Dodge City, Kansas.

On our travels through Kansas the next western town we came across was Dodge City, I remember as a child the old westerns made this famous with Wyatt Earp of course the most famous place for Wyatt Earp and his brothers was in Deadwood, South Dakota, but that is another story. What is most disappointing in alot of these old western towns is the reconstruction of some of the streets where it all happened as one would say, this being here in Dodge City and Abilene, it would of been great if some of the towns had been preserved.

Dodge City. Kansas. The Early Years.

Dodge City is located 150 miles west of Wichita in Southwest Kansas. This historic community of 21,129 is the seat of Ford county. Dodge City is famous for its rich history as a frontier cow town, today Dodge City is a growing community, and a popular tourist destination. The authentic replica of Front Street with the Long Branch Saloon, and Boot Hill Cemetery are places to see while in town. . Boot Hill Cemetery was used for only six years until 1878, but became one of the most famous cemeteries of the old west. It is now preserved in downtown Dodge City.

Dodge City, seat of Ford County, was founded in 1872. The first settler at what is now Dodge City was H. L. Sitler. In 1871 he erected a sod house there. Within one year this site grew into a town with a general store, 3 dance halls, and 6 saloons. The Santa Fe Railroad arrived at Dodge City in 1872 and with it came immigrants, card sharps and buffalo hunters.

Dodge City is a pure definition of the West... a gateway to history that began with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail by William Becknell in 1821 and became a great commercial route between Franklin, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico until 1880. Thousands of wagons traveled the Mountain Branch of the trail which went west from Dodge City along the north bank of the Arkansas River into Colorado. For those willing to risk the dangers of waterless sand hills, a shorter route called the Cimarron Cutoff crossed the river near Dodge City and went southwest to the Cimarron River. In those days, safety from marauding Indians was essential. Fort Dodge was established in 1865 on the Santa Fe Trail near the present site of the city, offering protection to wagon trains, the U.S. mail service and serving as a supply base for troops engaged in the Indian wars. Fort Dodge is only five miles east of Dodge City, East Hwy. U.S. 154 Dodge City, Kansas Telephone: (316) 227-2121. It was a supply depot and base of operation against warring Indians from 1865 - 1882. Kiowa, Cheyenne and other plains tribes inhabited the area and wild game was abundant including vast herds of Buffalo. It is still utilized today as a Kansas Soldier's Home. There are self-guided walking tours on the grounds and is open daily 1-4 pm, with free admission. You can also see the original wagon trail tracks about nine miles west of Dodge City on Hwy 50. The area is on the National Register of Historic Sites. The trail was used from 1821 to 1872.

The Boot Hill Special.

By September of 1872, the shiny steel rails of the brand new Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad stretched into view. And a town was waiting. The railroad initiated a tremendous growth for many years. The famous Front Street legend had begun. Dodge City was already setting a record for growth. But during those early years, Dodge City also acquired it infamous stamp of lawlessness and gun-slinging. There was no local law enforcement and the military had no jurisdiction over the town. Buffalo hunters, railroad workers, drifters and soldiers scrapped and fought, leading to the shootings where men died with their boots on. And that created a hasty need for a local burial place - Boot Hill Cemetery. The cemetery is now a part of downtown Dodge City. Dodge City was the Buffalo capital for three years until mass slaughter destroyed the huge herds and left the Prairie littered with decaying carcasses. By 1875 the Buffalo were gone as a source of revenue, but the Longhorn cattle of Texas drove the dollars into town. For ten more years, over five million head were driven up the western branch of the Chisholm and Western Trails to Dodge City. Law and order came riding in to town with such respectable officers as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp.

Wyatt Earp.

In 1876, Wyatt Earp became chief deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Within a year, having brought relative peace to Dodge City, he moved on to the city of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. He later returned to Dodge City in 1878. In 1879, Wyatt settled in Tombstone, Arizona. On May 31, 1883, Wyatt returned to Dodge City to assist longtime friend Luke Short. Earp, along with Bat Masterson, and other friends of Short formed the "Dodge City Peace Commission" to protect Short from the lawmen of Dodge City. Wyatt later traveled to San Diego, California where he bought and sold real estate. From San Diego, Wyatt moved to San Jose and started a race horse farm. Fort Dodge was closed in 1882 and by 1886, the cattle drives had ended. An illustrious period of history was over but the legend lives on in Dodge City's history preservation of its romantic and internationally famous past.

Boot Hill Museum and Historic Front Street.

As the nineteenth century ended, the bragging of the western pioneer furnished an abundance of materials for dime novels, nickelodeons, Hollywood films, radio and television. Even today, over 100,000 tourists relive the legend each year by visiting the Boot Hill Museum and Historic Front Street Reconstruction. "If the history of the West has been a mother lode of entertainment riches, Dodge City has been its touchstone. While the era of the cattle drive and the cowboy had basically been closed, Dodge City has kept the heritage alive through its historical preservation programs.

Fort Larned, Kansas.

After leaving Dodge City we came upon a beautiful little well preserved place called Fort Larned I must say we had never heard of this historical site before.
Located midway along the historic Santa Fe Trail, Larned is fast becoming a mecca for tourists and history buffs alike. Drawn by programs and activities at Fort Larned National historic Site, and the excellent displays at the nearby museum, visitors from across the world find lots to see and do in Larned.
Located on K-156, six miles west of Larned, Fort Larned was established in 1859 to protect the mail coaches and travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. during the turbulent years of the 1860's, the fort also served as an agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in its dealings with the Plains Indian Tribes. Now a National Historic Site, Fort Larned survives as one of the best and most authentic examples of a frontier military post. Nine original buildings, with many fully-restored and furnished rooms, surround the parade ground with its 100-foot flagpole. The National Park Service operates a visitor center with a museum, audio-visual programs and bookstore. Open year-round. Admission charged. (620) 285-6911.

It is generally recognized that Fort Larned was the most important federal military installation in western Kansas and that, in the Indian wars of the south-central Plains prior to the Medicine Lodge treaties of 1867, it was exceeded in importance only by Forts Leavenworth and Riley, both of which are located east of the ninety-eighth meridian.