Skip to Main Content

1877 photo of Solid Muldoon. (Denver Public Library)
1877 photo of Solid Muldoon. (Denver Public Library)

Roadside Grave of Solid Muldoon

Field review by the editors.

Beulah Valley, Colorado

Solid Muldoon was created by George Hull, the same prankster/con man who had concocted the Cardiff Giant eight years earlier. Hull was more sophisticated with this new "petrified giant," encasing a real human skeleton inside mortar that contained ground bones and meat. He also gave it a small tail, hoping to pass it off as evolution's long-sought missing link. It was buried in secret outside of Pueblo, Colorado, then "discovered" by a flunky on September 16, 1877.

1984 burial marker for Solid Muldoon.

The 7.5-foot-tall giant was dubbed "Solid Muldoon" after an Irish ditty (There goes Muldoon, He's a solid man), and enjoyed a brief span of profitable popularity. But once it was exposed as a fraud, interest in the giant ended.

No one knows what happened to the original Solid Muldoon, but in 1976 a replica was made as part of the Colorado Centennial and U.S. Bicentennial celebration. The new petrified giant was displayed for a few years in the El Pueblo History Museum. Then on July 22, 1984, Solid Muldoon II was hauled to an existing highway point-of-interest pull-off near the original's discovery site, buried, and given his own tombstone.

Also see: Cardiff Giant

Roadside Grave of Solid Muldoon

Address:
State Hwy 78, Beulah Valley, CO
Directions:
The grave is in a small turn-out on the north side of Hwy 78, mile marker 16. Take I-25 exit 97A in Pueblo (Central Ave.), turn north one block to Northern Ave., then turn left. Drive west for 20 miles. If coming from the west, the grave is 15.5 miles east of Hwy 165.
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Ten Roses Dragon TreeTen Roses Dragon Tree, Beulah, CO - 3 mi.
Bishop CastleBishop Castle, Rye, CO - 10 mi.
Boy and the BootBoy and the Boot, Penrose, CO - 23 mi.
In the region:
MLK Statue With Big Head, Pueblo, CO - 22 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Colorado

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Colorado.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Create Your Own Bizarre Road Trips! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Colorado Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings

Favorite Quirky City Sights