“You get up every morning and you think about what you need to do that’s best for your cows. That’s your responsibility. You look after cattle. You don’t think twice about it.” Joe Magee, Texas Panhandle cowboy.
Cowboys work[ed] regardless of weather. On the Great Plains a blue norther (or Texas norther), refers to an Arctic cold front that develops suddenly on the northern horizon as dark, wet clouds appear bluer than the sky above the cloud mass. On January 9, 1887, a blizzard covered parts of the Great Plains in more than 16 inches of snow and temperatures dropped to around 50 below. Cattle losses numbered as high as 75 percent and changed open-range cattle ranching forever. This series of events became known as The Big Die-Up.
Montana artist Charles M. Russell captured the conditions of this tragedy with his famous small watercolor, Waiting for a Chinook (later given the title The Last of Five Thousand). The Big Die-Up is fairly well known in terms of the costs to live stock and open range ranching. What is less well known are the human costs to those who did (and do) the cow and horse work during harsh winters. Cowboys froze to death trying to save cattle.
Another giant of Western art, Frederic Remington, sculpted The Norther, his first bronze to be cast using lost wax in 1900.  The Norther was a marketplace flop, although it is now considered one of Remington’s finest works as he captured the conditions cowboys endure[d] to look after cattle. Depicting a mounted Great Plains cowboy and his cow pony with their backs hunched over to the bitter wind and snow; Remington even used a special patina to evoke frost on the horse and the cow hand.

By the year 1872, Fort Dodge, originally established in 1865 as a modest military outpost, had dramatically transformed into an active trading post and vital gathering hub for the surrounding community. Nestled along the Santa Fe Trail, it served as a vital stopover for intrepid traders and hardy buffalo hunters, significantly contributing to the economic vitality of the region. At this time, Fort Dodge was ensconced within a sprawling military reservation, its western boundary extending a full five miles from the fort itself, a distance that would soon shape the course of another development.
The post store, commonly dubbed the Sutler's store, was a lively hub of activity, frequented by soldiers and traders alike seeking a variety of supplies, including alcoholic beverages that flowed freely. However, the specter of excessive drinking loomed large, prompting Colonel Richard Dodge, the fort's commandant, to take decisive action. In an effort to mitigate the rampant alcohol consumption, he restricted sales to officers only, effectively putting an end to the availability of liquor at the fort.
The origins of Dodge City can be traced back to May 28, 1872, when Robert Wright, the proprietor of the trading post at Fort Dodge, received a letter to cease all whiskey sales within the military reservation. In an audacious move prompted by this mandate from Major Irving Dodge, the post commander, businessman George Hoover set off for Kansas City. He carefully loaded his wagon with barrels of whiskey, determined to transport them as close to the fort as regulations would allow, halting just shy of the five-mile boundary.

To ensure he adhered to this distance, Hoover ingeniously tied a rag to a wagon wheel and meticulously counted the number of rotations, multiplying that figure by the wheel's diameter to arrive at an exact measurement. On June 17, 1872, accompanied by his business partner Jack McConnell, Hoover established a rustic bar, constructed from sod and wooden planks, just beyond the five-mile limit. This inviting establishment was strategically positioned south of the anticipated A.T. & S.F. railroad tracks, providing a much-needed refuge for soldiers, buffalo hunters, and traders who found themselves barred from Fort Dodge’s saloon.
The opening of Hoover's bar sparked the emergence of additional enterprises, igniting a wave of commercial activity in the area. Hoover, along with his fellow pioneers, initially christened the burgeoning town "Buffalo City," a name that reflected the region's rich hunting grounds. In their quest to establish a U.S. Post Office, the founders faced a significant challenge: the name they initially favored, Buffalo City, was already used by another location within the United States. They ultimately chose the name Dodge City to navigate this obstacle and create a distinctive identity.
This new name not only encapsulated the essence of the community but also resonated with the adventurous spirit of the American frontier. Dodge City quickly became a symbol of the Wild West, embodying the rugged individualism and vibrant energy that characterized this burgeoning era of American history. As a result, the name Dodge City would go on to evoke images of cowboys, saloons, and the untamed landscape that defined the westward expansion.

Dodge City, strategically nestled in the prairie's heart, marked the cattle drive's westernmost point. It offered vast grasslands spanning thousands of acres for cattle to fatten on while they awaited their trains to the East and recuperated from the arduous drive. This pivotal position was the key to the city's role in the cattle trade and American frontier history. Fredric R. Young, in his book "Dodge City: Up through the Century," explained in 1972 an advertisement that appeared in the Dodge City Times as a means to draw the cattle trade to Dodge City:

The article "Texas Cattle," provided by Keith Wondra, curator of the Boot Hill Museum, presents a valuable firsthand account of the report's original publication, which is interpreted by Fredric Young. It was featured in the Dodge City Times shortly before the commencement of the inaugural cattle season in Dodge City. A transcription of the article follows below.

Through our exchanges, and through private sources, we are daily receiving information of the almost superhuman exertions that are being made through the "ring" operators of the K. P. and U. P. railroads, to induce the drives of the incoming season to pass northward over the grazing territory of tho Canadian and Arkansas. They have sent into Texas men who are expected to inform the drovers that their knowledge of the geography of this northern country in prefect, and that they are capable of advising the drovers where to hold their herds. Tho fallacy of this scheme will become amazingly developed should any Texas cattle man be duped into following their advice. Some of the specimens sent out upon this cattle! mission are wholly ignorant of the part of the country they go to represent. They are working for pay, and any parties that are duped by them will find their mistake in time. The citizens of Dodge City have gene to work in a legitimate and honest way. They have adopted wholesome measures whereby the cattle men can be treated upon general principles of equity and reciprocity.

The business men have reduced the prices of their liquors, cigars, tobacco, etc., for the especial trade of the cattle men. Reductions have also been made in prices generally. Accommodations for a large influx of people are being made by the hotels and restaurants, and with a view to the adage of “live and let live.” Trustworthy men; who are familiar with all of the ranges from the Canadian to the North Platte, will be in readiness to assist in showing the best pasturage where water and other accommodations can be found. Everything that can be made conducive to the interests and general welfare of the cattle men will be duly attended to. Our citizens do not intend that anything shall be omitted. They do not believe in sending out runners and cappers to impose upon tho credulity of honest men.
The agents of the A. T. & S. F. load at this point are gentlemen of integrity and cattle men will always find them alive to the interests of shippers.
The stock yards are commodious and capable of accommodating a large number of cattle.
These pens afford accommodations for feeding, watering, branding, assorting, shipping, etc., with stabling for horses.
A general effort is being made to make Dodge City an attractive point for the Texas cattle dealers, and our united citizens send forth their greeting to our Texas neighbors inviting their presence to our community, tendering of our whole people.