Aug 24 2018 15 mins 10
Dodge City, Kan., started out in 1872 as a wild outpost of buffalo hunters and soldiers, small in numbers, but marked by many violent deaths. It only took ten-years for Dodge City to build the wild and wicked reputation it had held since the town’s beginning. The city's population of 500 that first year was due almost entirely to the buffalo trade. The buffalo hunters and the soldiers from Fort Dodge came to the makeshift settlement to buy supplies, drink, and to get away from their boredom. Even though a Town Company had organized the small settlement in August of 1872, the city was still unincorporated. The town had no elected or appointed officials. A county government had not yet been organized, and consequently, there were no courts, jails, or official law enforcement in the region. The closest known law was located in Hays City over 100 miles away. From August 1872 to July 1873, there were approximately thirty killings in Dodge City. Deadly Politics in Beautiful Bibulous Babylon is written and produced by Mike King tells the story of how law and order were first started in Dodge City. The story narrated by Brad Smalley relives the time in Dodge City where vigilantes roamed the streets and how the city became divided over political differences when trying to establish six ordinances under the new township laws.
