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Oldest Cowboy in Dodge City.

Oldest Cowboy in Dodge City

Field review by the editors.

Dodge City, Kansas

Back in the 1920s, Dodge City was still close enough to its Wild West past to be embarrassed by it.

But Dodge City dentist Oscar Simpson saw things differently. Having perfected the art of dental molding, Oscar wanted to use his skills to create a statue of a life-size cowboy. He decided that a local policeman had the proper cowboy look, dipped him in dental plaster (he had to breath through a straw), and the result is the surprisingly lifelike Oldest Cowboy statue. Unveiled in 1928, it was Dodge City's first acknowledgement of its Western history. The statue was so well-liked that it was placed on one of the highest spots in town, the front lawn of the town's new city hall.

Oldest Cowboy in Dodge City.

New city hall eventually became old city hall, and is now a whiskey distillery. Dr. Simpson went on to restore Dodge City's famous Boot Hill cemetery before dying himself in 1935 (He's buried elsewhere in town). And after years of weathering, in the summer of 2015 the statue was restored to its original ghostly splendor.

Oldest Cowboy in Dodge City

Address:
501 W. Spruce St., Dodge City, KS
Directions:
From Wyatt Earp Blvd in the downtown tourist district, turn north onto 3rd Ave. Drive two blocks. Turn left onto W. Spruce St. Drive one block. You'll see the cowboy on the left.
Admission:
Free
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Nearby Offbeat Places

Kansas Teachers' Hall of FameKansas Teachers' Hall of Fame, Dodge City, KS - < 1 mi.
Play Poker with Doc HollidayPlay Poker with Doc Holliday, Dodge City, KS - < 1 mi.
La Salsa Muffler ManLa Salsa Muffler Man, Dodge City, KS - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Santa Fe Trail Tracks, Dodge City, KS - 10 mi.

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