Abilene - Eisenhower & Gunsmoke History

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Be sure to visit Abilene – Eisenhower & Gunsmoke History celebrated! Abilene consistently ranks among the best historic small towns in the US. In 2025, it earned second place in the USA TODAY’s ranking! Its rich history includes the childhood home of Dwight Eisenhower, a central cattle town when cattle were driven north from Texas and Oklahoma to meet the railroad in Abilene. It’s on I-70, so make the visit whether you are specially visiting Abilene or passing through on the interstate. The town’s place on the Gunsmoke Trail also intrigues visitors.

Abilene, Eisenhower and the Gunsmoke Trail

Dwight D. Eisenhower – One of the Best

C-SPAN ranks all US presidents in ten categories. Eisenhower now ranks fifth behind Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and TR. Abilene’s sights include the world’s largest “I Like Ike” button. The term is one of the best campaign slogans in American history. Here’s a link about Eisenhower and the Presidential Museum and Library. And some explanation of C-SPAN.

Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, but his family moved back to Kansas when he was less than two years old. He often said that growing up in Abilene was the thing he was most proud of.

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Since the family didn’t have money for college, he and his brother made a pact that one would work and the other would attend college, swapping each year. A few years later, Eisenhower received a West Point appointment; the rest is history!

His class became known as The Class The Stars Fell On because so many reached the General rank—more on that in the Eisenhower post.

Abilene and the Gunsmoke Trail

If you want more information about the Gunsmoke Trail, click or tap here. It includes four Kansas cities prominently featured in the TV series Gunsmoke, which ran from 1955 to 1975.

Abilene and the other cities now attract tourists to the Gunsmoke Trail. Although the series ended in 1975, episodes run regularly on several cable and streaming channels. Western-themed TV and movies are not as popular as they were back then, but they still have an attraction to the stories they tell and the connection to the history of the wild, often lawless American West. And here’s a link to the Gunsmoke Trail site.

Abilene Law Enforcement History

The first marshal of Abilene in 1870 was Thomas James “Bear River” Smith. On November 2, 1870, Smith and his deputy went ten miles out of town to arrest two local homesteaders. Of course, in keeping with the lawlessness of the time, the homesteaders fought back. In the ensuing fight, the deputy fled the scene, and Thomas Smith was killed. He is buried in the Abilene cemetery. He was the first known Chief of Police to be killed in the line of duty in the US.

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The homesteaders were convicted and served long prison terms. With all the western movies showing men hanged for their crimes, it’s surprising they served prison time.

Abilene returned to lawlessness until April 1971, when James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was hired as the next marshal. Wild Bill’s cabin (below) is in the Old Abilene area. During his time in office, he spent more time gambling than performing his marshal duties. He had three policemen who did most of the work.

On October 5, 1871, saloon owner and gunfighter Phil Coe threatened Hickok several times. And then Hickok heard a single gunshot from his Alamo Saloon. After heading that way, Coe said he was “Just shooting at a dog.” Then, Coe fired two shots at Hickok, hitting him in his coat. Hickok dropped Coe with two shots of his own.

Suddenly, a man with a pistol in his hand ran toward Hickok, who instinctively spun and shot him dead. To Hickok’s horror, he discovered he had shot his own Deputy, Mike Williams. Wild Bill was never the same, exhibiting signs of what is now called PTSD.

For the rest of the Hickok story, he took various jobs before heading to Deadwood, SD, to join the search for gold. And, unfortunately, met his untimely demise while playing poker. (“Who wants to play those eights and aces?” – Bob Seger from Fire Lake.)

Law enforcement continued its ups and downs in Abilene, but mostly there wasn’t a major failure, as the lawlessness abated with the cattle drives ending.

Abilene Old Town

Abilene and the Cowboy Boots

The people of Abilene created another display called “Celebrating Cowboy Roots with Cowboy Boots!” The Cowboy Boot project pays homage to T.C. McInerney’s Drover Boot Store from the 1870s. Currently, about ten are around town, and more are being placed as they are planned and completed.

**Rose Garden – Convention & Visitors Center**

The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad

The cattle drive business shaped Abilene’s history at the time. As railroads expanded into Texas and Oklahoma, the economy had to adapt. However, the railroad remained a factor. In recent years, the railroad has become part of its tourism attractions.

The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad (link here), a non-profit heritage railway founded in 1993, preserves the area’s railroad history. The A&SVR runs train rides from May to November. Here’s a link to the current schedule. They also run special events around holidays and local events. Be sure to check for that on the schedule.

Here’s a link to charters for tour groups and travel professionals. As the Gunsmoke Trail grows in popularity, I’m sure there will be more calls for these charters.

The depot (1887 Rock Island Depot) is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It operates as a museum in addition to the kick-off point for rides on the A&SVR. The depot is part of Old Abilene and anchors this historic location. The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad enjoys statewide popularity. The Kansas Legislature designated the A&SVR as the official Kansas Heritage Railroad in 2024.

The freight room is now a museum with collections from A&SVR co-founder Fred Schmidt, who passed in 2009. The museum is free, but donations are accepted. If you take one or more of the train rides, save some additional time to visit the museum.

World’s Largest Belt Buckle & More

**I’m “wearing” the World’s Largest Belt Buckle!**

The town built this belt buckle to honor Abilene’s contribution to the American West story! Everyone likes to visit the many “World’s Largest” objects, so communities continue to develop them, and compete with other towns, sometimes, to outdo others in size or attractiveness! (Doesn’t everyone like to shout, “We’ve Number One!”) They also have the World’s Largest “I Like Ike” button, but more on that in the Eisenhower post.

And, just for one more, here’s the world’s largest cowboy spur!