Wild Bill Hickok Monument Dedication

Sunday, August 16, 2026 - 1:00pm

Details

The citizens of Abilene will be pleased to learn that arrangements have been made for the erection of a handsome bronze monument honoring our distinguished City Marshal, Mr. James Butler Hickok, known throughout the frontier as "Wild Bill."

The likeness of Marshal Hickok shall be erected near the cabin he occupied and the city jail over which he kept watch, so that citizens and travelers alike may remember the man who maintained order in Abilene during the great cattle drives. There his image shall stand guard over the very ground where he once performed his duties.

The monument has been fashioned by the noted sculptor, Mr. David R. Young, whose skillful workmanship has earned admiration throughout the region. The work is said to be of the finest quality and will stand as a lasting reminder of the services rendered by the celebrated marshal during Abilene's cattle season.

Though many cow towns boast of their gunfighters and desperadoes, few can claim a marshal whose reputation extends from Kansas to the Rocky Mountains. During his tenure in Abilene, Mr. Hickok maintained order among the many thousands of cowboys, gamblers, drovers, merchants, and travelers who passed through our city each year.

The statue is expected to become a point of interest for visitors arriving by stage, rail, horseback, and whatever future conveyances the ingenuity of man may devise.

It is anticipated that citizens and visitors alike will gather for a formal dedication of the monument on Sunday, the sixteenth day of August, at one o'clock in the afternoon. Remarks shall be offered in honor of the famed marshal, after which refreshments will be served at the Alamo Saloon. A special commemorative memento of the day shall also be presented to those in attendance, making the occasion one long to be remembered.

Speeches, fellowship, and expressions of civic pride are expected to accompany the occasion.
Abilene has long been known as the end of the Chisholm Trail and the foremost cattle market in Kansas. With this monument, the city further secures its place in the history of the American frontier.
Should future generations inquire who Wild Bill Hickok was, they need only visit Abilene and behold his likeness standing watch over the town he once served.
 

Location

Old Abilene Town | 200 SE 5th Street Abilene, KS