Home of Stone: The Mueller-Schmidt House – A Living Heritage

Connie Attractions & Events, History, Kansas, Road Trips May 24, 2024May 24, 2024Dodge City attractions, Home of Stone, Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Mueller-Schmidt House 0 Comment

The Mueller-Schmidt House is the only building in Dodge City built of limestone. It’s also the oldest building in the city still on its original foundation. Built from 1879 to 1881, owner John Mueller wanted it to be one of the most impressive homes in the city. Although nowhere near a mansion, many of its unique features stand out as special. Even more special is the story behind the two families who lived in the home—and some of the family members who may still live there in spirit.

Boot Hill Museum: Discover the Wild West Legacy

Connie Attractions & Events, Culture, History, Kansas, Road Trips May 24, 2024May 24, 2024Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City attractions, Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Wild West 0 Comment

We first visited the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas, in 2018. At that time, we heard about an upcoming big museum renovation. So, when we returned to Dodge City in 2024, we were anxious to see the changes.

From what we could tell, there weren’t many changes to the exhibits we saw on our first visit. But, there was a huge new addition, which I’ll talk about in a minute. First, we’ll explore exhibits that we remembered from our first visit and still exist.

Time Travel at The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

Connie Attractions & Events, Culture, History, Kansas May 24, 2024May 24, 2024Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Museums in Wichita, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museums 0 Comment

We visited the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum to learn more about the city’s Wild West days, as portrayed in the Gunsmoke series. We did find that era fascinating, but we couldn’t resist going through the rest of the museum as well.

It’s amazing that a city can go from the Wild West days to becoming the “air capital of the world” in only about sixty years.

But museum exhibits begin even before the Wild West days, all the way back to when the only population was Native American tribes. Exhibits continue through to modern times.

The Keeper of the Plains and Mid-America All-Indian Center

Connie Attractions & Events, Culture, History, Kansas, Nature May 24, 2024May 24, 2024Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Keeper of the Plains, Mid-America All-Indian Center, Museums in Wichita 0 Comment

At the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers in downtown Wichita, Kansas, the 44-foot awe-inspiring Keeper of the Plains sculpture stands with arms stretched upward to the Great Spirit. Even more imposing atop a 30-foot rock promontory, the Cor-Ten steel sculpture has become the iconic symbol of Wichita.

Nearby, the Mid-America All-Indian Center teaches about Indian culture and showcases American Indian artists.

Wild West Wichita Comes Alive at Old Cowtown Museum

Connie Attractions & Events, Kansas May 23, 2024May 24, 2024Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Living history museum, Old Cowtown Museum, Things to do in Wichita 0 Comment

We’ve been transported to Wichita’s Wild West days. In ten years, the city has grown from Jesse Chisholm’s 1860 trading post to a booming railroad town. In fact, in just a year and a half, the city has grown from 16 buildings to 175. Eight hundred people live here now. Businesses line the dirt streets. The busiest seems to be the saloon. We’ll visit the saloon in a bit, but first we’ll check out some of the other homes and businesses that make up the Old Cowtown Museum.

Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Abilene

Connie Attractions & Events, Kansas May 23, 2024May 24, 2024Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad, Big Spur, Dickinson County Heritage Center and Museum, Kansas attractions, Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, Old Abilene Town, Things to do in Abilene, Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, World's Largest Belt Buckle 0 Comment

In this article, we’re exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Abilene. We had already visited Wichita, Dodge City, and Hays. These four cities were mentioned often during the old Gunsmoke television and radio show series. They were all cowtowns in the mid- to late-1800s, as cattle were driven up on trails from Texas to be loaded onto trains and shipped east.

Life could be rough on the Western Frontier, as cowboys came off the trail and got paid after months of hard work. Whooping it up in saloons, gambling houses, and brothels was common for these guys, and being a lawman in these cities wasn’t easy. It took tough characters like the legendary Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp to keep some semblance of peace.

Today, these former cowtown share their Old West days with visitors through museums, artwork and events. Here are the Old West attractions we visited in Abilene.

This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail.