Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Lake City Alferd Packer Massacre Site
Alferd Packer Massacre Site is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Alferd Packer Massacre Site

The site of the gruesome massacre—and maybe cannibalism—of five men, a tragedy that made Alferd Packer infamous.

Lake City, Colorado

Added By
Stuart Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Alferd Packer Massacre site   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Alferd Packer Massacre Site   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Alferd Packer Massacre site   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Memorial to the men killed by Alferd Packer   cyccommute / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

“Yah voracious man-eatin' sonofabitch when yah came to Hinsdale County, there was siven dimmycrats, but you, yah et five of 'em, goddam yah.” So quoted a Lake City newspaper of Judge M.B. Gerry in 1883, upon the conclusion of the trial of Alferd Packer for the murders—and cannibalism—of Shannon Wilson Bell, James Humphrey, Frank "Butcher" Miller, George "California" Noon, and Israel Swan.

Nine years earlier, Packer had convinced the men, part of a larger party, that he was a mountain guide who could lead them over the San Juan mountains to the Los Piños Indian Agency. In early February, the group left from near modern day Montrose, Colorado after a stay with the Ute leader Ouray in a winter camp. Ouray warned the group that even the Utes, who had been living and hunting in the region for hundreds of years, wouldn’t attempt such a crossing. But the allure of gold was too great a temptation to resist.

The group was under provisioned for the difficult trip; They had no snowshoes, a few matches, no flint, no warm clothes and few weapons. The journey was supposed to take 14 days, but weeks passed and it seemed that the group had disappeared into the rugged and remote Colorado mountains. Two months later, in late April, Packer stumbled across a frozen lake  at the Los Piños Agency alone, and surprisingly well fed for having spent months lost in the Colorado wilderness.

Questions arose about his condition, the missing of members of his party, and his possession of several wallets and money when he was nearly destitute at the outset of the journey. When questioned, Packer told various conflicting tales about how other members of the party had killed each other and how they had resorted to eating the bodies for food. He was arrested in Saguache, Colorado, but somehow escaped before a trial could be held.

In August of 1874, John Randolph, an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly, came upon a grisly scene of five corpses on the banks of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.  The corpses were in a state of extreme decay and showed signs of butchery.  Of the four skulls present, each showed evidence of having been crushed. The remains were examined by local authorities and buried on the site.

Packer was discovered nine years later, living in Wyoming under an assumed name. He was brought to trial in Lake City, the county seat of Hinsdale County, Colorado, in 1883.  His original tale of each man succumbing to the elements and being eaten was replaced by various other stories, including coming upon Bell after he had killed all the other members of the party. He was convicted of killing the men and desecrating their bodies. (He was not convicted of cannibalism because it isn’t illegal, per se.)

The quote attributed to Judge Green on Packer’s conviction is a bit of journalistic license. Judge Green was actually very well educated and eloquent. His statement in the court record reads

”Alfred Packer, the judgement of this court is that you be removed from hence to the jail of Hinsdale County and there confined until the 19th day of May, A.D. 1883, and that on said 19th day of May, 1883, you be taken from thence by the sheriff of Hinsdale County to a place of execution prepared for this purpose, at some point within the corporate limits of the town of Lake City, in the said county of Hinsdale, and between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. of said day, you, then and there, by said sheriff, be hung by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead, and may God have mercy upon your soul.“

Packer’s death sentence was overturned by the Colorado Supreme Court on a technicality. He was retried on five counts of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 40 years in prison.  He was eventually paroled in 1901 following a campaign by an acquaintance.

In 1989, the site was excavated and the bodies exhumed for forensic analysis. The analysis was inconclusive, neither corroborating nor disproving Packer’s conflicting stories. It’s unlikely that the murders will ever be definitively solved.

Over time, Alferd Packer has come to be an antihero of sorts in Colorado. His name is used in numerous restaurants and menu items, including the cafeteria grill at University of Colorado in Boulder. Although a bit of a joke, Packer was responsible for leading five men to their deaths through his incompetence.

Related Tags

Murder Cannibals Memorials Crime Mountains

Know Before You Go

The site of the murders is just three miles north of Lake City on Cannibal Mesa along the banks of Dead Man Gulch.  The site itself is on private land and should be respected.  A pullout is provided along the site.  A sign along Colorado 149 clearly marks the location.

Community Contributors

Added By

cyccommute

Published

June 8, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Alferd Packer Massacre Site
2398 Hummingbird Ln
Lake City, Colorado, 81235
United States
38.00104, -107.295693
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Slumgullion Earthflow

Lake City, Colorado

miles away

Lake City Ice Park

Lake City, Colorado

miles away

Lake San Cristobal

Hinsdale County, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lake City

Lake City

Colorado

Places 3

Nearby Places

Slumgullion Earthflow

Lake City, Colorado

miles away

Lake City Ice Park

Lake City, Colorado

miles away

Lake San Cristobal

Hinsdale County, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lake City

Lake City

Colorado

Places 3

Related Places

  • In the Italian countryside, a somber mosaic marks the place Ruggero Pascoli was murdered.

    Longiano, Italy

    Monument to the Assassination of Ruggero Pascoli

    A haunting mosaic marks the spot where a famous poet's father was murdered more than 150 years ago.

  • The memorial.

    Hanover, Germany

    The Victims of Fritz Haarmann Memorial

    The mass grave of the 27 victims of the "Vampire of Hanover."

  • Memorial plaque at the place of the assassination.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Olof Palme Memorial Plaque

    A golden plaque marks the site of the mysterious unsolved assassination of the former Swedish prime minister.

  • The Last Resort Bar.

    Port Orange, Florida

    The Last Resort Bar

    Where serial killer Aileen Wuornos drank her last beer.

  • Eskişehir, Turkey

    Uğur Mumcu Park

    This harrowing memorial remembers a murdered investigative journalist.

  • Tokyo, Japan

    Ikebukuro Shimento Pagoda

    Dedicated to the victims of a phantom slasher, this memorial is claimed by some to be the source of a deadly curse.

  • Memorials at the symbolic cemetery

    Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia

    Symbolic Cemetery at Popradské Pleso

    A serene memorial that honors the adventurous spirits of climbers who lost their lives in the High Tatras.

  • John Spicer’s confession, displayed in the Fountain Valley Historical Society museum

    Fountain, Colorado

    John Spicer's Confession

    The resolution to a case that had gone cold for 120 years, found on an old piece of wood.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.