One of the first statues we saw when arriving in town is this one of larger-than-life Wyatt Earp located across the street from the Santa Fe Depot. Famous as a lawman (assistant deputy in Dodge 1876-1878) he was also a buffalo hunter, teamster, gambler and saloon keeper.
El Capitan, the impressive bronze statue of a Texas Longhorn is located nearby. Descendants of Spanish cattle brought to Mexico in the 16th century, more than 4 million, were driven up the Santa Fe Trail to Dodge City.
There are many historic buildings in the area. Here are a few that we saw.
Mueller-Schmidt House (aka House of Stone) was constructed 1879-1881 of local limestone. Tours of the interior of the house (furnished with period pieces) are provided, but it was closed when we were there.
Carnegie Center for the Arts (1907), funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, was originally Carnegie Library. Today it is the Dodge City Area Arts Council's community art center.
Constructed of locally quarried stone, St. Cornelius Episcopal Church (1898) is the oldest church building still in use in Dodge City.
A group of Dodge Citizens conceived of the idea of the Trail of Fame. Today there are 22 medallions in the sidewalks in the historic Dodge City district. We had fun finding them as we strolled through the area.
Website: www.dodgecitytrailoffame.org
The B&B Metal Art company was commissioned to depict the history of Dodge City by creating metal pole art banners. There are 30 in total and can be seen throughout the historic district.
We had a nice time strolling around the historic area with Sadie, our dog. For additional information about the Walking Tour, see the website below.
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