Caldwell in Sumner County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Red Light Saloon / Chisholm Trail

Red Light Saloon Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2016

1. Red Light Saloon Marker

Inscription.
Red Light Saloon
On the NE corner of Chisholm and Ave A stood the Red Light Saloon which helped give Caldwell its reputation as the most lawless cowtown. In April, 1880 George and Mag Wood literally disassembled their Wichita saloon and brought to Caldwell what became its most murderous establishment. People killed here included marshals, cowboys, bystanders and even the owner when he tried to protect the honor of one of his "girls" who both lived and "worked" upstairs. Though liquor was illegal in Kansas by state law and illegal in the Indian Territory to the south by federal law, somehow Caldwell always had a good supply for the dusty cowboys. The drovers also looked forward to the Red Light and other saloons for their "ladies of the night" or, in Caldwell, the "Border Queens".
(see other side)
Chisholm Trail
Between 1865 and 1885 an observer standing here would have witnessed the forced passing of Native American Indians south into the Territory, hundreds of thousands of Texas longhorn cattle moving north to market, and westbound supply wagons taking foodstuffs to America's far flung military camps and outposts. Jesse Chisholm blazed his legendary trail between San Antonio and Abilene, though only about 150 miles of it between

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

Dover, Okla and Wichita was used for cattle. The trail was about 200 ~ 400 yards wide as it passed this marker toward the northeast. The trail was closed north of Caldwell in 1880 with the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad. Chisholm, part Cherokee himself, was a scout, trader and explorer who died in 1868 before seeing his trail put to its greatest use, the cattle trade.
(see other side)

Erected 1993 by The Caldwell Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1880.

Location. 37° 1.995′ N, 97° 36.409′ W. Marker is in Caldwell, Kansas, in Sumner County. Marker is on North Main Street (State Highway 49) south of East Avenue A, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 24 North Main Street, Caldwell KS 67022, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Henry Newton Brown (within shouting distance of this marker); Murder of Marshal George Flatt (within shouting distance of this marker); The Southwestern Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Shooting Up Main Street (within shouting distance of this marker); The Last Land Rush / Historic Marker Project

Chisholm Trail Marker (Side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2016

2. Chisholm Trail Marker (Side 2)

(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "Those Who Came Before" (about 300 feet away); Cowtown Law Enforcement / Caldwell's Early Government (about 400 feet away); Prohibition Movement (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Caldwell.

More about this marker. Funded by donations from Caldwell State Bank, Farmers Cooperative Grain Company, Inc., and the Turner Dentists.

Also see . . . Kansas Historical Society article on the Chisholm Trail. (Submitted on August 6, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Additional keywords. prostitution

Red Light Saloon / Chisholm Trail Marker near bank. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2016

3. Red Light Saloon / Chisholm Trail Marker near bank.

Jesse Chisholm image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

4. Jesse Chisholm

Credits. This page was last revised on May 3, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 641 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 6, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.