The Texas Bucket List - Concordia Cemetery in El Paso

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]When it comes to the Old West way of life, El Paso still has that feeling.

[00:00:04]With so many unique stories simmering in the West Texas town, you'd be surprised to know that some of the most famous fables of the frontier can be found in a cemetery that's older than the city.

[00:00:14]Concordia is unique because first of all it goes back to 1856, the first burial. And it was originally a ranch.

[00:00:23]>> The grave site that gets all the attention at Concordia belongs to a Texas gunslinger who had a notorious reputation, John Wesley Hardin. Now, in his defense, he said, "I never killed anybody who didn't need killing." All depends on perspective, I guess.

[00:00:36]>> That's right.

[00:00:37]>> [laughter] >> So, this is the man. This is the man.

[00:00:40]>> the legend. That's right.

[00:00:43]Folk hero of thousands in the South.

[00:00:45][music] And now all over the world.

[00:00:48]>> While Western justice is a thing of the past, it seems Hardin can't escape being behind bars.

[00:00:54]>> Because we had some vandalism at his grave, we had to do an enclosure around it and keep [music] it locked, but still make it visible for people to visit. 15 years in jail and then here he is in eternity, still in jail. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[00:01:08]Yes.

[00:01:08]>> [laughter] >> While the Sun City shines brightly, the days of El Paso being known as the six-shooter capital are long gone. But you can still get a sense of that history with a visit to the Concordia Cemetery. It's an exciting thing to share the history.