Wyoming’s Weirdest Roadside Landmark: The Hearse That Marks “The End of the Line” Near Worland

The original story by Andrew Rossi for Cowboy State Daily.

Wyoming highways are famous for wide-open views, long stretches of nothing, and the occasional “wait, what am I looking at?” moment. The state has no shortage of oddball roadside attractions, from the Big Boy statue and the gravity-defying Smith Mansion near Wapiti, to the Fossil Cabin outside Medicine Bow and the massive Abraham Lincoln head watching over I-80 near Laramie.

But head north of Worland on US Highway 16 and you’ll find one of the most memorable sights of all: a bright white hearse parked permanently by the road, boldly labeled “End of the Line.”

Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. And no, it’s not going anywhere.

The hearse sits front and center at Pete Smet Recycling, a scrap metal yard that also hosts a huge annual consignment auction. Of all the unusual and antique vehicles scattered across the property, this one gets the most attention, and that’s entirely intentional.

“It looks cool,” owner Pete Smet said, shrugging off any deeper mystery. “It’s something different. The end of the line.”

Smet picked up the hearse about six years ago when Veile Mortuary in Worland retired it in favor of a newer model. He knew right away he wanted it, and once it was his, he parked it right along the highway where no one could miss it.

To make sure drivers really couldn’t miss it, Smet even built up an embankment to elevate the hearse. It used to sit on top of a car hauler, but when that was needed for actual work, dirt did the trick just fine.

The bold black lettering on the side isn’t just for shock value. According to Smet, “End of the Line” works on a few levels.

“It’s the end of the line of our property,” he said. “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 scrap metal, copper, aluminum, and just about everything else that comes through his recycling yard. Dark humor? Absolutely. But it’s also very Wyoming: blunt, practical, and oddly philosophical.

Just to be clear, though, the hearse is strictly decorative. As part of the deal with the mortuary, Smet promised he’d never put it back on the road or offer rides.

“I knew exactly what I was going to do with it,” he said.

The hearse is only the most famous piece of Smet’s ever-growing collection. His property is packed with automotive and agricultural history: more than 200 two-cylinder John Deere tractors, vintage fire trucks from towns like Shell and Thermopolis, old buses, trailers, and even a 1928 engine once used by the Shriners in Worland parades.

Every October, the place comes alive during Smet Recycling’s consignment auction, when people from across the Bighorn Basin bring in vehicles, equipment, and all sorts of mechanical oddities. Some items sell. Many never leave.

And people notice. Smet says visitors stop in from all over the world, drawn in by the sheer randomness of what’s on display, with the hearse as the undeniable star.

“Everyone knows where we’re at,” he said. “They just say, ‘the place with all the John Deere tractors and the old hearse,’ and that’s enough.”

As far as Smet is concerned, the “End of the Line” hearse isn’t going anywhere. It’s become part of Wyoming’s unofficial roadside attraction hall of fame, right up there with Big Boy and Lincoln’s bronze stare.

And fittingly, Smet says it’ll stay put for a long time.

“It’ll be there until I’m dead, at least,” he said. “Then it really will be the end of the line.”

Morbid? Sure. Memorable? Absolutely. And on a Wyoming highway, that’s exactly the point.