Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City is the governmental center of county of Ford County, Kansas, United States, titled after close-by Fort Dodge.
The town/city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the town/city population was 27,340. Fort Mann was the first settlement of non-indigenous citizens in the region that became Dodge City, assembled by civilians in 1847 to furnish protection for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.
Military forces on the Santa Fe Trail were reestablished farther north and east at Fort Larned in 1859, but the region remained vacant around what would turn into Dodge City until the end of the Civil War.
The town of Dodge City can trace its origins to 1871 when rancher Henry J.
In 1872, Dodge City was staked out on the 100th Meridian and the legal Western boundary of the Fort Dodge reservation.
The early pioneer in Dodge City interchanged in buffalo bones and hides and provided a civilian improve for Fort Dodge.
However, with the arrival of the barns , Dodge City soon became involved in the cattle trade.
With no place else to go, Dodge City suddenly became the "queen of the cow towns." A new route known as the Great Western Cattle Trail or Western Trail branched off from the Chisholm Trail to lead cattle into Dodge City.
Dodge City became a boomtown, with thousands of cattle passing annually through its stockyards.
The peak years of the cattle trade in Dodge City were from 1883 to 1884, and amid that time the town interval tremendously.
In 1880, Dodge City got a new competitor for the cattle trade from the border town of Caldwell.
Nevertheless, it was Dodge City that became famous, and no town could match Dodge City's reputation as a true frontier settlement of the Old West.
Dodge City had more famous (and infamous) gunfighters working at one time or another than any other town in the West, many of whom participated in the Dodge City War of 1883.
It also boasted the usual array of saloons, gambling halls, and brothels, including the famous Long Branch Saloon and China Doll brothel. For a time in 1884, Dodge City even had a bullfighting ring where Mexican bullfighters would put on a show with specially chosen longhorn bulls.
By 1886, the cowboys, saloon keepers, gamblers, and brothel owners moved west to greener pastures, and Dodge City became a sleepy little town much like other communities in Kansas.
Dodge City is positioned at 37 45 35 N 100 1 6 W (37.759671, 100.018212) at an altitude of 2,493 ft (760 m). It lies on the Arkansas River in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. The town/city sits above one of the world's biggest underground water systems, the Ogallala Aquifer, and is 25 miles (40 km) from the easterly edge of the Hugoton Natural Gas Area. Located at the intersection of U.
Routes 50, 56 and 283 in southwestern Kansas, Dodge City is 151 mi (243 km) west of Wichita, 199 mi (320 km) northeast of Amarillo, and 301 mi (484 km) southeast of Denver. Dodge City lies at the intersection of North America's semi-arid (Koppen BSk) and humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa) zones, with hot summers, highly variable winters, both warm and very cold periods, and low to moderate humidity and rain throughout the year; it is part of USDA Hardiness zone 6b. Areas to the west are drier and more firmly semi-arid.
Dodge City is often cited as the windiest town/city in the United States with an average speed of 13.9 mph (22.4 km/h), which results in occasional blizzards in the winter, even when snow flurry does not accumulate much. On average, January is the coldest month, July is the hottest month, and June is the wettest month. The normal annual mean temperature in Dodge City is 55.4 F (13.0 C), while the normal monthly daily average temperature ranges from 32.2 F (0.1 C) in January to 79.6 F (26.4 C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 F (32 C) an average of 67 days a year and reaches or exceeds 100 F (38 C) an average of 13 days a year; the last year that floundered to reach 100 F was 1958. The minimum temperature falls to or below 0 F ( 18 C) an average of 3.0 days a year. The highest officially recorded temperature was 111 F (44 C) on June 27, 2012, while the lowest temperature officially recorded was 26 F ( 32 C) on February 12, 1899. The record cold daily maximum is 13 F ( 25 C) on January 13, 1875, and conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 81 F (27 C) last set July 12, 1978. Dodge City receives an annual average of 21.6 inches (550 mm) in precipitation, with the biggest share being received from May through August; annual rain has historically ranged from 9.97 in (253 mm) in 1956 to 34.29 in (871 mm) in 1944. There are, on average, 77 days of calculable rain each year.
Climate data for Dodge City Regional Airport, Kansas (1981 2010 normals, extremes 1874 present) Dodge City is an meaningful center for meat packing.
Meat packing is the major industry in Dodge City.
Livestock-raising is a primary activity while wheat and sorghum are the area's chief crops. In addition, a small-town tourism industry, including a casino resort, has advanced to capitalize on Dodge City's history as an Old West cowtown. The service zone accounts for much of the rest of the small-town economy. The cost of living in Dodge City is mostly low; compared to a U.S.
Average of 100, the cost of living index for the town/city is 79.3. As of 2010, the median home value in the town/city was $83,300, the median chose monthly owner cost was $1,013 for housing units with a mortgage and $450 for those without, and the median gross rent was $571. Dodge City is a town/city of the first class with a commission-manager form of government. The town/city commission consists of five members who serve either two-year or four-year terms depending on the number of votes they receive.
Every year, the commission selects one commissioner to serve as mayor and another to serve as vice-mayor. The commission meets on the first and third Monday of each month. Appointed by the commission, the town/city manager leads the town/city administration, executes the commission's policies, and develops working programs to meet the city's needs. As the county seat, Dodge City is the administrative center of Ford County.
Dodge City lies inside Kansas's 1st U.S.
Dodge City Public Library, positioned north of downtown, is the city's chief library.
A member of the Southwest Kansas Library System, it has a compilation of approximately 123,000 volumes, and it circulates more than 189,000 items annually. It was established as a Carnegie library in 1905 and moved to its current facility in 1981. The library offers a several services to the public, including computer classes, enhance internet access, and programs for kids and grownups. Other libraries in the town/city include the DCCC Library, which holds more than 30,000 volumes and serves as a federal depository library, and the Kansas Heritage Center, a non-profit resource center and research library directed by Dodge City Public Schools dedicated to the history of Kansas, the Great Plains, and the Old West. The Dodge City Amtrak station (2008) Originally a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, Dodge City was later positioned on the National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, which followed the trail's path in Kansas upon its establishment in 1912. Currently, four U.S.
Highways meet in Dodge City: U.S.
Dodge City Regional Airport is positioned approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the city. Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline with daily flights to Denver, CO and Liberal, KS. Three barns s serve Dodge City: the La Junta Subdivision of the BNSF Railway which runs east-west, the chief line of the Cimarron Valley Railroad of which Dodge City is the northeastern terminus, and the Boot Hill and Western Railway of which the town/city is the northwestern terminus. Using the BNSF trackage, Amtrak provides passenger rail service on its Southwest Chief line between Chicago and Los Angeles. Amtrak's Dodge City station is positioned downtown. The Utilities Division of the town/city government's Public Works Department operates and maintains the city's water and waste water distribution systems. The department's Sanitation Division provides trash pickup. Operations Management International, Inc.
The Western Plains Medical Complex is the sole hospital in Dodge City.
Main article: Media in Dodge City, Kansas The Dodge City Daily Globe is the city's daily journal with a circulation of approximately 7,000 copies. In addition, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City prints a weekly newspaper, The Southwest Kansas Catholic, formerly known as The Southwest Kansas Register. The High Plains Journal, a weekly trade journal covering county-wide agricultural news, is also presented in the city. Along with Garden City, Dodge City is a center of broadcast media for southwestern Kansas. Two AM airways broadcasts, seven FM airways broadcasts, and four tv stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the area. Dodge City is positioned in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas tv market. The four stations that broadcast from the town/city include: one CBS and one FOX network affiliate, both of which are satellite stations of their respective affiliates in Wichita; a satellite station of Smoky Hills Public Television, the PBS member network covering Kansas; and KDDC-LD a sister station of KDGL-LD in Sublette, Kansas. The city's Parks and Recreation Department maintains 21 parks in the city. The biggest is Wright Park, positioned immediately south of downtown and home to the Dodge City Zoo. Legends Park, in the northern part of the city, is a four-diamond, tournament-level baseball and softball complex that hosts both youth and adult league games. The town/city also maintains the St.
Dodge City Country Club, the private course, is an 18-hole course assembled in 1916 and period in 1982. Located in the initial enhance library building, The Carnegie Center for the Arts provides loggia space to small-town artists and homes the Dodge City Arts Council. The second loggia, the Second Avenue Art Guild, exhibits the work of county-wide artists in ceramics, photography, and other media. Each summer, the Dodge City Chamber of Commerce holds Dodge City Days, the city's annual improve festival. Lasting ten days, it includes the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, a parade, a beauty pageant, music concerts, a golf tournament, arts and craft shows, and other activities. Several other improve affairs are held throughout the year. In early May, the city's sizeable Mexican improve jubilates Cinco de Mayo in Wright Park with live music, folk dance performances, and traditional Mexican cuisine. To jubilate Independence Day, the town/city holds its Old-Fashioned Fourth of July which includes a fireworks display and children's activities at Boot Hill. Christmas in Old Dodge City, the city's winter holiday festival, starts in late November and lasts until Christmas. It begins with a formal Christmas tree lighting downtown, a chili cook-off, and the Parade of Lights, a parade of floats decorated with Christmas lights. Located in and around the town/city are a number of historical sites, exhibitions, and landmarks dedicated to Dodge City's Old West heritage.
The exhibition's larger exhibits include: Front Street, a partial ongoing standard of downtown Dodge City as it existed in 1876; the Long Branch Saloon and the Long Branch Variety Show; the Saratoga Saloon; the Hardesty House, a period-typical home assembled in 1879; the city's initial Boot Hill Cemetery; and the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Santa Fe Trail Remains, positioned 9 miles (14 km) west of the city, are preserved wagon tracks from a section of the Santa Fe Trail. The Ford County Historical Society maintains the Mueller-Schmidt House, called the "Home of Stone." Built from region limestone in 1881, it is the earliest building in the town/city still standing at its initial site. Other historical landmarks include: El Capitan, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a Texas Longhorn steer assembled to memorialize the cattle drives that once ended in the city; a bronze statue of famous Dodge City lawman Wyatt Earp; and the Santa Fe Depot, the biggest extant train depot in Kansas. Dodge City maintains part of its downtown as a tourist attraction.
To capitalize on this heritage, the town/city promotes its downtown company precinct as historic Old Dodge City complete with Western-themed tourist attractions, shops, and restaurants. Visitors can tour the precinct by street car or by taking the Dodge City Trail of Fame walking tour. The state of Kansas operates the similarly themed Boot Hill Casino & Resort on the west side of the town/city when it opened for company in December 2009, Boot Hill became the first state-owned casino in the United States. Dodge City Civic Center and United Wireless Arena are the city's two chief indoor event venues.
Owned by the City of Dodge City and Ford County, the arena complex includes the 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) Magouirk Conference Center. Other sites of interest in the town/city include the Dodge City Zoo and the Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame.
There are 33 Christian churches in and around Dodge City. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City is based in the city.
Established in 1951, it comprises 28 Kansas counties, roughly the southwestern quarter of the state. The town/city is home to both the diocese's current and former cathedrals, Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sacred Heart Cathedral, in the order given. Also headquartered in the town/city is the Dodge City District of the United Methodist Church which consists of 22 counties in southwestern Kansas. Dodge City is home to the Dodge City Law experienced arena football team.
Dodge City Community College's athletic teams, the Dodge City Conquistadors (or "Conqs" for short), compete in a several sports in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). Beyond DCCC sports, Dodge City also hosts amateur baseball and experienced motorsports.
The Dodge City Athletics, nicknamed the "A's", are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Jayhawk Collegiate League of the National Baseball Congress. Both the A's and the DCCC Conquistadors baseball team use Cavalier Field, positioned on the former St.
Mary of the Plains College campus, as their home field. Dodge City Raceway Park, positioned immediately south of the city, is a 3/8-mile dirt track that hosts midget and sprint car racing from April through October.
In the past, Dodge City hosted college football and experienced basketball as well.
From 1970 to 1980, the annual Boot Hill Bowl post-season college football game was played in Dodge City.
The last game was played on November 21, 1980. From 2000 to 2007, the town/city was home to a minor league experienced basketball team, the Dodge City Legend of the United States Basketball League. Starting in the 1870s, the violent episodes of early Dodge City history, especially the exploits of Wyatt Earp, thriving nationwide media attention.
News coverage of the 1883 Dodge City War fueled enhance perceptions of frontier turmoil and established Dodge City as the "Sodom of the West" in the enhance consciousness.
Regarded in American folklore as the quintessential rough and rowdy Old West frontier town, Dodge City served as the setting for various works of Western-themed media, including films and tv series. Dodge City was the setting of the long-running radio and tv series Gunsmoke.
Marshal Matt Dillon as he dealt with gunfighters, cattle rustlers, and other criminals while enforcing the law in the city. The radio series lasted from 1952 to 1961 while the tv series ran from 1955 to 1975, the longest-running prime-time TV drama in American history. The show proved to be culturally influential and promoted the legend of Dodge City's Old West era.
These include a several seasons of the 1950s series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and the films Winchester '73 (1950), Masterson of Kansas (1954), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and Wyatt Earp (1994). In the 1939 film Dodge City the fictional lawman Wade Hatton, played by Errol Flynn, was modeled on Earp. In the tv series Smallville, Metropolis is southwest of Dodge City with Smallville, Clark Kent's childhood as well as adolescent residence 200 miles (320 km) west of Wichita. Main article: List of citizens from Dodge City, Kansas See also: List of Dodge City Community College citizens Numerous figures of the American Old West lived in Dodge City amid its reconstructionas a frontier cowtown.
Historic Images of Dodge City, Special Photo Collections at Wichita State University Library Official temperature records for Dodge City kept at downtown from 15 September 1874 to June 1942 and at Dodge City Regional Airport since July 1942. Precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth records date from 1 October 1874, 1 January 1893, and 1 January 1948, in the order given. a b "Ford County Historical Society Dodge City, Kansas".
"Average weather for Dodge City, KS".
National Weather Service Forecast Office - Dodge City, KS.
Dodge City Development Corporation.
Dodge City Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"Dodge City, Kansas".
"Dodge City Commission".
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
Dodge City Public Schools.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City.
"Dodge City Community College and Area Technical Center 2011 2012 Catalog" (PDF).
Dodge City Community College.
Dodge City Community College.
"Dodge City Public Library Dodge City, KS".
Dodge City Public Library.
Dodge City Public Library.
Dodge City Community College.
"City of Dodge City (Map)" (PDF).
"KDDC Dodge City Regional Airport".
Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Dodge City, KS (DDG)".
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
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City of Dodge City, Kansas.
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
City of Dodge City, Kansas.
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Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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"'Boot Hill Burlesque': The Frontier Cemetery as Tourist Attraction in Tombstone, Arizona, and Dodge City, Kansas".
Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West.
Dodge City: Queen of Cowtowns: "the Wickedest Little City in America" 1872 1886.
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