Dodge City!

My generation grew up on Gunsmoke. Marshal Dillon slew many a bandit as he cleaned up the frontier town and through it all stayed steadfast to the owner of the Long Branch Saloon, Miss Kitty.  Yet, how different was the real Dodge City's history to what we saw on the box in the living room?

Dodge began as an army fort. Fort Mann was set to ensure the safety of the travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. An attack by the 'hostiles' in 1848 let to the fort's downfall. The army tried, on several occasions, to rebuild, but gave up until the end of the Civil War.

The true origins of the town can be traced to a rancher named, Henry Sitler, whose sod house provided a way to keep tabs on his growing cattle empire. The house also provided a stopping point for travelers along the Santa Fe and those that moved along the Arkansas River. The real seal that led to rapid development of the town was the arrival of the railroad in 1872.

One George Hoover opened the first saloon for thirsty cattlemen herding their product to the stockyards adjacent to the rail lines. Several cattle trails meandered their way to smaller towns around Dodge, then sent the herds to be loaded on the stock cars to head to Chicago and slaughter houses. Those trails include - Shawnee Trail, Chisholm Trail, Great Western Cattle Trail to name a few. The heyday of the cattle industry was from 1883 to 1884. Not really a long time. However just long enough for Dodge to earn the nickname 'Queen of the Cow Towns' .

At one time, Dodge supported more gunslingers than any other town in the west. It boasted of the most saloons, gambling dens, brothels. And true to the TV series, one was known as the Long Branch. Bat Masterson and Doc Holiday also patrolled the streets.

What led to Dodges downfall? A tick. A weaselly little tick that carried Texas Cattle Fever to cattle in the area. The local government quarantined herds and eventually in 1885 the cattle trails were shut down. With out the livelihood, those cowboys, gamblers, saloon keepers, and solid doves moved to greener pastures. Dodge slowed and eventually became a sleepy little town once more - or at least until the Columbia Broadcast System, otherwise known as CBS drafted the radio version for TV.

Gunsmoke began on September 10, 1955 ( A year before my birth) and ran until  1975 a full 20 seasons - 26 episodes a season which means a total of 635 episodes! John Wayne, who advised James Arness to take the role, introduced the series. Of course, with a recommendation like that, it had to be a hit.

Until Next time,

Nan O'Berry