Ellsworth, Kansas – Another Wicked Cowtown
Nestled in the heart of Kansas, Ellsworth, the county seat of Ellsworth County, presents a compelling study in contrasts. Today, it’s a thriving small town of approximately 3,000 residents, a peaceful community supported in part by the Kansas State Ellsworth Correctional Facility. However, step back in time, and you’ll find that Ellsworth, Kansas was once a far cry from its present tranquility. It was one of the most notorious "wicked cowtowns" of the Sunflower State, a place where fortunes were made and lost, and where the echoes of gunfire and the clamor of cattle drives resonated through the dusty streets.
Before the railroads arrived and cattle became king, the region surrounding Ellsworth was already a land of considerable unrest. The Smoky Hills, with its rolling terrain and abundance of wildlife, served as hunting grounds and traditional territory for the Cheyenne and other Native American tribes. These tribes sustained themselves by hunting buffalo, a keystone species of the Great Plains ecosystem. However, the westward expansion of settlers and the establishment of trails like the Santa Fe and Smoky Hill Trails dramatically altered the landscape. As wagon trains and stagecoaches traversed the region, they became targets for Native American raids, leading to escalating tensions and prompting the U.S. government to establish a military presence.
This military response led to the establishment of Fort Ellsworth, a strategic outpost designed to protect travelers and maintain order in the territory. As was common with frontier forts, a civilian settlement quickly sprung up nearby, seeking to capitalize on the economic opportunities that the fort offered. Located a few miles northwest of the fort, just beyond the military reserve, the town of Ellsworth was officially surveyed in 1867. Interestingly, the fort itself was renamed Fort Harker in the same year. The arrival of the railroad at Fort Harker in July 1867 proved to be a catalyst for rapid growth. The new town quickly swelled with frontiersmen of all stripes, including merchants, traders, and those simply seeking adventure. Within a short period, Ellsworth boasted a population exceeding 2,000, a testament to its burgeoning potential.
The initial months saw a flurry of construction and commercial activity. Houses sprung up to accommodate the influx of residents, and businesses quickly followed suit. Three grocery stores provided essential provisions, while a hardware store offered tools and supplies for the burgeoning community. Dry goods and boots were available for those seeking to outfit themselves for life on the frontier. Perhaps unsurprisingly, saloons also proliferated, catering to the thirst of the hard-working and often hard-drinking population.
However, this rapid growth was not without its challenges. In its first year, Ellsworth suffered a series of near-fatal setbacks. The Smoky Hill River, prone to flooding, overflowed its banks, inundating the town with nearly four feet of water. This natural disaster caused widespread damage and disruption, forcing many residents to temporarily abandon their homes and businesses. Compounding the situation, a cholera epidemic broke out at Fort Harker around the same time, quickly spreading to Ellsworth. The combination of flooding and disease proved too much for some early settlers, who fled in fear. Those who remained recognized the need to relocate the townsite to higher ground. They moved the settlement westward, where it was less vulnerable to flooding, and slowly, the town began to recover and prosper once more.
The extension of the railroad line directly to Ellsworth proved to be a turning point. The town quickly transformed into a thriving cattle market, surpassing other Kansas cowtowns in importance between 1871 and 1875. The arrival of the railroad made it easier and more efficient to transport cattle from Texas to eastern markets. This led to a massive influx of Texas Longhorns, driven north by cowboys seeking to sell their herds. With the cowboys came a host of other individuals drawn to the opportunities and excitement of the cattle trade, including gamblers, outlaws, and women of questionable repute.
Anticipating the shift in the cattle trade from Abilene, forward-thinking businessmen in Ellsworth relocated the Drovers Cottage, a well-known establishment previously owned by Joseph McCoy, to their town in 1872. This large and luxurious hotel could accommodate up to 175 guests and provided stabling for 50 carriages and 100 horses, solidifying Ellsworth‘s position as a leading cowtown. Numerous other businesses sprang up, profiting handsomely from the cowboys and the vibrant economy that they generated.
Like other Kansas cowtowns, Ellsworth quickly earned a reputation as a wild and dangerous place. Shootouts between drunken cowboys were commonplace, resulting in numerous killings. In its early days, the area was plagued by a gang led by two men named Craig and Johnson. These outlaws engaged in frequent robberies and terrorized the townspeople. Eventually, the citizens organized a vigilance committee and took matters into their own hands, hanging the two criminals near the Smoky Hill River.
In 1873, Ellsworth prepared for the largest cattle drives from Texas to date. Anticipating trouble, the town hired additional police officers to maintain order and control the rowdy cowboys. Their services were indeed needed when a dispute erupted on August 15, 1873, in Nick Lentz’s Saloon. The conflict involved Texas gambler Ben Thompson and another player named John Sterling. When City Marshal "Happy Jack" Morco sided with Sterling against Thompson, a notorious gunfighter, Ben and his brother Billy, both heavily intoxicated, took to the street and challenged their opponents to a showdown.
Instead of Morco, Ellsworth County Sheriff Chauncey Whitney stepped in to mediate. He convinced the Thompsons to have a drink with him at Joe Brennan’s Saloon in an attempt to defuse the situation. However, before they could reach the saloon, Marshal Morco charged down the street, guns drawn. Ben Thompson reacted swiftly, firing his rifle at Morco, narrowly missing him. In the chaos, Billy Thompson stumbled and discharged his shotgun, mortally wounding Sheriff Whitney.
Ben and an army of Texans held off the townspeople while Billy escaped. Ben was later arrested by Deputy Ed Hogue but was never brought to trial. He soon left Kansas and eventually became the City Marshal of Austin, Texas. Billy Thompson evaded authorities until 1876, when he was captured, returned to Ellsworth, and put on trial. He was ultimately acquitted when the jury ruled that the shooting was an accident.
The aftermath of the shooting plunged Ellsworth into further chaos. City Marshal "Happy Jack" Morco was fired and replaced by Ed Crawford, who, just two days later, pistol-whipped a Texas cowboy named Cad Pierce to death. Distrustful of their law enforcement officers and weary of the Texas cowboys, vigilantes began patrolling the streets, issuing "affidavits" to Texans, ordering them to leave town or face the consequences. "Happy Jack" Morco was later gunned down in the streets by J. Charles Brown, who subsequently became the City Marshal. Edward Crawford also met a violent end, shot and killed by a Texas cowboy believed to be Cad Pierce’s brother-in-law.
Ellsworth maintained its reputation for lawlessness until the shipping pens were finally closed in 1875. During its peak year in 1873, an estimated 220,000 head of Longhorn cattle were driven through the town. During its turbulent heyday, some of the most iconic figures of the Old West passed through Ellsworth, including George Armstrong Custer, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, and Ben and Billy Thompson. As one newspaper aptly put it: "As we go to press, hell is still in session in Ellsworth."
With the decline of the cattle trade, Ellsworth gradually transformed into a peaceful ranching and farming community, a mainstay of its economy to this day. The area celebrates its rich and colorful history through several museums and attractions, including the Hodgden House Museum Complex on old South Main Street. Here, the spirit of Ellsworth‘s Old West days lives on as visitors can explore the Hodgden House, built in 1873 by Perry Hodgden, one of Ellsworth‘s earliest settlers; the Black Wolf school built in 1912, a stone livery built in 1887, two historic churches, a rare wooden Union Pacific Caboose, the Terra Cotta Union Pacific Depot built 1900, and the oldest building in Ellsworth, its 1873 Jail.
The National Drovers Hall of Fame Museum, currently under development in the old Signature Insurance Building, promises to be another significant attraction. Here, interactive displays will educate visitors about the Great American cattle drives and the vital role that drovers played in shaping the American West. The Fort Harker Museum, located a few miles southeast of Ellsworth in Kanopolis, Kansas, provides further insights into the region’s military history. Today, Ellsworth stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of the American West, a place where the echoes of a wild and turbulent past can still be heard.