step by step 3lesson 120

Lesson 120 Dodge City

Lesson 120  Dodge City (4' 39")

Dodge City, Kansas, 1870.

Through countless movies, TV shows and pulp novels, the name Dodge City has become a legend----the wildest cow town in the western frontier.

Much of the mythology surrounding old Dodge City centers on the town lawmen. Wyatt Earp and Bat Mastersor were real peace officers in early Dodge City. On television, Marshal Matt Dillon has thrown more outlaws in jail than a cactus has thorns.

The modern day counterpart to these legendary lawmen is Dodge City's Chief of Police Oakley Ralf.

Like the city itself, a lawman's life has changed considerably over the years. An occasional desperado needs rounding up. But Chief Ralf spends most of his time working on department administration for Community Relations----a term that might have made a frontier sheriff choke in his beer.

In 1878, Dodge City's population was about 600. Today, it's 15,000. The city has a new Civic Center and two colleges. Of course, while it's true that Dodge City is keeping pace with modern times, its citizens aren't about to forget her well-known history.

At the foot of Boot Hill, Dodge City's famous old Front Street is reproduced just as it was in 1872. There's a museum, an apothecary shop, a frontier doctor's office, old fort Dodge Jail. And if you're thirsty, you could still get a glass of soda pop at the Long, Branch Saloon.

Back in the 1800s, a cold drink wasn't the only comfort sought at the local saloon by trail-weary cowpokes. And while it's true there were a few career women in the old West, most were kept corralled at home.

Today in Dodge City, a woman's place is anywhere she wants. Nancy Trower decided that she wanted to be in the City Commission----the town's governing body. She campaigned for the office and was elected. The other members of the City Commission voted Nancy Mayor of Dodge City recently and she now serves as the city's chief elected official.

One of the few things that has not changed much through the years is the nature of Dodge City's economy. During the frontier's great cattle era, Dodge became a major shipping point for trail herds. Its growth depended on the value of agriculture in general and cattle in particular.

Today, cattle-raising is still the biggest industry, but the ranchers who buy and raise cattle are a new breed. Harold Poe, for example. With a college degree in agriculture, Poe spends much of his time in town rather than in the fields He lives in Dodge City and works in a local bank.

Cattlemen like Harold Poe buy most of their animals at auctions. Dodge City has two such large stock outlets and they run full the year round. There is also a busy packing plant which dresses and packages beef.

Dodge City has changed just as other small towns in western America have changed.

There's a big difference between this city's past and present. Like a wise, old Kansas cowhand, Dodge City holds on to just enough of both.