11. Dodge City became too civilized for Wyatt’s taste in 1879
When Wyatt Earp arrived in Dodge City the town was in the first throes of a growth boom, fueled by the cattle which arrived to take advantage of the railheads which shipped the beef, on the hoof, to the stockyards of Chicago. After weeks on the trail, the cowboys blew off steam drinking, gambling, and sometimes vandalizing the town. By 1879 the town had established ordinances restricting the carrying of firearms, and the trappings of civilization had taken hold. In Earp’s own words, “…Dodge was beginning to lose much of the snap which had given it a charm to men of reckless blood”. He began to consider other options.
