Dodge City 1870s-1880s Dodge City, the embodiment of the American West, is a portal to a history that commenced when William Becknell blazed the Santa Fe Trail in 1821. This historical thoroughfare transformed into a bustling trade route connecting Franklin, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, until 1880. The Santa Fe Trail's Mountain Branch witnessed a multitude of wagons traversing westward from Dodge City, hugging the northern banks of the Arkansas River, ultimately leading to Colorado. For those brave enough to endure the perils of the waterless sand hills, a more direct path known as the Cimarron Cutoff crossed the river near Dodge City, venturing southwest towards the Cimarron River. 1865, Fort Dodge was erected near the Santa Fe Trail's vicinity, offering protection to wagon trains, the U.S. postal service, and a critical supply hub during the Indian wars. Five miles west of the Fort, nestled at the base of a hill along the Trail, Henry L. Sutler erected a modest three-ro...