June 14-17, 2021
DODGE CITY, KANSAS
“Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of theOld West.” - Wikipedia
My introduction to Dodge City was a little problematic (you’ll hear more about this at another time), but after things settled down, I found the city to be entertaining and full of history. The visitor’s center offered a trolley tour of the city, which I am very glad I took as it oriented me to things I wanted to check out further and also gave quite a history of the city. Sitting on the Santa Fe Trail, the city became an entertainment stop for cowboys and other travelers as it was filled with saloons, gambling halls and hotels. The town gained the reputation of being a wild and dangerous place, which is where lawmen (and gamblers) such as Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson gained their reputations.
Dodge City has been portrayed in television and movies as the quintessential western cowboy town. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, and Marshall Dillon was based on some of the true-life Dodge City sherifs. The movie Dodge City, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, premiered in Dodge City on April 1, 1939. It was the first movie in the United States to premier outside of California. The city has established its own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has placed medalians paying tribute to the people who made Dodge City famous and the actors who solidified the town’s reputation. While taking the walking tour of the downtown area, I discovered a temporary display of refurbished Kansas race cars. I was attracted when I saw a modern day sprint car in the window. I received a personal tour and was told the back story of almost every car on display.
A big part of the Dodge City economy is based on the cattle industry. Large feedlots are found just on the outskirts of town and large meat-packing companies have huge plants here. Semi trucks were found everywhere!
A gem was found in the Mueller-Schmidt House Home of Stone. The house built in 1881 is made of lime stone. Only two families lived in the house, with the last resident passing away in 1960. At that time the house and all of its belongings were sold to the county who have turned it into a museum.
James Arness (Marshall Dillon) Sculpture.
James Arness' medalion, signature, and hand print.
Dennis Weaver's medalion, with his signature and hand print.
Amanda Blake's medalion.
The Doc Holiday Sculpture.
El Capitain, representing the Longhorn cattle that brought business to Dodge City.
The Wyatt Earp Sculpture.
One of the many sign posts throughout the downtown area.
Two sun dials, one for Central Time and one for Mountain Time. The dividing line for the two zone used to run between the two sun dials, but has since been moved further west toward Colorado.
Historic site west of Dodge City. You can still see the tracks where the oxen-pulled wagons traveled along the Santa Fe Trail.
Hard to see, but using your imagination, you can see the trail where the grass and foliage are a different color. I'm sure this is much more visible during the late fall and winter.
Part of the Santa Fe Trail.
Sprint car belonging to Steve King, a Kansas driver who was tragically killed in a racing accident at Knoxville Raceway in 2006.
A display showing the evolution of Kansas race cars.
A stock car on display.
A panoramic view of the cattle feed lots right outside of Dodge City.
One of the feed lots.
A rare white bison.
Longhorn cattle.
The Mueller-Schmidt House
The front hallway of the Mueller-Schmidt House.
The kitchen of the Mueller-Schmidt House.
The Mueller-Schmidt House dining room.