Soapy Smith plaque: Memorial or souvenir?

Soapy Smith plaque?

Back about 2004 when I made my first introduction to eBay I found the plaque above at auction. It was in pretty back condition with chips and missing pieces, including letters and one of the shells. The composition appears to be some sort of plaster. The seller wanted a ridiculous starting bid of $600 but could not give any information about it, or even where he got it. Needless to say I did not bid and the item did not sell. I copied the photograph and never saw the item for sale again. On my digital copy I did my best to "repair" the damages so that we can see what it possibly looked like in good form.

I am in hopes that someone out there has some information about this item. Is it a one-of-a-kind item, was it part of a Soapy memorial, or was it produced as a souvenir item, perhaps in Colorado or Alaska?

Jeff Smith

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