Dodge City - Home to Saints & Sinners Quiz

Answer: All of these

Fort Mann, Kansas, was built in 1847 to protect supply trains and travelers from Indian attacks, but by 1848 it was in ruins. Fort Atkinson was built in 1850 on the old site and was in use until 1854. Fort Dodge, located on the site of the present Dodge City, was established in 1865.

Answer: Matt Dillon

Who can forget the steely-eyed, 6'7" James Arness who played Marshal Matt Dillon during the 20-year television run of "Gunsmoke"? Marshal Dillon was a composite of four lawmen who served in Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman and Charlie Bassett.

Answer: 1872

Dodge City was founded in 1872 with Henry L. Sitler's sod house as its first building. Mr. Sitler built that three-room house in 1871 along the Santa Fe Trail which had opened in 1821.

Answer: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad reached Dodge City in the Fall of 1872. In some places the tracks were placed on top of wagon ruts on the Santa Fe Trail. Once the railroad got to Dodge City, stores, saloons, and a dance hall quickly followed.

Answer: True

At the height of the buffalo trade, Dodge City was called "Buffalo City" and was the capital of the trade until the herds were decimated by hunters. Buffalo hides were stacked high on the main street, and Buffalo hunters and traders - unwashed and reeking - frequented the saloons and dance halls. The term "stinker" was invented to describe these smelly folks.

Answer: Western Trail

The Great Western Cattle Trail, founded by John Lytle in 1874, began in Texas and ended in Dodge City, Kansas. Anywhere from 10 million to 12 million Texas Longhorn cattle passed through Dodge between 1876-1886. One of Dodge City's many titles was "Queen of the Cow Towns".

Answer: The Wickedest Little City in America

The cowboys who drove the cattle up from Texas and sowed their wild oats in Dodge contributed to its reputation as the Wickedest Little City in America. Tombstone, Arizona is still called the Town Too Tough to Die. Leadville, Colorado, at an elevation of 10,430 feet, is called "Cloud City".

Answer: True

Although the term did originate in Dodge, there are two theories concerning its origins. The first theory is that it came from the Red Light Bordello whose front door was made of red glass and at night the lights from inside the building would glow red through the glass door.

The second theory is that train employees would use their red caboose lanterns to find their way to the "soiled doves" who populated Dodge's houses of prostitution.

Answer: Wyatt Earp

In 1878 Wyatt Earp became assistant city marshal of Dodge City while also working as a faro dealer at the Long Branch. Wyatt left Dodge in 1878 and one year later landed in Tombstone, Arizona. Doc Holliday followed Wyatt to Dodge City in late 1878 and made his living primarily by gambling while practicing dentistry as a sideline. Pat Garrett, the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, made his fame by shooting Billy the Kid.

He was killed in 1908 while reaching for a shotgun. Wild Bill Hickok, marshall in Abilene, Kansas, was shot in the head by Jack McCall while playing poker.

His poker hand consisted of aces and eights - known ever since as the "Dead Man's Hand".

Answer: North of the railroad tracks

The line of demarcation was the railroad tracks, also called the "deadline". Guns could not be worn or carried in north of the deadline. No holds were barred south of the deadline.

Answer: Boot Hill

Over 20 Wild West towns had Boot Hill cemeteries, so named because most of the inhabitants died while still shod. Dodge's Boot Hill was used for six years. The exact number of people buried there isn't known, since most of the bodies were moved as Dodge City expanded. The tourist attraction "Old Dodge City" now sits on the original Boot Hill site.

Answer: A five piece orchestra

Believe it or not, Chalk Beeson, the owner of the Long Branch Saloon, entertained his customers with a five-piece orchestra. Mr. Beeson is also credited with organizing the Dodge City Cowboy Band, which was one of the finest musical acts of its time.

The group wore six-guns as part of their uniforms. When the leader of the band was asked why he carried a gun, he replied: "to kill the first man who strikes a false note". Probably their biggest triumph was when they played for President Harrison's inauguration ceremonies.

Answer: Bill Cody

This commission was formed to support Luke Short in his bid to purchase a half interest in the Long Branch Saloon. Mayor Alonzo B. Webster, owner of two saloons, opposed Short's purchase and managed to get Short evicted from Dodge as an "undesireable". Short, a gambler and gunfighter, appealed to his friends, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp who responded by gathering a group of fellow gunfighters to support Short.

When Mayor Webster saw who the members of the Peace Commission were, he wisely settled the issue with Wyatt Earp and the incident ended non-violently.

Answer: False

The Long Branch was the scene of many a gunfight, fistfight, and other forms of mayhem that came with the cowboy clientele. The most famous shoot-out happened on April 5, 1879, when a gunfight erupted between Frank Loving and Levi Richardson, long-time antagonists.

Their quarrel came to a head over a poker game in the Long Branch. Each man stood up and began firing at the other. Richardson fired five rounds; Loving fired six. When the smoke cleared, Richardson was dead but Loving's only injury was a slight graze to his hand. "The Globe" newspaper later reported: "It seemed strange that Loving was not hit, except for a slight scratch on the hand, as the two men were so close together that their pistols almost touched each other".

Answer: George Hoover

Although George Merritt Hoover was born in Canada, by 1872 he was in Dodge City. He served four terms as mayor, two terms in the state legislature, and, by all accounts, was an upstanding citizen respected by everyone who knew him. As an interesting sidenote, when the prohibition act went into effect in Kansas in 1881, Mr. Hoover, unlike many saloon owners in town, stopped selling liquor in his Dodge City establishment.