Abilene
Before heading to Dodge City to help his friend, Marshal Dillon, Wild Bill Hickok served as sheriff in the wild and wooly Cowtown of Abilene, Kansas.
Hickok is featured in Season 4, Episode 1: Matt for Murder when Matt resigns as Marshal after Tom Samples accuses Matt of killing an innocent man. However, Doc, Matt and Matt's old friend Wild Bill Hickok come up with a plan that might clear Matt of this erroneous charge of murder.
Gunsmoke Trivia: Robert J. Wilkie portrays Wild Bill Hickok, but in the end credits, the name is misspelled “Hickock.”
Visit these sites to experience what Abilene was like during its Wild Bill Hickok and Chisholm Trail Cowtown days and celebrate the cowboy story with Abilene’s new cowboy-themed public art exhibits.
1. Old Abilene Town
See the Chisholm Trail Museum and Interpretive Trail Center in the Way Station at Old Abilene Town. Visitors can stroll the boardwalk, just as Wild Bill Hickok did during Abilene’s wild and woolly days. Get a taste of the Old West by drinking an ice-cold sarsaparilla and watching can-can dancers as they perform on stage and on the bar from the original Alamo Saloon. Gunfighters stage mock shoot-outs during the summer travel season. Old Abilene Town also hosts Chisholm Trail Days during Labor Day weekend. Enjoy live cattle drives through Old Abilene Town, reenactors, country music performances, and more! Be sure to check out the Great Western Cattle Co. building to see a complete re-creation of Abilene’s original Texas Street.
Tip: Make sure to see the Bull’s Head Saloon Longhorn at the Trail Center in Old Abilene Town- According to a signed document, the bullhead is from the Bull Head Saloon that belonged to “Shotgun Ben” Thompson in Abilene. It was the headquarters for the drovers who trailed cattle from Texas to Kansas in the late 1860s and 1870s.
201 SE 5th St., Abilene, KS 67410
(785) 571-7441
2. See the original site of the Alamo Saloon
The Alamo Saloon (1871) was the grandest drinking and gambling establishment on Texas Street. The Alamo faced west on Cedar Street and became Wild Bill Hickok’s headquarters during his tenure as marshal.
At this site, in 1871, Wild Bill Hickok exchanged deadly gunfire with Texas gambler Phil Coe. Unable to see in the darkness, Hickok fired both pistols at another figure, bursting into the light with the gun drawn. Sadly, that figure was his friend and deputy, Mike Williams.
101 N Cedar St, Abilene, KS 67410
3. Dickinson County Heritage Center
Learn about Dickinson County’s famous former residents, from C.L. Brown — whose telephone company eventually became known as Sprint — to Abilene’s former Marshal Wild Bill Hickok to Joseph McCoy, who brought hundreds of thousands of cattle to Abilene in the 1860s, making the community a booming Cowtown at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Tip: Make sure to check out the Wild Bill Hickok Bronze Statue and a replica of his gun on display.
412 S. Campbell St., Abilene, KS 67410
(785) 263-2681
4. World’s Largest Belt Buckle
At 19 feet 10 ½ inches wide and 13 feet 11 ¼ inches tall, Abilene is home to the World’s Largest Belt Buckle. Climb the spiral staircase to the top to take your photo “wearing” the buckle!
400 N. Pine St., Abilene, KS 67410
5. Big Spur
At 28 feet high, the big spur stands on its ends to form an arch and weighs a ton. It was built by Larry Houston in 2002 and was certified as the World’s Largest Spur by Guinness World Records until 2017.
1810 N. Buckeye Ave., Abilene, KS 67410
(785) 263-1800
6. Cowboy Boots
Celebrating its cowboy roots, the Cowboy Boot project pays homage to T.C. McInerney’s Drovers Boot Store from the 1870s. The Arts Council of Dickinson County, Quality of Life Coalition of Dickinson County and Community Foundation of Dickinson County joined forces to add cowboy boot art throughout the community.
(785) 263-2231
7. Murals
Celebrate the Old West by visiting murals around town!
8. Abilene & Smokey Valley Railroad
In the 1870s, traveling by train to Abilene, Hays City, Wichita, or Dodge City was commonplace. Today, it’s a tourist experience! Ride the rails with the Abilene & Smoky Valley Museum and see what it was like to travel by train during Abilene’s wild and wooly Cowtown days.
200 SE 5th St., Abilene, KS, 67410
(785) 263-1077
9. Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo
Today, Abilene honors Wild Bill's Legacy with not only a mural and museum exhibits but an entire PRCA rodeo named after him. The Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, named one of the best medium-sized PRCA rodeos in the country, attracts thousands of spectators and contestants each year in August.
600 North Pine St., Abilene, KS, 67410
(785) 263-4570
10. Dining
Stop for a bite to eat at Legacy Kansas – Munson’s Prime & Brookville Hotel, 105 E. Lafayette Ave. Or grab a drink at Abilene’s newest bar, the Dizzy Donkey Saloon, 311 N. Spruce St.
Visit Abilene Kansas
Contact the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau to request a visitors guide or get more information to plan your trip to Abilene.