Hyattville Man Builds Old West Coffins For Those Who Want A Simple, Western Funeral

Hyattville carpenter Kirk Odegaard is growing his business in a seemingly morbid direction. He is expanding from building kitchen cabinets into coffins. For $750, Odegaard will make anyone a high-quality, Old West casket or coffin—a basic wooden box appropriate for any funeral, whether for a friend, family member, or yourself. “It’s really no different than building cabinets or bookshelves,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “This is another service I can provide for people who just want to be put in a pine box. It’s the way of the Old West.”

Odegaard had not thought about building coffins until a neighbor walked into his one-man cabinet shop with a heart-wrenching request. His wife was dying, and the person contracted to build her casket was sick and could not fulfill the order. “I said I’d never done that before, but I’d do whatever I could,” Odegaard said. The neighbors had already discussed an eco-friendly, “dust-to-dust” burial on the family ranch. They wanted a simple wooden casket that would eventually return their remains to the earth.

While he immediately agreed, Odegaard admitted it was “kind of creepy” to build a casket he knew would soon be occupied by someone he knew. But his outlook changed as he commenced construction. “It opened my eyes to a needful thing,” he said. “Some people, especially in Wyoming, just want to be put in a pine box. They want to go back to the earth.” His neighbor was buried in a small, private service on the family’s ranch outside Gillette.

A basic rectangular casket made of pine costs about $750. A classic “toe-pincher” coffin with a trimmed-out interior is less than $1,500. Odegaard said he could build one within three days. “Everything has to be sanded and finished before it’s assembled, but it’s not that complicated.”

Odegaard hopes his coffins might help people overcome the distance they put between themselves and death. “In our modern world, we’re so far removed from death,” he said. “If a loved one dies, you say your goodbyes, walk out of the room, and probably never see them again.” He believes people will see the value in having an active role in their own funerals by ordering coffins while they are still alive. At the very least, it is a conversation starter. “A coffin is going to cause discussion, especially amongst kids,” he said. “If grandpa just bought a coffin and put it up inside his home, they’ll think that’s creepy. Then, it’s time to sit down and have a discussion.”

Odegaard has already put his money where his mouth is. He is currently using a coffin as a bookshelf in his man cave. “If I don’t get cremated, I’ll be buried in it,” he said. “My mindset is that death is a fact of life, so I’ll use it when I need it.”