Hell on the Kansas Border

“Cowboys don’t take baths, they just dust off.” – Tornado

The 100th Meridian was recognized as the western border of the Osage Indian Reservation, the line that marked the end of the humid East and the beginning of the arid western Great Plains. The line runs from south to north, pole to pole and was defined by John Wesley Powell in 1879. The area became incredibly important to settlers, newly emancipated African Americans, mountain men, gunslingers and calvary after the Civil War as a tangible marker for people seeking to establish new lives in the west.

            Fort Larned, one of the best preserved forts in the West, was constructed in 1865-68. The complex consisted of 10 sandstone buildings, 9 of which are still standing. The fort was charged with protecting settlers, railroad workers and the US Mail from Indian raids, maintain peace in the area and guard traffic on the Santa Fe Trail. The 900-mile Santa Fee Trail functioned as an international trade route facilitating the movement of goods, staples and people. Nine-miles outside of Dodge City trail ruts are still visible after more than 150-years ago. 

 Santa Fe Trail and the guardians included Kit Carson, Philip Sheridan, Custer and in April 1867 ninety-eight men from Company A of the 10^th US Cavalry were sent to Larned. For all its glory the fort was abandoned in 1878. Tours are available and walking through the fort is unique form of time travel.

            Santa Fe Trail Center Museum & Research Library interprets the entire trail experience and its impact on the West. Displays include artifacts and 7,000 photographs. Visitors  have access to the Archives and Research Library. santafetrailcenter.org

            Fort Dodge was established in 1865 to protect wagon trains traveling the Santa Fe Trail. Original structures were adobe or sod. It is the oldest permanent community in this area of Kansas. The fort suffered an Indian attack in 1868 and General Custer led a retaliatory campaign. The fort closed in 1882 and began use as a soldier’s home in 1890. A portion of the Fort’s land became a settlement known as Dodge in 1865 and a Dodge City in 1872.

            Legend has it that Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado crossed the Arkansas River in 1541 near Dodge City, followed by explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806. A 38-foot cross marks the location of Coronado’s believed Arkansas River crossing. The cross is situated within a 10-acre prairie. In 1821 William Becknell opened the Santa Fe Trail as a trade route. Henry Sutler constructed a 3-room cabin that became the site for traveling hunters and traders to conduct business.

“A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse.” – William James

Between 1872-1874 more than 850,000 buffalo hides and bones were shipped from

Dodge and by 1875 the buffalo had been slaughtered. The buffalo trade was replaced by the 5-million cattle driven through Dodge until the 1880s. Originally there was no local law and the military was not mandated to enforce the law. At one time Dodge had the largest number of gunfighters of any frontier town. In 1883 The Dodge City Peace Commission was founded and with it came lawmen such as Bat Masterson, Luke Short Frank McClain, Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. These personalities were blended to shape the character of the fictional Matt Dillion of Gunsmoke. The show is the longest running western in television  history with 635 episodes. 

            Boot Hill Museum is a star attraction situated atop the original Boot Hill Cemetery. It tells the story of the premiere cattle town through, photographs, artifacts, dioramas, reconstructed buildings and interactions with authentically dressed re-enactors. The collection is comprised of more than, largely original, 60,000 items. A recreated Front Street includes the Long Branch Saloon where you can belly up to the bar for a drink. Of the 16 saloons it was the only one with a 5-musician orchestra. Boot Hill dates from 1878 and a portion of it can be seen in the museum. Also on the hill is the Old Jail. 

            Join the Historic Trolley Tour at the Visitor Center. The tour provides background information, anecdotes and a physical overview of the town.

            The Gunfighters Wax Museum displays life-size wax sculptures of individuals prominent in the West’s history, Crockett, Earp, Masterson, the James Brothers, Doc and Miss Kitty.

            Before you “get out of Dodge” there are wonderful photo ops with bronze statues of Earp, Masterson, Dillion, Holliday and the iconic El Capitan Texas Longhorn. Be certain to look down to see the more than 14-miles of brick streets. visitdodgecity.org

“Wake Nicodemus up for the great Jubilee.” African American Spiritual

            Black people came to the West with the Spanish, later slave owners and in the early 1800s as enslaved workers of the Five Civilized Tribes. After the Civil War freedom was granted but it was nominal. Sharecropping, racially biased laws, constrained movement and the inability to vote hampered equal rights and many African Americans saw migration to the West as a solution to the blatant racism. Pap Singleton, the Moses of the Colored Exodus, headed a group of 300 “Exodusters” to Cherokee County, Kansas. By the 1880s, the end of the Exodus, it is estimated 43,010 African Americans had relocated to Kansas.

            The first black community west of the Mississippi River was Nicodemus in northwestern Kansas. It is the sole black township that continues as a functioning community. Three-hundred Kentucky settlers arrived in 1877. Sixty people left immediately when they saw the conditions. Within five years they developed into a prosperous, 160-acre, town. Nicodemus declined during the Great Depression and now has a population of twenty. In 1996 the town was inscribed as a National Historic Landmark.

            Tours begin in Township Hall where visitor’s view a video and a series of exhibits. There are five structures on the tour. Each site displays an interpretive sign with photos and information. As you leave town there is a small park filled with metal plaques that provide complete information. 

            Grab your huckleberry and embark on an impactful trip to meet legends and interact with icons. #KSmediaevent2023

Wichita, Kansas, Meet the Legendary

“All things are bound together. All things connect."  Chief Seattle, Duwamish

                  Wichita’s iconic symbol, The Keeper of the Plains, sums up the overarching history, culture, significance and role of the city where the West truly begins. The 44-foot Keeper of the Plains is situated at the site where the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers, in downtown Wichita, is on Native American sacred ground. It faces the rising sun, weighs 5-tons and stands on a 30-foot pedestal and is depicted with arms lifted in entreaty to the Great Spirit. A “Ring of Fire” burns all year on a regular schedule. The sculpture’s design was created and gifted to the city by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin in 1974.

                  Keeper Plaza features cultural information on the Plains Indians. Around the statue are multiple plaques describing the life, belief, and practices of pre-contact Plains Indian tribes. A sacred hoop symbolizes the directions, the seasons and the earth’s essential elements earth, wind, fire and water. The earliest inhabitants lived on the Great Plains for more than 14,000-years. These tribes included the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow and Sioux. Their lives were largely nomadic and revolved around the buffalo. Native Americans continue to gather at this sacred site.

                  In 1969 the Mid-America All-Indian Museum was established as a keeper and promulgator of American Indian culture and heritage. Seventy-three tribes are represented in the Wichita region. The museum has a 3,000-piece collection and presents rotating exhibits. An Outdoor Learning Center featuring a 20-ft tall tipi and a classroom enhance the complex. Galleries incorporate unique artifacts, video and immersive activities. Theindianmuseum.org

                  In 1865 Jesse Chisholm, Scottish-Cherokee trader, blazed a trade route that would evolve into the Chisholm Trail, from Texas to Wichita. The trail was used for cattle drives from the 1860s to the 1870s for cattle headed for northern railheads. Wichita thrived on the cattle trade and constructed hotels and two infamous saloons, the First and Last Chance, one at each end of the route. The railroad came to Wichita in 1872 ending an era.

                  Old Cowtown Museum, established in 1950, maintains the history and legacy of the more profane aspects of the town. The museum has 54 buildings in 45 exhibit spaces in five dedicated districts, Old Town, Business, Agricultural, industrial and Residential. Buildings date from the 1800s and many are original. Tours of the town allow visitors to immerse themselves in the 1870s through stagecoach rides, reenactments, gunfights and demonstrations. The DeVore Farm is particularly interesting in its depiction of life on a working farm post-Civil War. This is a Wichita must. oldcowtown.org

                  In the city center you will find Old Town. The ambiance of its brick streets is created by street lamps and converted brick warehouses. Stores and dining venues make this a great place for an evening stroll.

                  Known as The Great American Desert, Kansas’ Indian Territory, basically isolated from the people of European descent yet relatively near slave-holding states, it appeared to be an ideal place for African Americans to settle. Battles were fought until the 1850s to determine whether the land would be slave of free. The population of enslaved in 1860 was 2 and 625 free blacks. Post-Civil War black organizations formed groups to settle in Kansas. In 1879 the Exoduster Movement began and by the end of the movement more than 41,000 African Americans had resettled in the state.

                  The Kansas African American Museum is a repository for the history and contributions that make up the African American experience in the West. Calvary Baptist Church was erected in 1917 by the congregants during the hours after work. Calvary relocated in the 70s, was purchased by the First National Historical Society and became the Kansas African American Museum in 1998. Renowned artist Dr. Samella Lewis donated a portion of her personal art collection as a foundation for the museum’s permanent collection. The holdings include works by Barthé, Bearden, Catlett and Gordon Parks as well as African galleries. Tkaamuseum.org

                  A little further afield Kansas showcases its heritage in unique and interesting ways. The iconic sunflower is showcased at the Kansas Maze Sunflower Field. The field is more than 16-acres and provides endless photo opportunities. kansasmaze.com

                  Lazy Moon Ranch is an eccentric and whimsical site that brings guests in contact with animals and art. The ranch features Miniature Donkeys, alpacas, Dwarf Nigerian Goats and other farm animals. Guests can arrange for an art lesson to create a personal souvenir of the visit. The Lazy Moon is available for event rental. lmoonranch.com

                  Envisions Art Gallery is totally unique in the country. In 2022 it opened with programming designed for the blind, visually impaired and disabled artists and visitors. The gallery features inclusive classes, tactile art exhibits and QR codes and braille access, with author’s name and the title of to each piece. White guidelines lead those with medical devices on an easy tour of the gallery. Exhibits rotate on a regular basis and the artists benefit financially from all sales. @envisionus.com 

                  Tanganyika Wildlife Park began with the boyhood dream of Jim Fouts of working with animals. He became a keeper in 1972 and in 1985 he purchased land and constructed a barn as the foundation of his wildlife park. In 1987 he acquired 2 tigers and began breeding animals. He and his family then constructed a state-of-the-art complex with private funds. Tanganyika opened in 2008. It is now one of the largest privately owned zoos in the country. They now have more than 40 exhibit areas, greater than 10 interactive stations, 37 different breeding programs and more than 500 animals. Visitors are invited to get up close and personal with the animals. The facility is available for event rental. Here you really can talk with the animals. twpark.com

                  Wichita has more than 50 museums and attractions and 1,200 places to dine. Spend some time in legendary places. #VisitWichita. #KSmediaevent2023