Semi Conductor, SASS #51020 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 We're driving from KC to Durango to ride the narrow gauge RR and would like to know if there's anything folks would recommend seeing along the way that's cowboy, gun or train related. Thanks, Semi Conductor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Gambler Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I have been to Dodge City many times and as recently as 2006. I won't go back nor will I recommend anyone else stopping. Everything Dodge City is cheesy and commercialized, you have to pay a fee to enter "Dodge City" and there is nothing worth seeing that you can't see from outside the fence. They used to have stage coach rides, don't know if they still do, and there is an old locomotive parked nearby that you can climb on. I don't know if you are taking kids or not but I would recommend Garden City, KS. Worlds largest swimming pool, very nice zoo with lots of shade. Good luck on your trip and enjoy the RR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cofachique Dick Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Dodge City is a nice place to drive through, but I wouldn't want to stop there! If I were going from KC to Durango, I would cross Kansas on 70, then cut south in Colorado on 24 through Leadville. They have a pretty good train ride there, too. Not too far from Fairplay and the Colorado Mountain Hat Company, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondo Tucker Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 +1 on not stopping in Dodge City. You can probably get more history at Wal Mart than Front Street You might stop at Bents Old Fort just outside La Junta CO. They have completely rebuilt the fort there and it's pretty cool. When I was there, they had people giving tours, or a really good self guided tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cofachique Dick Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 +1 on Bents Old Fort. If you are into history that place is cooool! You could follow the Santa Fe Trail all the way down from Kc to the Fort. Several neat places on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Creek Law Dog Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 That's too bad, as I always had a hankering to visit Dodge City. One would think that could be made into a tourist mecca if handled right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightnin Rick SASS #43246 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I agree with the others, only thing we liked was the thrift store and the little mexican restaurant. there are a lot of small towns to stop at in Kansas that are more interesting than Dodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semi Conductor, SASS #51020 Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Thanks for the responses gents. Guess I'll spend my tourist dollars elsewhere. Semi Conductor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Nathan C. Riddles, SASS # 7462 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Go through Wichita and go for a tour through the Coleman factory & to their outlet store & museum. COLEMAN FACTORY OUTLET AND MUSEUM - 6 235 N ST FRANCIS ST WICHITA, KS 67202 PHONE: 316-264-0836 http://www.coleman.c...lt.asp?state=KS They sell lots of stuff besides camping gear at big discounts. They even have reconditioned (returns under warranty that was damaged in shipping or didn't work properly) merchandise at even bigger discounts. Then there's the Old Cowtown Living History Museum. http://www.oldcowtown.org/ Some folks forget that Wichita was a rough & tumble cowtown just like Dodge, Abilene & Hays. Wyat Earp was a peace officer there too. Wear your CAS duds. The city almost shut it down for lack of traffic but Bob Bose Bell of True West Magazine gave it a boost by featuring it on his True West miutes on the Westerns Channels. Wichita is also the home of Boeing, Beech, Cessna, Bombardier Aerospace (Learjet). Check for factory tours. On the way to Wichita travel on down to Coffeyville Ks (SE of Wichita near the Ok line) & see the Condon & First National Banks that the Dalton gang tried to hold up at the same time & were gunned down by the towns people. See the Coffeyville Defenders Museum & then head for Wichita & Durango. Lots of old west history in Kansas. If you've never been to Durango make sure you take jackets & sweaters so you can layer your clothes. This time of year it can be rainy & downright chilli. Again wear your CAS duds on the train. If I'm not mistaken they'll even let you were your shootin irons. But check. I know Co has open carry except for Denver County & possibly Colorado Springs. When the train pulls into Silverton take a few minutes & walk north on main street to the old San Juan County Jail from the 1800s that they've turned into a museum. Quite interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purly SASS # 57438 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I went to Dodge City about 5 years ago, don't remember exactly right off the top of my head, and enjoyed my time there. Had my picture me=ade in the Long Branch and the old jail. Toured the museum, boot hill, read the plaques, and rode around the countryside. I had a pretty good time. If you are close to Mead, Ks there is a place to visit the house where the Dalton brothers hid out at their sisters house.I thought it was worth seeing once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Nathan C. Riddles, SASS # 7462 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Purly, what you saw was tourist trap stuff. The original Long Branch & jail all burned down in the 1920s. Some citizens of Dodge believe it was arson because the city fathers wanted to destroy any semblence of the wild, rough & tough cowtown that Dodge once was. They were on Front St which was south of the RR. Today "Front St is north of the RR. In the museum they claimed to have a Colt SAA that belonged to Wyatt Earp. Yet they could provide no provinance about how they obtained it nor could they provide any evidence that Earp ever touched the gun let alone owned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dakota Clay Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Abilene, KS (about 3hrs east of Dodge, and ON I-70!) has the Eisenhower Museum (I like Ike), an old time carousel, and since you mentioned trains, they DO have an "excursion train" that runs "period" passenger cars out into the country several miles along a defunct line (used to be pulled by a steam engine, not sure it still is). It's a neat experience. Abilene seems to embrace their "wild west roots" much moreso than Dodge. Dodge sure ain't what it used to be, but Kansas offers a lot ot see along the way, especially if you take the time to travel some back-highways instead of flying down I-70. Fort Larned is a fun trip, and the motorcycle museum at Marquette is a good way to blow a few hours if you're so inclined. Kinda off your path, but Fort Cody at North Platte, NE is worth a visit if you're driving through, and the CO springs area is an amazing trip. On a side note, since I've spent 18yrs of my life riding bulls, and 10 as a pro, I thought I might point out some good rodeo watching along your way. Depending on when you're going through, Abilene, Dodge City, and Phillipsburg KS all have professional rodeos the same week (depending on the year, either last week of July or first week of August-should be first week of August). 3 of the 5 biggest rodeos in KS, and some of the biggest shows in the midwest. Abilene and Dodge run Wed-Sat, with Dodge's finals on Sunday, Phillipsburg runs thurs thru sat. Us pro cowboys try to line it up to be in abilene on wed, dodge on thurs, phillipsburg on friday, then off to colorado for some MORE pro rodeos (eagle, yuma, burlington, sterling, Loveland-which I HIGHLY recommend, etc). Basically, a pro-cowboy can go to a DIFFERENT big pro-rodeo every night for about 3wks between KC, Denver, and Amarillo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purly SASS # 57438 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Purly, what you saw was tourist trap stuff. The original Long Branch & jail all burned down in the 1920s. Some citizens of Dodge believe it was arson because the city fathers wanted to destroy any semblence of the wild, rough & tough cowtown that Dodge once was. They were on Front St which was south of the RR. Today "Front St is north of the RR. In the museum they claimed to have a Colt SAA that belonged to Wyatt Earp. Yet they could provide no provinance about how they obtained it nor could they provide any evidence that Earp ever touched the gun let alone owned it. Yes I know, I also bought a wildrag from Stage Coach Betty. I was a tourist. I made the long drive there so I was going to see it anyway. I wouldn't go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semi Conductor, SASS #51020 Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 HMM There's an idea - I just happen to have a 1870 conductors uniform. Semi Conductor Go through Wichita and go for a tour through the Coleman factory & to their outlet store & museum. COLEMAN FACTORY OUTLET AND MUSEUM - 6 235 N ST FRANCIS ST WICHITA, KS 67202 PHONE: 316-264-0836 http://www.coleman.c...lt.asp?state=KS They sell lots of stuff besides camping gear at big discounts. They even have reconditioned (returns under warranty that was damaged in shipping or didn't work properly) merchandise at even bigger discounts. Then there's the Old Cowtown Living History Museum. http://www.oldcowtown.org/ Some folks forget that Wichita was a rough & tumble cowtown just like Dodge, Abilene & Hays. Wyat Earp was a peace officer there too. Wear your CAS duds. The city almost shut it down for lack of traffic but Bob Bose Bell of True West Magazine gave it a boost by featuring it on his True West miutes on the Westerns Channels. Wichita is also the home of Boeing, Beech, Cessna, Bombardier Aerospace (Learjet). Check for factory tours. On the way to Wichita travel on down to Coffeyville Ks (SE of Wichita near the Ok line) & see the Condon & First National Banks that the Dalton gang tried to hold up at the same time & were gunned down by the towns people. See the Coffeyville Defenders Museum & then head for Wichita & Durango. Lots of old west history in Kansas. If you've never been to Durango make sure you take jackets & sweaters so you can layer your clothes. This time of year it can be rainy & downright chilli. Again wear your CAS duds on the train. If I'm not mistaken they'll even let you were your shootin irons. But check. I know Co has open carry except for Denver County & possibly Colorado Springs. When the train pulls into Silverton take a few minutes & walk north on main street to the old San Juan County Jail from the 1800s that they've turned into a museum. Quite interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snydly Whiplash, SASS #16258 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Wife and I just went through Dodge City a couple of weeks ago on our harley horses and I would beg to differ from the other posts here. We had a great time and yes we had to pay to get into front street but we thought it was worth the price of admission. It is a little "tourist stuff" but it is the history behind everything that we loved. Remember this at one time was "the" place to be if you were a cowboy at the end of a cattle drive. Listen to the history that abounds in Dodge. Look at it from the point of view of a "cowboy" and not a "tourist". We would go back to try to see the things that we missed. Out of our whole vacation the only place I would not EVER go back to was Amarillo texas. So desolate and flat you can see the curvature of the earth! But this is just our opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Now if'n yer gonna be going thru the Denver area on your way back, a stop at the Colorado Railroad Museum might be of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightnin Rick SASS #43246 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Wife and I just went through Dodge City a couple of weeks ago on our harley horses and I would beg to differ from the other posts here. We had a great time and yes we had to pay to get into front street but we thought it was worth the price of admission. It is a little "tourist stuff" but it is the history behind everything that we loved. Remember this at one time was "the" place to be if you were a cowboy at the end of a cattle drive. Listen to the history that abounds in Dodge. Look at it from the point of view of a "cowboy" and not a "tourist". We would go back to try to see the things that we missed. Out of our whole vacation the only place I would not EVER go back to was Amarillo texas. So desolate and flat you can see the curvature of the earth! But this is just our opinion. Not even for a 72oz steak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Nathan C. Riddles, SASS # 7462 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Now if'n yer gonna be going thru the Denver area on your way back, a stop at the Colorado Railroad Museum might be of interest. There's also the Brown Mansion in Denver, home of mining magnate, Leadville Johnny Brown & wife Molly, (subject of The Unsinkable Molly Brown movie starring Debbie Reynolds as Molly). She was on the Titanic when it went down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Nathan C. Riddles, SASS # 7462 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Wife and I just went through Dodge City a couple of weeks ago on our Harley horses and I would beg to differ from the other posts here. We had a great time and yes we had to pay to get into front street but we thought it was worth the price of admission. It is a little "tourist stuff" but it is the history behind everything that we loved. Remember this at one time was "the" place to be if you were a cowboy at the end of a cattle drive. Listen to the history that abounds in Dodge. Look at it from the point of view of a "cowboy" and not a "tourist". We would go back to try to see the things that we missed. Out of our whole vacation the only place I would not EVER go back to was Amarillo Texas. So desolate and flat you can see the curvature of the earth! But this is just our opinion. Never say never compadre. You obviously missed the American Quarter Horse Museum & headquarters. As well as the Big Texan restaurant, home of the FREE 72oz (5 lbs) steak. And Palo Duro Canyon 25 m S of Amarillo at Canyon. Palo Duro is the 2nd largest canyon in the US. The Grand Canyon is the largest. There is a natural amphitheater in the canyon where drama & music students from West Texas A & M University put on the musical play "Texas" during summer evenings. At the east end of the canyon is the home of Charlie Goodnight. Palo Duro is also where Maj. Ranald McKensie & troopers of the 10th Cav. from Ft. Concho @ San Angelo captured Comanche war chief Quanah Parker & his band of Quahadi Comanches (the largest band) in 1876 by killing off over 3,000 ponies & forced them onto the reservation @ Ft. Sill, Ok. The Panhandle Plains Museum at Canyon is very interesting (all about cowboys, ranching, Indians & cavalry in the area in the latter part of the 19th century). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Solo Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 +1 on not stopping in Dodge City. You can probably get more history at Wal Mart than Front Street You might stop at Bents Old Fort just outside La Junta CO. They have completely rebuilt the fort there and it's pretty cool. When I was there, they had people giving tours, or a really good self guided tour. I love Bent's Old Fort. As Hondo says it's pretty cool. While you are in the neighborhood you can also stop by the Sand Creek Massacre site near Chivington, CO (close to Lamar.) That's the place Col. Chivington lead a drunken band of bar flies from Denver to slaughter a friendly Cheyenne village lead by Black Kettle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Canyon Kid #43974 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Since Matt and Kitty left, nothing left to see in Dodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackey Cole Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 In Raton NM go to the NRA Wittington(sp) center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snydly Whiplash, SASS #16258 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Col. Riddles sir...You have me at a disadvantage... did not inquire as to some of the other history of Amarillo. Love the old west history. As to the 72 oz steak at the Big Texan. We took advantage of the stretch limo ride from our Hotel to the Big Texan.(free i might add). Good steak but did not try for the 72 oz. as I would have had to eat it all with all the fixins in under an hour for it to be free. If you cannot do this in the alotted time you have to pay $1.00 an oz for the steak!! One brave fellow tried it while we were there but seemed to lack the ability to chew swallow and continue onfor the duration. It seems the record now is believe it or not 8 and one half minutes!!! We did get to travel through 8 states in 8 days on our Harley horses, great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Shucks guess times has changed - Mathew Quigley thought it was a good place to get some sleep. Once you go to Kansas there is all kinds of History from Where the oregon trail split from the Sante Fe trail to wagon ruts coming up the bluffs from the Missouri River at fort Leavenworth. Was very surprised to see how pretty the country is around leavenworth Pretty good museum at fort Riley as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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