Weather: Partly Cloudy w/ PM showers, 54/79F
Route: From Osawatomie 298 miles west on US-50 W.
Nicknames: Cowboy Capital of the World, King of Cowtowns, The Wickedest Little City in America.
Significance: Many things that we think of as being part of the "Wild West" occurred over a relatively short time period. For example, the Pony Express only happened for 18 months. The Dodge City of the TV show "Gunsmoke" was only around for about 10 years from the mid 1870's to the mid 1880's. Meaning the TV show was actually around for twice as long (20 years) as the wild west it depicted. The reason that it became such a popular place was that it is right on the 100th meridian, which was the furthest east that the cattle drives from Texas were permitted to go due to illnesses that ranchers in eastern Kansas didn't want their cows to get.
Two of the most famous wild west lawmen, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp did spend some time in Dodge City - but Dodge City's reputation was solidified by exaggerated news stories in eastern publications more focused on selling newspapers than getting the story right. Today you can tour a rebuilt Dodge City, watch reenactments of gunfights, and visit old west wax museums.
Images:
Video:
Kansas Tourism video on Dodge City
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