The Founding of a Cattle Town

Article By Michael King

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.

On May 28, 1872, the letter imaged here was sent from the Post Adjunct at Fort Dodge to Robert Wright. Joel Vinson, the director of the Kansas Heritage Center, found this letter in old microfilm records. The letter told Wright that he could no longer sell alcohol in his store, which set off a chain of events that eventually led to the founding of Dodge City. Interestingly, just a couple of weeks later, on June 19, 1872, Wright received another letter saying he could reopen his bar. This change came only 13 days after two men, Hoover and McConnell, had started serving drinks at their bar near a sod house owned by Sitler, which was located about five miles west of Fort Dodge.

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.