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Museum · Dodge City, Kansas
Boot Hill Museum and Front Street
Dodge City museum that recreates Front Street of 1876 with a saloon, shop, and barbershop, preserves the old Boot Hill cemetery, and stages gunfight reenactments and shows in summer.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About Boot Hill Museum and Front Street
The Boot Hill Museum was founded in 1947 on the hill that once held the Boot Hill cemetery, used from 1872 to 1879 to bury people who died in the town without family or money. In 1958, it gained a full-scale reconstruction of Front Street, Dodge City’s main street in 1876, complete with plank sidewalks.
On the street are the Long Branch Saloon, the warehouse, the barber shop, the funeral parlor, the bank and other period businesses, containing thousands of original 19th-century objects. The galleries tell the stories of the Plains Indigenous peoples, bison hunters, cattle drives, sheriffs and settlers, and one wing covers the TV series Gunsmoke, which was set in the town. The old cemetery on the hill has wooden crosses and a hanging tree that was brought to the museum.
In the summer season, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there are staged gunfights on Front Street and an evening music-and-dance show in the saloon. The museum is open year-round, with reduced hours outside the season.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
Two to three hours; longer at night in summer for the saloon shows.
Best time
In the summer months, because of the staged gunfights and the saloon show. In the morning to avoid the heat in the outdoor exhibits.
How to get there
On West Wyatt Earp Boulevard in downtown Dodge City, a few minutes’ walk from the train station.
Tip
Check the day’s schedule at the entrance: gunfights and the show run at set times.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Boot Hill Museum and Front Street
When are the staged gunfights at the Boot Hill Museum?
Between Memorial Day, in late May, and Labor Day, in early September, at scheduled times. Check the schedule.
Is the Boot Hill cemetery real?
The hill is the site of the original cemetery, used from 1872 to 1879; the bodies were later moved, and today’s crosses mark the spot.
How long does a visit to the Boot Hill Museum take?
Two to three hours; in summer add the evening for the saloon show.