Home on the Range Writer Grave Site
1400 N Center
Home on the Range Writer Grave Site
"Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam" starts off the iconic song "Home on the Range," which was originally written as a poem by Dr. Brewster Higley VI (1823-1911). Higley penned the famous anthem around 1871-72 and dubbed it "My Western Home." Another friend, Dan Kelley, wrote the music and the song was published a year later.
The song gained traction in 1932 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared "Home on the Range" as his favorite song. Today, the song has been recorded by everyone from Gene Autry and Bing Crosby to John Denver and Willey Nelson. Although Higley lived most of his life in Kansas, he passed away and was buried in Shawnee in the Fairview Cemetery.
A sign noting the song's historical signifigance is located off Harrison Street. Interestingly enough, the words "home on the range" never appear in Higley's original lyrics
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