Queho (born around 1880; his name was also spelled Quehoe on his grave or Quejo in other sources) was a Native American outlaw and renegade whose exploits became part of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

legend. Many deaths were blamed on Queho and so he earned the title of being the first mass murderer in the state of Nevada and "The Mad Indian".

Biography

Queho was an outcast, being called a "half-breed" in the days when being half Native American was not accepted. Queho's mother was from the

Cocopah The Cocopah ( Cocopah: Xawitt Kwñchawaay) are Native Americans who live in Baja California, Mexico, and Arizona, United States. In the United States, Cocopah people belong to the federally recognized Cocopah Tribe of Arizona. Name The C ...

tribe. Queho was speculated to be partially

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

, his mother died shortly after birth. Queho took odd jobs around

Eldorado Canyon El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

. He is said to have killed his half-brother and a 100-year-old blind Indian known to Queho as Canyon Charlie. Queho had a

club foot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

, which left a distinctive impression when he was being trailed. He is alleged to have eluded posses and killed for food and supplies. Some say the fugitive Queho was not responsible for all of the murders that took place around the time period he lived. Others say he was a cold-blooded killer who would do anything to stay alive and survive. Queho was blamed for the death of Maude ("Daisy") J. Douglas after a search outside the cabin at the

Techatticup Mine Techatticup Mine, is a former gold mine, now a tourist attraction. It is located at an elevation of , midway in Eldorado Canyon, in Clark County, Nevada. History The Techatticup Mine was the largest and most productive mine in the Colorado Mining ...

Nelson, Nevada Nelson is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The community is in the Pacific Standard Time zone. The location of Nelson is in El Dorado Canyon, Eldorado Mountains. The town is in the southeast region of the Eldo ...

. Settlers said Queho cursed the land. They called it "The Curse of Queho." In March 1919, the reward for capturing Queho " dead or alive" increased from an initial

bounty Bounty or bounties commonly refers to: * Bounty (reward), an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for a specific task done with a person or thing Bounty or bounties may also refer to: Geography * Bounty, Saskatchewan, a g ...

of $1,000 to $3,000. In 1921, Queho was reported to have been sighted near the Colorado River. In 1940, prospectors working near the Colorado River discovered a cave containing the mummified remains of the

desperado. His body was discovered with blasting caps and dynamite that only could have come from the building of

Boulder Dam #REDIRECT Hoover Dam Boulder Dam #REDIRECT Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1 ...

, indicating he was alive at least until the early 1930s. His remains were buried only after being purchased by Queho's old nemesis, Frank Wait, a law officer, before being given to the Las Vegas Elks Club, who exhibited the remains at Helldorado Days. District attorney Roland Wiley secured the remains and gave Queho a proper burial at Cathedral Canyon, Nevada.

Media portrayals

Queho was portrayed by actor

Buddy Noonan Buddy Noonan (April 9, 1937 – July 3, 1989), born Earl Seely Noonan in Glendale, California was an American cinematographer, actor, entertainer, and television producer for nationally Broadcast syndication, syndicated television series such ...

Bill Burrud William James Burrud (January 12, 1925 – July 12, 1990) was a child actor and a television host and producer best known for his travel programs. Biography Born in Hollywood, California, Burrud was a son of Leland Burrud, who had produced on ...

's ''

Treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

'' in Part 1 and Part 2 of the episodes on "Queho's Secret Hideout," which aired in 1958. Queho's life was the subject of a song by Las Vegas singer-songwriter Russell Christian.

References

{{Reflist 1880s births American mass murderers American outlaws Serial killers from Nevada Year of death missing

Biography

Media portrayals

See also

References