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

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

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.

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Wild West Wichita Comes Alive at Old Cowtown Museum

Wild West Wichita Comes Alive at Old Cowtown Museum

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.

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Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Abilene

Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Abilene

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.

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Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Hays

Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Hays

As we explored the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, we noticed several names in common in each of the cities…names like Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. In Hays, the third of four cities we visited, those names popped up again. It isn’t surprising, since lawmen and others commonly moved from cowtown to cowtown in the mid- to late 1800s. Four cities make up the trail: Hays, Dodge City, Wichita, and Abilene. The old Gunsmoke television and radio series mentioned these cities often. As we visited each of the cities, we focused on Old West attractions. Here is our experience on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Hays.

This is Part 3 of a 4-Part Series on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail.

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Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Dodge City

Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Dodge City

Four cities make up the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail: Dodge City, Wichita, Abilene and Hays. These cities were mentioned often in the old Gunsmoke series, which began on the radio and transitioned to a popular television series. In 2023, Skip and I visited all four cities and focused on Old West attractions. Our first stop on the Gunsmoke Trail was Wichita. (See Part 1 of the 4-part series.) In this segment, we’re exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Dodge City.

Dodge City is the epicenter of Gunsmoke. It exudes Old West, from the statues of Gunsmoke characters throughout town to still-existent feedlots. Yes, still today, Dodge City is a cattle town.

This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail.

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Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita

Exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita

In 2023, Kansas introduced the Gunsmoke Trail. Four cities largely make up the trail: Dodge City, Wichita, Abilene, and Hays. Those cities were often mentioned in the old television and radio Gunsmoke series. Since we had a planned Wichita visit last year, Skip and I decided to take that opportunity to visit all four main cities on the trail. Specifically, we visited attractions that focus on the Old West. What fun we had doing that! Here are the attractions we visited while exploring the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail in Wichita.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail.

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