Fittingly called the "Wickedest Little City in America," Dodge City was a wide-open town during the late 1800s. Its infamous Front Street was one of the wildest on the frontier, with one well-stocked saloon for every 20 citizens. Cattlemen, buffalo hunters, soldiers, settlers, gunfighters, railroad men and mule skinners thronged the streets, to the delight and profit of the card sharks, brothel keepers and morticians.
Boot Hill Cemetery is named as such because many of its dead were buried with their boots on. Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson were among the few able to control the city's lawless elements.
Dodge City began as a stopover on the Santa Fe Trail; wagon wheel ruts still are visible in the sod 9 miles west via US 50. By late 1872 the town was a station on the railroad. Buffalo hunting was intense in the area, and the trading of hides, meat and ultimately bones brought considerable wealth to the town. By the time the buffaloes had nearly become extinct, bellowing herds of Texas cattle had become the primary source of income, and Dodge City became one of the largest cattle markets in the country.
While Dodge City's character has changed, its purpose has not. It remains a major cattle-shipping point and serves as a supply and trade center for a large wheat-growing region.
Things to do in Dodge City
Boot Hill and Front Street
Boot Hill and Front Street is on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery. The museum contains exhibits featuring thousands of original historic items depict life in 1876 Dodge City. Visitors can see an Old West gun collection and American Indian artifacts along with buffaloes, cattle and clothing. Included in the complex are Boot Hill Cemetery, Ft. Dodge Jail, a one-room schoolhouse and an 1878 Victorian home once owned by cattle ranchers. Call (620) 227-8188 for more information.
500 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd., Dodge City, KS 67801
Carnegie Center for the Arts
Carnegie Center for the Arts, Second Ave. and Spruce St., is a community arts center that houses original works by local, regional and national artists. The building, completed in 1907, originally was a Carnegie library and is noted for its unusual architecture. Call (620) 225-6388 for more information.
701 Second Ave., Dodge City, KS 67801
Dodge City Trolley
Dodge City Trolley, at the convention and visitors bureau, offers 1-hour tours of Dodge City. Highlights include the original locations of Long Branch Saloon, Front Street and Fort Dodge. Passengers may not exit and re-board the trolley later. Call (620) 225-8186 for more information.
400 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd., Dodge City, KS 67801
Ford Home of Stone and Museum
Ford Home of Stone and Museum has 2.5-foot-thick limestone walls that have preserved the structure since 1881. Rooms are furnished in period and contain pioneer memorabilia, antique clothing and household items. Call (620) 227-6791 for more information.
112 E. Vine St., Dodge City, KS 67801
Soldiers' Home at Fort Dodge
The fort was a vital Army outpost from 1865, when it was established to protect the Santa Fe Trail from American Indians. Lt. Col. George A. Custer and Union generals Philip Sheridan and Winfield Hancock figured in the fort's history. Original structures were made from sod or adobe, but several 1867 buildings constructed of Kansas sandstone still are in use. A museum and library contain historical and military artifacts. Call (620) 227-2121 for more information.
714 Sheridan St., Unit 128, Dodge City, KS 67801
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