| Historic Abilene |
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| Historic Abilene |
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At the end of the Civil War when millions of longhorns
were left on the plains of Texas without a market, the Union Pacific was building west across Kansas. Joseph McCoy, an Illinois stockman, believed these cattle could be herded north for shipment by rail. He built yards at Abilene and sent agents to notify the Texas cattlemen. In 1867 the first drives were made up the Chisholm trail and during the next five years more than a million head were received. Abilene became the first of the wild cattle towns where gambling places, saloons, and dance halls competed for the cowboys wages. Gun fights were frequent and several peace officers resigned. The first to bring order was Tom Smith. More famous was "Wild Bill" Hickok who became known as the deadliest two gun marshal on the Western frontier.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower lived in Abilene from
Erected by the
Kansas Historical
Society |
Dickinson
County |
Historical marker in Abilene
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More |
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