Where Was the Wild West?
No, Not in Arizona or Nevada
Countless books, movies and TV shows made the “Wild West” legendary, but much of that legend did not take place in the West. It was Midwestern Kansas where the legend began. Those sagas about fast-draw gunslingers, intrepid lawmen, saloon girls, gamblers and outlaws were drawn (and exaggerated) from actual events that took place in the 1870s and 1880s in Kansas cow towns, like Abilene and Dodge City.
To be sure, there were wild towns west of Kansas in Arizona and Nevada and other points west, but the beginnings were in the towns that sprang up as railroads slowly crept across the plains. In the case of Abilene, Kansas, first of the rowdy cow towns, it was the Kansas Pacific (later named the Union Pacific) that led the way westward to finally link up with the Central Pacific and form the first transcontinental railroad. Abilene set the pattern for the rest.
An enterprising business man, Joseph G. McCoy, chose Abilene as the point along the railroad to receive Texas cattle and ship them eastward on railroad cars. At the time, Abilene was just a small stage coach stop along Mud Creek with no more than a dozen or so log houses. In 1867, the railroad laid track to Abilene. Anticipating its arrival, McCoy bought land and built his cattle stockade, calling it the Great Western stockyards. He then invited Texas cattle ranchers to use what became known as the Abilene Trail, a branch off the old Chisholm Trail, to drive cattle to the new rail head.
Abilene Becomes a Boom Town
With the arrival of the Texas cowboys, the town boomed. Almost overnight, saloons sprang up accompanied by brothels and gambling halls to cater to the Texans. Organized law was practically nonexistent, and inevitably the town attracted the worst elements including gun-toting desperados such as the notorious John Wesley Hardin. As the cattle industry grew, Abilene became the fastest growing town in the state. And lawlessness grew along with it.
In 1871, the citizens of Abilene hired James Butler Hickok, known widely even then as Wild Bill Hickok, to be marshal. Hickok’s reputation as a “two-handed fast draw” helped keep Abilene’s worst element in line. By 1875, Abilene’s “wild” heyday had ebbed as newer towns along the railroad attracted the Texas herds.
Ellsworth Takes the Cattle Trade
The railroad came to Ellsworth in 1871 and the town which already catered to the soldiers stationed at nearby Ft. Harker boomed into a cow town with its multitude of saloons, gambling joints, and brothels. As in Abilene, lawlessness accompanied the growth, and like Abilene, it became a haven for unsavory characters as well as those who craved adventure. William Cody, already known as Buffalo Bill for his buffalo-hunting skill, headquartered in Ellsworth, hunted game for the railroad, and scouted for the Army. Like Abilene, newer rail heads attracted the cattle drives, and new cow towns appeared. Perhaps the most notorious was Dodge City.
Dodge City—the Wickedest Town in Kansas
The town of Dodge City was staked out in anticipation of the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Railway. At first, it became the center of the buffalo hunting trade, and tons of hides were shipped east. Cattlemen, seeking a shorter route to market, began to follow a new branch off the Chisholm Trail to Dodge City. It was named The Great Western Cattle Trail. And like Abilene, Ellsworth, Wichita and other cow towns along the Union Pacific line, Dodge City began to grow.
With the arrival of the wild Texas cowboys came the hordes of prostitutes, gunslingers, and gamblers, and Dodge City gained the reputation as the wickedest town in Kansas. A call for law and order brought Wyatt Earp to Dodge as its principal lawman. Over time, he was joined by Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Basset, Luke Short and even a friendly visit from “Doc” Holliday. All became legends of the Old West. Here, too, was the real Long Branch Saloon made famous in the TV Series Gunsmoke and Boot Hill cemetery.
The Kansas cow towns became part of the “Wild West” craze that gave birth to countless books, movies and television programs. Of course, much of the material in those books and movies were great exaggerations. Nevertheless, Earp, Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and others made Midwestern Kansas the legendary ”Wild, Wild West” we remember so fondly today.
The End
About the Creator
Edward Farber
Published books: Echoes of Clara Avenue, a short story collection, Looking Back with a Smile, humorous memoir, The Man on the Stairs, four short stories, and Baron & Brannigan, Book 1, a novel set in the 1890s.Visit www.EdFarberAuthor.com.
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