D.R. Gorden: A Man about Town

David Ross Gorden was an early resident of Abilene who had a remarkable career in several positions.  During his time in the town, Gorden served as Abilene’s first Kansas Pacific Railroad station agent, first telegraph operator, and served as the town’s postmaster.  He was also involved in the organization of Abilene’s first grain elevator, and in the formation of the Citizen’s Bank of Abilene in 1885.  Needless to say, he was an incredibly active man in Abilene.

Before making his way to Abilene in 1869, Gorden was present for one of the most famous presidential speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address.  Gorden was eighteen at the time, and managed to situate himself close to President Lincoln so that he could clearly hear the President’s words.  Prior to President Lincoln’s famous speech, a man named Edward Everett gave a long address to the crowd.  After this, the President delivered his Gettysburg Address, which is admittedly a rather short speech.  After President Lincoln had finished speaking, Gorden distinctly heard the President say to Everett, “I have made a failure of my speech.”  Everett’s reply was, “Oh, no, your speech will live long after mine has been forgotten.”

After the end of the Civil War, Gorden learned the skill of telegraphy and moved to Abilene, Kansas.  He would live in Abilene for the rest of his life.  During his duties as Abilene’s railroad station agent and telegraph operator, Gordon encountered many colorful characters including the town’s city marshal in 1871, James Butler “Wild Bill”Hickok.

According to one of Gorden’s memories, he witnessed a conversation between Hickok and a gambler that almost turned into a shootout.  One day when Hickok was visiting Gorden in the telegraph office, a gambler walked into the building with a revolver strapped to his leg.  Hickok ordered the man to give him the gun since it was illegal to carry firearms in Abilene.  The man replied to Hickok, “Bill, I am not going to take off this revolver and you know darn well you cannot make me take it off.”  Both men glared at one another and rested their hands on their six-shooters.  Now, Hickok is of course known for his famous shootouts, but he was a practical man when it came to fights.  He always tried to avoid a fight that he was not positive he could win.  According to Gorden, Hickok replied to the man, “Well, just keep it hidden so that I cannot see it.”  The unsettling moment passed.

As a resident of Abilene, Gorden saw many changes in the town.  After the end of the cattle drives to Abilene, Gorden saw his town change from a wild and dangerous place, to a peaceful small community.  Throughout his entire life, Gorden remained an active man, always willing to tell a story about Abilene’s past, and offer his support for new enterprises that would improve the community.  He lived until the ripe age of ninety, and died April 7, 1935.

Note: Quotations were taken from the "Reminiscences  of D.R. Gorden," found in the files of the Dickinson County Historical Society.

Wild Bill in Abilene

After the death of Abilene’s Tom Smith in 1870, the town needed a new law officer to tame the wild cattle town.  Mayor Joseph McCoy (who you may remember brought the cattle drive to Abilene) and the city council, decided to hire a new City Marshal for the 1871 cattle season.  Their choice for City Marshal was James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok.

Photograph courtesy of the Dickinson County Historical Society.

Hickok maintained order and quiet in Abilene to the best of his ability.  His eight months tenure was a stormy one though, with the end of the cattle season following an incident widely known as the Phil Coe shooting affray.

Prior to his time as Marshal in Abilene, Hickok had performed many duties including scout for the Union and constable of Monticello Township, Johnson County, Kansas.  His reputation preceded him due to an article published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in February 1867; and his many exploits which were talked about throughout the country.  One particular exploit, the McCanles affair, was well known, and involved Hickok fighting anywhere from four to fourteen men at the same time.  While Hickok was involved in several impressive gunfights, many of these stories were greatly exaggerated.  In addition to having exaggerated stories, the Harper’s article featured many falsehoods.  The author of the piece did not even get Hickok’s name correct, calling him William Haycock.

While employed as city marshal of Abilene, Hickok continued the enforcement of the city’s no fire arms ordinance.  This ordinance was still ignored by many, and shootings did occasionally occur.  Those that ignored the ordinance did not openly carry a firearm though, as Hickok would have tried to confiscate it if they did.  Hickok did not maintain a mostly ceaseless patrol of the streets as his predecessor, Tom Smith, had.  Instead he often set up his unofficial headquarters at the Alamo Saloon, where he could be found gambling while on duty.  

Photograph courtesy of the Dickinson County Historical Society.

During his time in Abilene, Hickok had several enemies and was always on his guard in case of an assassination attempt.  This would lead to an incident, known as the Phil Coe affray, which would greatly affect Hickok.  After responding to a rowdy crowd near the Alamo Saloon, Hickok shot and killed the former owner of the Bull’s Head Tavern, Phil Coe.  Hickok believed that Coe was trying to kill him, and responded in this manner to save his life.  Most reports state that Coe fired two shots at Hickok and provoked the attack, neither of Coe’s shots found their mark though.  A policeman, Mike Williams, responded to the scene after hearing the initial commotion, and was accidently shot by Hickok.  This would be the last major event to happen during Wild Bill’s time as Marshal.  Since the cattle drive season came to a close, Hickok was relieved of his position in December 1871.  After this period, crime rates dropped greatly after the Abilene city council and the Farmer’s Protective Association decided that the cattle trade should not return for another season.

In 1872, due to an increase in domestic livestock deaths related to Texas Fever, an ever growing problem with unlawful cowboys, and a local economy moving towards being agriculturally based, Abilene passed an ordinance prohibiting Texas longhorns, making it necessary for ranchers to find new railheads to ship their cattle from. The following proclamation was issued: “We the undersigned most respectively request all who have contemplated driving cattle to Abilene to seek some other point for shipment, as the inhabitants of Dickinson County will no longer submit to the evils of the trade.”  So ended the cattle town days of Abilene.

Photograph courtesy of the Dickinson County Historical Society.

Further Reading:

Joseph C. Rosa is a fantastic author and researcher of Wild Bill.  His books They Called Him Wild Bill and Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and his Myth are both great resources for more information on Wild Bill Hickok.