This episode paints a vivid picture of life in Kansas cattle towns during the early 1870s, highlighting the danger and lawlessness that often accompanied the arrival of the railroad and the cattle trade. From actual newspaper accounts, we describe violent incidents, such as the fatal shooting sparked by a cornfield dispute and mandatory jury duty at gunpoint, alongside the boisterous and sometimes morally questionable atmosphere of establishments catering to cowboys and gamblers. The accounts, including one from “Buffalo Bill” Cody, emphasize the reputation of towns like Newton as wild and unruly places where strict rules about what you wore and how you acted, was more important than what you actually did. A joyful day resulted from seeing the Santa Fe locomotive finally pull into Newton – but the town wasn’t ready to calm down yet…
Special thanks to Dr. Brandon Ward at Halstead Chiropractic in Halstead and at Ward Chiropractic in Hutchinson, Kansas, for their support of Prairie Tales.
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