Amish Village | Bellefont
| Bloom | Bucklin
| Dodge City | Ford
| Howell |
Kingsdown | Lasker
Mexican Village | Spearville
| Windthorst | Wright
Homesteading in Ford County
Dodge City
Founded by civilian residents of Fort
Dodge to provide supplies for buffalo hunters and the railroad,
Dodge City became one of the most famous towns on the frontier.
The Santa Fe Railroad had built its tracks to Dodge City by September
5, 1872, and the post office opened later in the month on the
23rd.
Originally set to be called Buffalo
City, that name was turned down because there was a Buffalo Station
in Kansas. Named for the fort nearby, Dodge City's days as "Queen
of the Cowtowns" lasted until 1885 when the cattle trade
died down. Merchants moved in with families and the 1880's were
a boom period for the area.
The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.
Sources
Ford County Historical Society.
Dodge City and Ford County, Kansas 1870-1920: Pioneer Histories
and Stories.
Dodge City, KS, 1996.
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