Fans mourn Billy, the I-55 goat

He stood majestic on the bluffs overlooking Interstate 55 mile marker 152.8, capturing the attention and adoration of thousands of travelers over the past few years. A shaggy white goat with dark markings on his face � Billy � belonged to no one but nevertheless developed quite a following.

The �Goat on I-55� Facebook page had more than 6,000 follows and nearly 6,000 likes, and a post announcing Billy�s death over the weekend of apparent natural causes garnered more than 1,100 comments as of Monday afternoon.

Page moderator Judy Snyder said the post was seen more than 180,000 times.

Several responses to the news of Billy�s passing lamented he wouldn�t be part of the I-55 landscape during drives to and from holiday events this year.

Still others noted watching for Billy was a fun family activity they will miss.

In this undated photo, Billy the goat is seen near Interstate 55 in Ste. Genevieve County.Submitted photo

That�s not surprising to Snyder, who set the page up about two years ago after noticing the goat on a trip north to St. Louis with her sister for a medical treatment.

�I made a mental note of the mile marker, and on the way home, there he was again,� Snyder said of Billy.

And as she and her sister continued making trips, she said, they�d look for him, and considered him a good omen.

On one trip, she snapped a picture, she said, and on a whim, started the Facebook page.

�It just exploded,� she said.

In this undated photo, Billy the goat is seen near Interstate 55 in Ste. Genevieve County.Submitted photo

People from all over the world have followed the page, she said, including people in Indonesia and Mumbai.

But, she said, what really surprised � and gratified � her was the heartfelt messages she�s received from people who saw Billy.

�With all the division in this country, the nasty things people are saying, there�s this one silly goat on a bluff in the middle of the United States that people are enthralled with,� she said. �Regardless of your ilk, everybody likes the goat. It was just heartwarming to me to be part of that.�

Because, she said, �Frankly, we�re not all driving up for a Cardinals game every week.�

Many people, more than she�d realized, make regular medical trips to St. Louis, she said.

�We related on a level that I don�t think everyone gets,� she said.

Snyder didn�t own the goat, she said. No one did. He was a wild creature, and lived near a family in Ste. Genevieve County who fed him when he�d venture near.

In the Facebook post, dated Nov. 10, Billy�s date of death was given as Thursday, Nov. 8, of apparent natural causes.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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