The colorful history of Abilene dates from the pioneer cattle days when great herds of longhorns were driven overland from Texas to Abilene, the western terminus of the first railroad through Kansas. Unlike so many pioneer boom towns, Abilene never lost its fame and character.

The story of Abilene had its beginning in the year 1858 when Timothy F. Hersey and his family chose a spot on the present site of the city for their log cabin. The town was named by Mrs. Hersey. In deciding upon a name, Mrs. Hersey used the Bible, allowing it to fall open where it might. It happened to be at the chapter of Luke, in the first verse of which is the name of Abilene, meaning city of the plains. The growth of the city was slow until the Kansas Pacific Railroad was built through Abilene in 1867.

A livestock dealer from Illinois, Joseph G. McCoy, saw the opportunities presented by the railroad in providing a means of transporting Texas cattle to markets in the East. McCoy came to Abilene with the plan of making it a cattle shipping center. He built a stockyard and hotel for that purpose. The new enterprise prospered until 1872 when newer railroads put Newton, Wichita and Ellsworth in favored positions as shipping points. Between 1867 & 1871, however, over 3 million head of cattle were shipped from Abilene.

As the end of the Texas cattle trail, known as the "Chisholm Trail", it rapidly became a wild and open frontier town. Stores, saloons, and gambling houses sprung up to compete for the patronage of the cowboys. With the prosperity of the cattlemen came an era of lawlessness. When the city of Abilene was incorporated in 1869, a campaign for law and order began. Tom Smith, who had a reputation for being one of the bravest men in the West, became the first city marshal. One of his first official acts was to issue an order that no one would be allowed to carry firearms within the city limits without a permit. Smith's ability was well enough respected that even the most troublesome cowboys and gamblers obeyed. In 1870 Smith was murdered while attempting to arrest a man near the town of Beloit.

Tom Smith's successor as a city marshal was the famous Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill's name was well known in the West before he came to Abilene, but the deadly marksmanship he displayed in keeping the city quiet and orderly throughout 1871 added to his fame. His reported record as a Union Scout in the Civil War, frontier guide, duelist, marshal and gambler caused the citizens to give him a wide berth.

Wild Bill's headquarters in Abilene were in the palatial and infamous Alamo Saloon. The town trustees appointed him marshal because of his skilled fearlessness. Wild Bill and his deadly twin pistols prevented murders and destruction of property throughout the town, even in the times of increasing cattle trade. He spent most of his time in the Alamo Saloon, on old Texas Street, the center of the town's wild life, not being too friendly with either the substantial citizenry (who wouldn't be caught dead or alive in the Alamo Saloon), or with drunken cowboys (who, without Wild Bill's presence, might often have been found dead in the Alamo, or some other saloon). He was a lone wolf, fearing no man. After taking office, he stopped the gunplay and convinced the renegade cowboys that he meant business, and that the law would be enforced. On the other hand, he made no attempt to clean up the town, possibly thinking that the whole situation might get out of control if too strict of measures were taken.

When Tim Hersey reached Abilene in 1858, little did he or anyone else realize that in just fourteen years Abilene would have passed through the wild cattle era and become the birthplace of Winter Wheat. It was T.C. Henry, mayor at that time, who planted the first five acre patch of Winter Wheat in secret. About July 1, 1871, he unveiled his first five acres and foresaw "the bottoms" becoming productive in wheat production. Within four years, his success had turned the deserts of Kansas into the nation's breadbasket.

Hickok left Abilene in the winter of 1871 and the town quieted down when the railroad moved to towns south and west and became a peaceful, quiet, law-abiding community. Since that time, the growth and development of Abilene has been steady. It was this environment that shaped the life of Abilene's proudest son, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Abilene is known today as one of the "biggest little cities" in the Midwest. Abilene is a city of prosperous businesses, fine homes, good schools, churches and excellent recreational facilities. Abilene is the seat of Dickinson County, and hub of one of the richest and most diversified agricultural areas in Kansas.

Not much has changed since Abilene's early days, except instead of cattle, the economy is divided between strong agribusiness interests, tourism, small manufacturing and retail distribution.

Make plans to visit, shop and stay in Abilene, Kansas.