Hickok stood here.

Stand Where Wild Bill Hickok Killed a Man

Springfield, Missouri

America's first Wild West shootout took place in Springfield's Park Central Square, late in the afternoon of July 21, 1865. Davis "Little Dave" Tutt and James "Wild Bill" Hickok faced off and, frankly, neither should have hit each other firing heavy 1865 revolvers from a distance of 225 feet. Tutt missed, but Hickok steadied his right wrist with his left hand and shot Tutt straight through, killing him almost instantly.

Tutt's crime? He was showing off the pocket watch that Hickok had given him earlier that day to pay off a gambling debt.

In modern times Springfield has embedded a brass disk in the Square to mark the spot where Hickok fired. A plaque on the southwest corner of the square gives details of the duel.

Tourists who stand on Hickok's spot in Park Central Square should still be on the lookout -- not for gunslingers, but for traffic.

Also see: Wild Bill Hickok's Death Chair

Stand Where Wild Bill Hickok Killed a Man

Address:: Park Central Square, Springfield, MO
Directions:: The engraved disk is set into a little square of concrete in the pavement of Park Central Square (the street that circles the city square). On the southeast side of the square, on the inner edge of the roadway, just east of South Ave. and the brick pedestrian walkway across Park Central Square.
RA Rates:: Worth a Detour

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