Kickin' Up Our Heels In Dodge City!

Here we are in Dodge City, Kansas, the cowboy capital of the world!!  This was really worth the trip out here - way, way out here!  This is where it all happened, the most unruly town there ever was.  When you hear the phrase "The Wild Wild West", this is the town that gave us that expression.  

There aren't too many of the original buildings left, but they did a great job with what was left. Part of the Boot Hill graveyard is still as it was, and most of the graves were identified.  Some people buried here were killed in bar room brawls, some were found hanging, or were sentenced to hang, others were killed in gun fights by the likes of Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday.  The hanging tree is still there, but the nooses are new.  When we entered the bar, the bar tender greeted us and the piano player began to play!  They were really friendly and enjoyed sharing the history of the town.  They even invited us up to the stage to entertain the the wild and crazy imaginary patrons!  The original drug store was there, and the lady who ran it made Lindsey an honorary US Marshal.  There weren't too many visitors there, so all of the docents were having a good time with us - it made it really fun!  They had a museum throughout the reconstructed buildings that was really great!  We learned a lot about the beginnings of the whole western expansion, the Indians and their role in the settling of the west, and the plight of the buffalo.  

From here, all the way into Colorado, you can still see the "ruts" that define the original Santa Fe Trail that was used by Indians, settlers and soldiers.  The highway pretty much follows the trail, and there are several turn - outs for viewing.  There are still remains of the many forts built by the US Army to protect the wagon trains of new settlers.  Did you know there were about a bazillion kinds of barbed wire used back then?  We saw samples of several kinds along with the patents that were issued for production.  In fact, the city of La Crosse, just a few miles from Dodge, was the barbed wire capital of the United States!  

We have had lots of fun here, but it's well after noon, and high time to "Get out of Dodge!"  We are headed to Colorado to visit with our niece and family in Colorado Springs.