Boomer,
3-Legged Hero

Died 1859 - Makanda, Illinois

A mile down the road from a magnificent Happy Face water tower, travelers cross a narrow railroad bed on the way into Makanda. Next to the tracks is a patch of asphalt, a tired basketball hoop, and a stone monument to Boomer.

The plaque on the monument reads: "In memory of Boomer the hound dog. Tradition says he dashed his life out against the iron abutment of the railroad bridge 300 feet south of this point on September 2, 1859, while running along on three legs trying to put out the flame in a hotbox on the speeding train of his beloved fireman-master." Legend was that Boomer could outrun trains, and the railroad didn't like it.

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