Wyoming has several strange and amusing sights along its highways.
Some of the most iconic include the Big Boy statue and the Smith Mansion along U.S. 14-16-20 near Wapiti, the “Fossil Cabin” next to the Lincoln Highway east of Medicine Bow, and the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument overlooking I-80 near Laramie.
Alongside U.S. Highway 16, north of Worland, there’s the “End of the Line” hearse.
The amusing and unusual reminder of our mortality is prominently placed in front of Pete Smet Recycling, a scrap metal yard and the site of a big annual consignment auction.
Smet has a vast collection of unique and antique vehicles on the property, but none are as treasured as the hearse. Why does he have it?
“It looks cool,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s something different, and it is what it is. The end of the line.”
New Life Beyond The Grave
Smet acquired the hearse around six years ago. Veile Mortuary in Worland was acquiring a new hearse, and Smet said he wanted the old one.
Once he got the bright white hearse, Smet parked it at the front of the property, right along the highway, where his recycling plant resides.
He even built an embankment so drivers passing by could see the hearse better.
“I used to have it on top of my car hauler, but then I needed my car hauler,” he said. “So, we put some dirt up there and built it up a little bit.”
To draw even more attention to the ominous lawn ornament, Smet embellished it with big black letters in a Western-style script. For him, it’s a funny reminder that the white hearse was and is “the end of the line.”
“It means two things, when you think about it,” he said. “It's the end of the line of our property, and it's the end of the line for us. When you get in the back of that, it’s your last trip.”
It's also the "end of the line" for the loads of copper, aluminum, and scrap metal that's processed at Pete Smet Recycling. The hearse works on a lot of amusing levels, which is why Smet is so happy to have it there.
Of course, Smet isn’t offering any rides in his iconic hearse. That was part of his agreement with Veile Mortuary when he acquired it.
“I promised them I wouldn't put it on the road, and I never wanted to,” he said. “I knew what I was going to do with it when I got it.”
Growing Collection And Attention
Smet Recycling hosts an annual consignment auction in early October. People from across the Bighorn Basin haul their old vehicles, farming equipment, and other objects of interest to Worland for the event.
Every variety of truck, camper, tractor, and trailer trickles onto Smet’s property leading up to the auction. At 10 a.m., representatives from the National Auction Service go nonstop until everything is passed or sold.
Many vehicles that end up at Smet Recycling never leave. Smet has a growing collection of vintage vehicles that are also visible along U.S. Highway 16.
“I’ve got over 200 two-cylinder John Deere tractors out there, some in working order and all painted up,” he said. “I have a bunch of fire trucks from Shell, Thermopolis, and a 1928 engine the Shriners used to run in the Worland parades.
"There’s a lot of old vehicles out there from all over the neighborhood, from old buses to whatever.”
There are dozens of vehicles that would turn the head of any car enthusiast, and they frequently do. Smet said his acquisitions have attracted international attention, and many people eagerly stop at “the end of the line” in Worland.
“People love looking at this stuff,” he said. “They come from all over the world, and they're all there. I just collect it.”
End Of The Line
As far as Smet is concerned, the "End of the Line" hearse is the morbid jewel of his collection. It’s entered the echelon of Wyoming’s unusual highway landmarks, like the Big Boy and Abe Lincoln’s big bronze head, and draws a lot of attention to Pete Smet Recycling.
“Everyone knows where we’re at,” he said. “They just mention the spot with a couple hundred John Deere tractors and the old hearse, and they know where we are and what we do.”
Smet’s confident his hearse will be standing there long after he’s gone. He doesn’t intend to hitch a ride anytime soon, but he always reminds, and reminds others, of what’s inevitably looming alongside the highway of life.
“It’ll be there until I’m dead, at least,” he said. “It'll be the end of the line for me.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
