A Wicked Little Town or The Cowboy Capital of the World?

A Kansas newspaper in the 1870s toted Dodge City as being a synonym for all that is wild, reckless, and violent, also calling it “Hell on the Plains.” Whether you prefer to think of it as “A Wicked Little Town” or “The Cowboy Capital of the World,” there’s no denying the region has an infamous past. Every year, thousands of tourists travel to the area to see where the likes of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Big Nose Kate, and others once roamed the dusty streets. Dodge City traces its roots back to Fort Dodge, which was established in 1865. The fort aided troops fighting in the Indian Wars, provided mail services and supplies, and protected the wagon train parties traveling westward. By 1872, a group of prominent businessmen began planning for a city named after the fort. Due to the lack of local law enforcement in the early days, Dodge City rapidly developed a reputation for attracting gunslingers, drifters, buffalo hunters, and others seeking refuge from the open Kansas prairies.