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Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska

shipped by rail to the east. Dodge City in southwestern Kansas became one of the largest cattle markets in the world. Major cattle hubs also sprang up in Abilene, Wichita, Newton, and Ellsworth. These cowtowns developed a reputation for lawlessness and vio- lence, with rowdy saloons and drunk- en cowboys slinging guns. Not surprisingly, these saloons drew the fire of the growing temper- ance movement in Kansas. One of the most famous members of this move- ment was Carrie A. Nation. She raid- ed taverns and saloons across the state, attacking them with a hatchet. In 1881, Kansas became the first state in the nation to ban alcohol. Prohibition against alcohol lasted until 1948 in Kansas, longer than in any other state. Even after the cowtown era came to a close, cattle continued to play an important role in Kansas’s economy. Livestock production and meatpack- ing became major industries in the state. But 19th-century Kansas’s biggest business was farming. As waves of pioneers settled across the

This photo of “peace commissioners” in Dodge City, circa 1883, includes some of the West’s most iconic lawmen and gunfighters. Pictured are (front, left to right) Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, Neal Brown, (back) W.H. Harris, Luke Short, and Bat Masterson.

Did You Know?

In 1887, Susanna Salter became the first American woman elected to polit- ical office when she won the race for mayor in the southern Kansas town of Argonia. That very year, Kansas had just granted women the right to vote and run for office in city elections.