Elizabeth Polly died from cholera in 1867 while helping ailing soldiers in the Fort Hays hospital. She was buried on Sentinel Hill 2 miles south of the guardhouse. 30 years later her ghost was first spotted, and it is occasionally still seen today. Some say she appears in a misty blue light, giving rise to the moniker "Blue Light Lady." A Pete Felten statue of her stands on a stone pedestal in Elizabeth Polly Park at 26th and Indian Trail.