“Chalk” Beeson

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Dodge City Trail of Fame

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Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2022

1. “Chalk” Beeson Marker

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Midwest,

Belt,

prairies,

Plains,

Plains,

Plains,

Corridor.

America,

Hemisphere,

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World,

Anglosphere.

Comanchería,

Bowl,

Purchase,

Texas.

Excerpt:  A well-known businessman, lawman, cattleman and musician but was best known for his ownership of the famous Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. In 1866 the 18-year-old Beeson left Marshalltown, Ohio, and headed

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2022

2. “Chalk” Beeson Marker

Looking north along 1st Avenue at Gunsmoke Street.

west to Texas, where he found employment as a cowboy. Years later, Charles Goodnight would say of Beeson: “He was the best cowboy on the trail ... could stampede or quiet a herd quicker than any rustler I ever met.”

On March 1, 1878, Beeson purchased the Long Branch Saloon. Soon thereafter, Beeson took William H. Harris as his partner. Also with Harris, Beeson established the COD Cattle Ranch, south of Dodge City. During the next several years, the firm of Beeson & Harris became a minor conglomerate whose holdings were in such far-flung locations as Las Animas, Colorado and Tombstone, Arizona.

In 1884 Beeson formed the “Dodge City Cowboy Band.” The group was well received wherever it played. The band members cut dashing figures in full “cowboy” regalia — enormous white Stetsons, blue flannel shirts and boots festooned with ornamental spurs. Their fame finally spread far enough that they were featured performers in the March 4, 1889, inaugural parade of President Benjamin Harrison.

In November 1891, 43-year-old Chalk Beeson was elected sheriff of Ford County, Kansas. Beeson served two terms as sheriff with distinction and left office in 1896. For the remainder of his life, Beeson concentrated on his cattle ranching. He was occasionally called upon for public service and served four separate terms in the Kansas State legislature between 1903 and 1908.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2022

3. Chalkley M. Beeson Memorial

(on the west wall of the building at this corner)
In Memory of Chalkley M. Beeson
1915

Excerpt:  The Long Branch Saloon was a well-known saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, from about 1874 to 1885. It had several owners, most notably Chalk Beeson and gunfighter Luke Short. The establishment provided gambling and live entertainment, including Beeson's five-person orchestra. It was the scene of several altercations, shoot-outs, gunfights, and standoffs often associated with cattle towns in the American wild west. Most famous was the 1879 Long Branch Saloon Gunfight, in which Frank Loving killed Levi Richardson.

Chalkley Beeson, a wealthy farmer and rancher, and William Harris bought the saloon in 1878. Harris named it after his hometown of Long Branch, New Jersey. It was a plain storefront bar with little ornamentation, typical of frontier saloons of the time. The saloon prospered until the railroad replaced the cattle drive. The establishment burned down in 1885 and was never rebuilt.

Excerpt:  The Dodge City Trail of Fame, Inc. is part of the Historic Dodge City Walking Tour. This portion

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2022

4. “Chalk” Beeson Marker

The southeast corner of the intersection: Gunsmoke Street is on the left and 1st Avenue is on the right. The marker is embedded in the sidewalk near the corner of the building.

of the trail is marked with sidewalk medallions and statuaries to commemorate the many famous and infamous denizens of historic Dodge City. Additionally, many medallions are dedicated to notable movie and television stars that have portrayed famous Dodge Citians.