Pacific County, Washington

• Frederick Keil -- Frederick Keil, born in 1816, was the nephew of Dr. William Keil (Willie's father), the founder of the Aurora Colony, OR. 

Willie Keil's Gravestone

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© 2002-2008 Richard Rasmussen (aka Rodeo Rich). rrasmussen12@hotmail.com.