Pinebox Collins

Jonathan “Pinebox” Collins lost a leg in the Battle of Hartsville, and subsequently entered what he calls “the Dismal Trade.” An undertaker and coffin builder, well known for his creative peg-leg designs, Pinebox travels throughout the American West practicing his craft. Luckily, for Pinebox, lawless towns are always in need of an undertaker, and he easily sets up shop wherever he travels: Springfield, MO; Abilene, TX; Pioche, NV; Salt Lake City, Deadwood and Yankton, SD. Wherever he is, Pinebox drinks alone, and, over a tepid beer, observes the shoot-outs and fights that keep him employed. In each town, he meets the just and the unjust, people who are evil, and those with hearts of gold. Throughout his travels, Pinebox rubs shoulders with Western legends. It’s in Abilene that he first meets Wild Bill Hickock, who becomes a recurring character in his adventures. It’s in Deadwood where the undertaker meets Calamity Jane, and sees Hickock to his grave.