Wild West Historical Wax Museum (Gone)
Wall, South Dakota
A dummy-lover's delight. There are over 50 of them in this small museum, including all the big Wild West names: Annie Oakley, Jesse James, Sitting Bull, Wyatt Earp, John Wayne.
Murderous Jack McCall lurks behind unsuspecting long-haired Wild Bill Hickok while Calamity Jane cavorts nearby. Custer and Crazy Horse stand in a cemetery, Custer pointing down to the graves, in front of a drawing of his bloody Last Stand. Frank McLaury, shot at the O.K. Corral, is bent backward in a position that would challenge any yoga instructor. Billy the Kid frankly looks like he may previously have been a Gary Busey or Roger Daltrey dummy.
The museum ends with a gallows scene: murderer Tom Horn is about to be hanged by two lawmen. "He hung for 17 minutes before he died," an accompanying sign explains. "As a warning to others, the criminal's body was left suspended and limply dangling until decomposed."