Cowtowns
To the cowboys 'cattle towns' or 'cowtowns' ,as purists referred to them, were merrily desolated towns in the mist of the desert. It was here that these cowboys could rest, get a bite to eat, gamble, or meet women. Most people thought of cowtowns as evil towns, because so much immorality went on in them. At times these places could be exhilarating or sometimes even hazardous. This era was known as the 'Wild West'.Many of these towns existed in Colorado, Kansas, Oregon and numerous other regions of the United States. Cowtowns came about because people needed beef in other parts of the U.S., particularly in the Eastern states. At fist cattle were driven from Missouri to Sedalia and later to Baxter Springs, Kansas. In early 1867 Joseph G. McCoy set out to establish a small town in which he could keep cattle. He found a settlement on the route of the Union Pacific Railway Company called Abilene. McCoy purchased land and built cattle pens. It took a little persuading for the Texans to herd their cattle north, but the first carload of cattle was shipped east on September 5, 1867 to Abilene, Kansas. Abilene was the fist of the cowtowns. Each cowtown, thereafter, had
Dodge City was the Buffalo Capitol for three years until a heap of herds were killed by a mass slaughter. In 1872 through 1874, 850,000 Buffalo hides were shipped from Dodge City. Farmers gathered Buffalo bones and used them as fertilizer or for the manufacture of china. By 1875 the Buffalo was gone for economic purposes. At this time, however, millions of Longhorns were driven to Dodge City from Texas. This increased the economic activity of the town. In the mid and late 1800's cowtowns were the "place to be". These towns had everything you could ask for, entertainment, housing, grocery stores. These towns were considered highly developed compared to most towns of the time. Dodge City is a good illustration of cowtowns because it was one of the first ones established, and other cowtowns patterned their laws and physical appearance after this town. Cowtowns have been around since 1867 and they still exist all over the country. These towns are memorials of the 'Wild West'. Although there were numerous cowtowns the "Queen of the Cowtowns" was Dodge City, Kansas. This town was also known as "the wickedest little town in America" and "Buffalo City". In the 18
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dodge City, Kansas Abilene, , Santa Fe, Park' Violence, Charlie Bassett, Abilene McCoy, Fort Dodge, City Farmers, Buffalo Capitol, dodge city, fort dodge, cowtowns people, 'wild west', grocery stores,
Approximate Word count = 786
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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