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All the United States Colorado Broomfield Shep the Broomfield Turnpike Dog

Shep the Broomfield Turnpike Dog

The final resting spot of the Colorado Transportation Department's beloved unofficial mascot.

Broomfield, Colorado

Added By
Scott Brendecke
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Shep’s final resting place.   Broomfield Depot Museum
Shep’s grave, decorated for the holidays.   Broomfield Depot Museum
Shep the Turnpike Dog.   Broomfield Depot Museum
Shep.   Broomfield Depot Museum
A local resident pays respects.   Broomfield Depot Museum
Original gravesite, where Shep rested for decades.   WayJeff / Atlas Obscura User
Original grave site at the crossing of US highway 36 and State Highway 121 in Colorado   WayJeff / Atlas Obscura User
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About

When a stray dog wandered into the construction site of the Boulder-Denver Turnpike tollbooths in 1950, it didn’t take long for the pup to become a permanent presence.

Workers adopted the dog and named him Shep. He spent his years at the tollbooth on U.S. 36, greeting travelers and eagerly accepting their payments (in the form of treats and toys). The Colorado Department of Transportation even made him its unofficial mascot.

When Shep died in 1964, highway maintenance workers buried his remains next to the road. An unknown person began tending to and decorating his grave for holidays. However, due to construction, Shep's final resting place was relocated to Zang Spur Park, next to the Broomfield Depot Museum, in 2009. Local dogs and their humans still frequent the site to pay their respects.

Related Tags

Dogs Death Memorials Oddities Gravestones Infrastructure Monuments Transportation Animals Graves

Community Contributors

Added By

sbrendecke

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, WayJeff

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • WayJeff

Published

July 13, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/ci_13560972
  • https://www.facebook.com/pg/Broomfield.Turnpike.Dog/about/?ref=page_internal
  • http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/broomfield-news/ci_25753366/local-author-celebrates-shep-turnpike-dog-new-book
  • http://www.cpr.org/news/story/dog-once-made-coloradans-glad-stop-tollbooth
  • http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WME5TF_Shep_the_Turnpike_Dog_Broomfield_CO
Shep the Broomfield Turnpike Dog
West 10th Avenue and Depot Hill Road
Broomfield, Colorado
United States
39.931, -105.095013
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