Boot Hill , or Boothill , is the generic name of many cemeteries , chiefly in the Western United States . During the 19th and early 20th century it was a common name for the burial grounds for paupers .
101-413: Although many towns use the name "Boot Hill", the first graveyard named "Boot Hill" was at Hays, Kansas , five years before the founding of Dodge City, Kansas . The meaning of why cemeteries were called "Boot Hills" has been lost, but there are three plausible reasons. The first possible meaning of the term is based on poverty and alludes to the fact that many of the cemeteries' occupants were vagrants, or
202-598: A "one-size-fits-all" strategy to deal with the "Indian problem". As a result, friends and foes were forced to live in close proximity to one another. During Clum's tenure at San Carlos, he treated the Apaches as friends, established the first Indian Tribal Police and a Tribal Court, forming a system of Indian self-rule. The Apaches nicknamed him "Nantan Betunnikiyeh", "Nantan", meaning boss or leader, "Betunnykahyeh" meaning high-forehead, or "Boss With The High Forehead", referring to his baldness. Clum encouraged them to take up
303-425: A 'truxican standoff'. In the video game Fallout: New Vegas , Victor can say, “Next stop, Boot Hill” if provoked. Carl Perkins wrote in 1959 a song " The Ballad of Boot Hill ". Johnny Cash recorded it for Columbia Records and it was released in the same year. A Spaghetti Western named Boot Hill was released in 1969 and it featured Terence Hill and Bud Spencer . The first of three parts that compose
404-532: A brief term as sheriff in 1869. 30 homicides occurred between 1867 and 1873 including a deadly saloon shootout involving Fort Hays soldiers. A cemetery north of town became known as “ Boot Hill ”; by 1885, it held the bodies of some 79 outlaws. Hays experienced significant racial violence during the same period. In 1869, the murder of Union Pacific watchman James Hayes led to the lynching of three African American soldiers. That same year, six black soldiers at Fort Hays were murdered, their bodies were dropped in
505-677: A daughter named Bessie. Mary is buried in Boot Hill at Tombstone. John Clum was married a second time on Feb. 6, 1883, in the District of Columbia, to Belle Atwood. Clum was married a third and final time on Oct. 24, 1914, in New York City, New York to Florence A. Baker. President Ulysses S. Grant established the San Carlos Reservation on December 14, 1872. After an investigation of political abuses within
606-457: A family was $ 62,775. Males had a median income of $ 35,905 versus $ 31,379 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,536. About 5.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. The service sector constitutes most of the local economy with education and health care being two major industries. Hays also hosts some manufacturing. EnerSys ,
707-600: A five-month period he traversed 8,000 miles (13,000 km) in the Alaskan territory, equipping existing post offices and establishing seven new post offices. While in Nome, Alaska in the summer of 1900, Clum met his old friends, Wyatt Earp and George W. Parsons . Earp was operating the Dexter Saloon at the time. Clum was later named postmaster for Fairbanks, Alaska , and served in that position until 1909. Caro, Alaska
808-764: A good Agent. In September 1872, Cochise negotiated a Chiricahua Reservation for his people from the Dragoon Mountains on the west to the Peloncillo Mountains on the east. It included the Chiricahua Mountains and ran south to the Mexican border. On December 14, 1872, President Ulysses Grant issued an Executive Order establishing the Chiricahua Reservation in the southeastern Arizona Territory encompassing
909-546: A herd of American bison kept at the park since 1953. The department also maintains three baseball parks, a soccer complex, tennis courts, a roller hockey and skateboard park, and a second, 9-hole disc golf course. In addition, the Hays Recreation Commission manages a municipal swimming pool and a waterpark , Hays Aquatic Park. There are two golf courses in the city, Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and Smoky Hill Country Club. The municipal course
1010-469: A historical marker at the site of the ill-fated town of Rome. To capitalize on the community's Old West heritage, the local chamber of commerce promotes downtown Hays as the historic Chestnut Street District. Local businesses offer dining, shopping, and entertainment, and visitors can tour designated historical sites in the district via a self-guided walking tour. There are 27 Christian churches in Hays,
1111-577: A historical park in 1929 and was later acquired by the Kansas Historical Society . In 1967, it became the Fort Hays State Historic Site. Several disasters have struck Hays over the course of its history. In 1895, fire destroyed 60 buildings downtown. Severe floods occurred in 1907 and 1951 . In 1919, three Standard Oil gasoline tanks exploded, killing eight and injuring approximately 150 people. In 1935,
SECTION 10
#17327807697201212-424: A lot of attention to them at first, but after a few months it became most unbearable. They were picking us off one by one. We could never put our hands definitely on those who were doing it. I decided to settle elsewhere. They opened fire on me from both sides of the road. Three miles farther along the road a bullet tore through my coat and lead brought down my horse. I kept going without him." In January Virgil Earp
1313-425: A means to line their own pocket, selling government-supplied food and clothing and keeping the profits for themselves. The office was very political, as the military commanders and civilian agents competed for control over the reservation and the money associated with the responsibility. The Apaches, who were supposed to be fed and housed by their caretakers, rarely saw the results of the federal money and suffered as
1414-589: A month-long preliminary hearing, Justice of the Peace Wells Spicer ruled the men had acted within the law. Clum later observed, There had been a lot of talk about the justification of the fight. But the Earps were officers of the law and I could see no reason why an officer should wait until he was fired upon two or three times before opening up himself. Wyatt Earp told me afterward he could have killed Ike Clanton. Ike, Wyatt said, drew back and motioned he
1515-463: A performing arts series that consists of dramatic and musical performances throughout the year. Hays is a regional center of German American culture due to the number of German immigrants who settled the area in the 1870s and 1880s. As of 2010, 56.5% of the city population claimed German ancestry. The city hosts several events throughout the year that celebrate this heritage including two Oktoberfests . The Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest takes place
1616-488: A producer of sealed lead batteries , operates a plant in the city as do Adronics, an auto parts maker, and Rans Designs , a manufacturer of aircraft and bicycles. Other local companies manufacture oil field supplies, HVAC systems, and wheelchairs. As of 2012, 76.8% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.1% was in the armed forces, and 76.7% was in the civilian labor force with 73.1% being employed and 3.6% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of
1717-696: A result. Soldiers and their commanding officers sometimes brutally tortured or killed the Indians for sport. On February 26, 1874, under these difficult conditions, Clum accepted a commission as Indian Agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory . He arrived at the San Carlos Reservation on Tuesday, August 4, 1874. The very next day Apache scouts presented him with
1818-578: A site near where the railroad was to cross Big Creek , a tributary of the Smoky Hill River . Seeing a business opportunity, Buffalo Bill Cody and railroad contractor William Rose founded the settlement of Rome near the fort's new location. Within a month, the population of Rome grew to over 2,000. Webb, meanwhile, established the Big Creek Land Company and then surveyed and platted a town site, which he named Hays City after
1919-445: A well that was sodded over, and they were falsely reported as deserters. A mob then hunted down and lynched two black barbers, and the town's black residents were expelled. This and numerous other racial incidents throughout the last half of the 19th century gave Hays a reputation as a sundown town . African Americans living in nearby Nicodemus were not welcome after dark. No signs formally establishing this policy were posted, but
2020-571: Is a 165-bed general medical and surgical facility that serves as a regional referral center for northwestern Kansas. John Clum John Philip Clum (September 1, 1851 – May 2, 1932) was an Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory . He implemented a limited form of self-government on the reservation that was so successful that other reservations were closed and their residents moved to San Carlos. Clum later became
2121-550: Is a commercial and educational center for western Kansas. Hays is located in northwestern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 183 , Hays is 134 miles (216 km) northwest of Wichita , 256 miles (412 km) west of Kansas City , and 311 miles (501 km) east-southeast of Denver . The city lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains approximately 11 miles (18 km) north of
SECTION 20
#17327807697202222-514: Is a separate Jewish cemetery nearby with some markers restored, and there are also marked graves of Chinese. However, most of the loss was due to neglect of grave markers and theft of these wooden relics as souvenirs. For example, when former Tombstone Mayor John Clum visited Tombstone for the first Helldorado celebration in 1929, he was unable to locate the grave of his wife Mary, who had been buried in Boothill. The Tombstone "boothill" cemetery
2323-516: Is an 18-hole course located immediately southwest of the city, built around the Fort Hays historical site. Smoky Hill Country Club is a private, 18-hole course that opened in the western part of the city in 1962. Hays is a city of the second class with a commission-manager form of government, which it adopted in 1919. The city commission consists of five commissioners, with at-large elections occurring every two years. The commission meets on
2424-526: Is both the hottest and wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Hays was 117 °F (47.2 °C) on July 13, 1934, while the coldest temperature recorded was −26 °F (−32.2 °C) on January 14, 1905 and February 13, 1905. The 2020 United States census counted 21,116 people, 8,610 households, and 4,576 families in Hays. The population density was 2,443.1 per square mile (943.3/km ). There were 9,541 housing units at an average density of 1,103.9 per square mile (426.2/km ). The racial makeup
2525-417: Is in the beginning stages of a transformational remodel with an estimated completion in 2026. Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run concurrently southeast-northwest immediately north of Hays. U.S. Route 183 runs north–south through Hays, intersecting I-70 immediately north of the city. A U.S. 183 bypass route runs around Hays to the west from U.S. 183 immediately south of the city to I-70 northwest of
2626-470: Is likely a romanticized one. This postulates that the occupants of Boot Hills were cowboys who "died with their boots on", the implication here being they died violently, as in gunfights or by hanging, and not of natural causes. This idea is the most commonly cited on tourist websites . In addition to this claim having numerous problems in the logic used to support it (i.e., significant numbers of people die while wearing footwear, for all kinds of reasons), there
2727-1070: Is located downtown, and all departments of the county government base their operations in the city. Hays lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District . For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature , the city is located in the 40th district of the Kansas Senate and the 111th district of the Kansas House of Representatives . The community is served by Hays USD 489 public school district, which operates eight schools in Hays: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina oversees two Catholic schools in Hays: Holy Family Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Thomas More Prep-Marian (7-12). There are also two other Christian schools in
2828-458: Is no evidence to suggest that gunfights and hangings were so ubiquitous that entire cemeteries all across the western U.S. needed to be devoted to these types of violent unnatural deaths. Despite the mystery of the term today, Boot Hill became a commonplace term for the neglected old municipal cemeteries throughout the U.S. West during the late 1800s and into the early 1900s as, more and more, families of means re-interred their deceased loved ones to
2929-457: Is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census , the population of the city was 21,116. It is also a college town , home to Fort Hays State University . Before American settlement of the area, the site of Hays was located near where the territories of the Arapaho , Kiowa , and Pawnee met. Claimed first by France as part of Louisiana and later acquired by
3030-651: Is the name of the graveyard at Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris . In season 5 episode 16 of the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants , " Pest of the West ", the character Spongebuck is told the old sheriff of Dead-Eye Gulch is at Boot Hill. Boothill is a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail . Hays, Kansas Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas , United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it
3131-485: The Chiricahua Mountains , Mexico–United States border , and New Mexico Territory border. Some members of the tribe continued raiding into the Mexican states Sonora and Chihuahua . Governor Pesqueira of Sonora complained bitterly about the raids, and General Crook tried to figure out how to force the relocation of the raiders to the San Carlos Reservation. Thomas J. Jeffords , who was Indian Agent to
Boot Hill - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-719: The Fort Hays Tigers , compete in several sports in the NCAA Division II MIAA conference. In addition to FHSU sports, Hays is home to an amateur baseball team and a rodeo company. The Hays Larks are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Jayhawk Collegiate League of the National Baseball Congress . The team dates back to 1869 when local residents founded it as The Hays Town Team. From June through August,
3333-490: The Neil Young song "Country Girl", that appears in his 1970 album with Crosby, Stills & Nash , " Déjà Vu ", is called "Whiskey Boot Hill". The Outlaws' song " Hurry Sundown " also references "lying" an unnamed character in "Boot Hill". Several themes from Bob Dylan 's soundtrack album " Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid " (1973) contain the verse "Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya". The song " The Ballad of Billy
3434-524: The Office of Indian Affairs , the government gave Protestant religious groups the responsibility for managing the Indian reservations. The Dutch Reformed Church was given charge of the San Carlos Reservation. They sought out a candidate at Rutgers to run the reservation and were connected with Clum. Clum knew that a number of Indian Agents had already come and gone. Some Indian agents sought the position only as
3535-419: The "Tombstone Cemetery", the plot features the graves of Billy Clanton , Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury ; the three men who were killed during the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral . Located on the northwest corner of the town, the graveyard is believed to hold over 300 persons, 205 of which are recorded. This was due to some people (especially Chinese and Jewish immigrants) being buried without record. There
3636-415: The 8,610 households, 24.8% had children under the age of 18; 40.3% were married couples living together; 29.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.9% of households consisted of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher
3737-628: The Army renamed the post Fort Hays in honor of the late Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays killed in The Battle of The Wilderness. In late 1866, anticipating the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railway as far west as Fort Hays, a party from St. Louis, Missouri led by William Webb selected three sections of land for colonization near the fort. In June 1867, to better serve the railroad, the Army relocated Fort Hays 15 miles northwest to
3838-512: The Army, Clum was frustrated. He left his post as Indian Agent at noon on July 1, 1877, nearly three years after he had arrived. His successor freed Geronimo and his men, leading to fifteen years of bloodshed and Indian wars until Geronimo was re-captured by General Miles on September 4, 1886, finally ending the Indian Wars. Throughout his life, Clum believed that his work among the Apache was
3939-691: The Boothill Graveyard is open to the public for a $ 5 fee, and is a popular stop for tourists visiting Tombstone. The Boot Hill Museum is located on the original location of the Boot Hill Cemetery in Dodge City, Kansas. Boot Hill is the name of the cemetery in Dodge City in the Gunsmoke radio series . In many episodes, the marshal ( Matt Dillon ) would allude to "putting you in Boot Hill", or "another man headed to Boot Hill". In
4040-603: The Hudson River Institute (later known as Claverack College ), a military academy in Claverack, New York . He also attended religious services at the Dutch Reformed Church. In September, 1870, he enrolled at Rutgers College . He obtained a classical education, studying among other subjects Latin, Greek, Mathematics (including algebra), Natural History (including physiology) and Rhetoric. He
4141-487: The Kid " from Billy Joel 's 1973 Album Piano Man contains the lyrics "And he never had a sweetheart, but he finally found a home, underneath the boothill grave that bears his name". "Boot Hill" (unknown) is the first track on Stevie Ray Vaughan 's 1991 posthumous release The Sky is Crying . It was recorded in early 1989 and is one of the last fully produced songs completed prior to his untimely death in 1990. In Cricket ,
Boot Hill - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-621: The Mid–America Rodeo Company puts on rough stock rodeo performances on weeknights, including Saddle bronc and bareback riding , bull riding , and barrel racing , as well as professional horse racing events. The city government's Parks Department maintains 16 parks in the city. The largest is Frontier Park, located immediately south of downtown across the U.S. 183 bypass route from the Fort Hays State Historic Site. Divided into eastern, western, and northern sections, it includes an 18-hole disc golf course and pens that are home to
4343-471: The O.K. Corral (1957), during which it was repeatedly sung over the recurring title theme song by Frankie Laine . In the later half of the movie Laine changes the theme to: Boothill... Boothill... So cold... so still... There they lay side by side, the killers that died, in the Gunfight at O.K. Corral. Boot Hill is the name of a role playing game first published in 1975 by TSR, Inc. ,
4444-618: The Smoky Hill River and 15 miles (24 km) south of the Saline River . Big Creek , a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, runs through the southwestern part of the city. Chetolah Creek, a tributary of Big Creek, flows south through the eastern part of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 7.95 square miles (20.59 km ), all land. Hays sits near
4545-601: The United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it lay within the area organized by the U.S. as Kansas Territory in 1854. Kansas became a state in 1861. The state government delineated the surrounding area as Ellis County in 1867. In 1865, the U.S. Army established Fort Fletcher southeast of present-day Hays to protect stagecoaches traveling the Smoky Hill Trail . A year later,
4646-573: The age of 18 and 9.5% of those ages 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 20,510 people, 8,698 households, and 4,639 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,579.5 inhabitants per square mile (996.0/km ). There were 9,311 housing units at an average density of 1,171 per square mile (452/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 92.8% Caucasian American , 0.8% African American , 0.3% American Indian , 1.8% Asian , 2.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 1.7% of
4747-528: The bands at Ojo Caliente to San Carlos as well. Victorio and the Chihenne Chiricahuas acquiesced at first. Geronimo , on the other hand, was defiant. Clum hid 100 of his Apache police in the commissary building at Ojo Caliente and on April 21, 1877, they surprised Geronimo, seizing his rifle and throwing him in shackles. Clum's success gave the US Army a black eye; it was the only time Geronimo
4848-851: The cavalry and flee south. Of the more than 1,000 Chiricahuas enumerated in Jeffords' infrequent censuses, only 42 men and 280 women and children accompanied Clum north. The firing of Jeffords and the abolition of the Chiricahua Reservation in southeastern Arizona drove the Chiricahuas deeper into Mexico or over to the Ojo Caliente Reservation in the New Mexico Territory . In April 1877 the Interior Department ordered Clum to remove
4949-557: The city experienced violent dust storms as part of the Dust Bowl . Hays began to modernize in the early 1900s with a power plant , waterworks, telephone exchange, and sewer system complete by 1911. Over the following decades, the city evolved into a regional economic hub. Development of oil fields in the surrounding area began in 1936 with Hays serving as a trading center and shipping point. Hays Regional Airport opened in 1961. Interstate 70 reached Hays in 1966. Today, Hays
5050-406: The city's three largest employers. Other major employers include local government, Nex-Tech, Eagle Communications, AT&T Inc. , and other telecommunications firms, retail stores, and social services providers. The cost of living in Hays is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 81.7. As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $ 147,300,
5151-581: The city, Kansas State University operates its Agricultural Research Center—Hays, formerly the Fort Hays Experiment Station. The Center studies regional crop management and livestock production, and, for that purpose, its 7,810 acres (31.6 km ) campus includes a feedlot, a greenhouse complex, cropland, and rangeland as well as a preserved natural area. Hays was home to the now closed Bissing's Conservatory of Music established by Petrowitsch Bissing in 1901. Records show that it
SECTION 50
#17327807697205252-504: The city. Hays Regional Airport is located just southeast of the city. Used primarily for general aviation , it hosts one commercial airline United Express , which offers daily jet service to Denver, Colorado . Union Pacific Railroad provides freight rail transport via its Kansas Pacific (KP) line, which runs southeast–northwest through downtown Hays in the southern part of the city. Water production and distribution, waste water collection and treatment, and sewer maintenance are
5353-523: The city: Hays Seventh-Day Adventist School (K-8) and High Plains Christian School (now closed). Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is located in Hays. A four-year public university with more than 11,000 students, it is the third largest university in Kansas. North Central Kansas Technical College , a two-year public college based in Beloit, Kansas , also has a campus in Hays. Immediately south of
5454-492: The collection by setting aside Kansas related materials behind her desk. Today, The Kansas Room offers programs related to history, natural history, and genealogy. FHSU's Forsyth Library holds more than 225,000 volumes and serves as a federal depository library . In addition to government documents, its special collections include an archive of children's literature and materials relating to regional history and culture. The Forsyth Library building, which opened its doors in 1967,
5555-409: The convergence of a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa ) and a temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk ). It typically experiences hot summers with variable humidity and cold winters. Due to its geographic location at a climatic boundary, severe weather is common, with tornadoes a major threat, especially in the spring and early summer months. On average, January is the coldest month, and July
5656-442: The deceased's valuables, which would include footwear. Both of these concepts–one of poverty and worthless unsalvageable boots, the other of no next-of-kin to transfer ownership of valuables to–rely on the fact that during the 1800s, footwear had become expensive commodities. This is because a shift in shoes occurred in the 19th century. While all clothing could be made by people in the 1800s with moderate sewing skills, and doing so
5757-621: The employed civilian labor force was: 31.2% in sales and office occupations; 30.0% in management, business, science, and arts; 20.0% in service occupations; 9.8% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 9.0% in production, transportation, and material moving. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (30.7%); retail trade (16.2%); and arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (10.5%). Hays Medical Center, Fort Hays State University , and Hays Public Schools are
5858-578: The finest and noblest work he had ever done. He was replaced by a series of agents who were renowned for their corruption. Two months later, Victorio, Loco, and 308 other Chiricahuas bolted for New Mexico, killing twelve ranchers before surrendering at Fort Wingate in early October. Clum and his wife moved to Florence , Arizona Territory and bought a weekly newspaper, the Arizona Citizen then operating in Tucson, but he moved it to Florence. For
5959-600: The first mayor of Tombstone , Arizona Territory , after its incorporation in 1881. He also founded the still-operating The Tombstone Epitaph on May 1, 1880. He later served in various postal service positions across the United States. John Clum was born on a farm near Claverack, New York , US. His parents were William Henry and Elizabeth van Deusen Clum of Dutch and German descent ; he had five brothers and three sisters: Henry W. Clum, Jane E. Clum, Cornelia Clum, Sarah E. Clum, George A. Clum, Robert A. Clum, Cornelius N. Clum, and Alfred Clum. In September, 1867, he entered
6060-553: The first season of the Gunsmoke television series , the introduction to each episode showed Matt Dillon walking around Boot Hill reflecting on the deaths of men buried there. Boot Hill cemetery is a main plot point in the Twilight Zone episode Mr. Garrity and the Graves . Boothill Graveyards are referenced in many films such as Tombstone (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Gunfight at
6161-681: The first week of July. The festival includes country and rock music concerts, a carnival, a parade, a fishing tournament, baseball games, and a fireworks display. On the first weekend in December, the Kansas Historical Society holds Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays, showcasing history programs and tours of the fort with it decorated for Christmas as it was in the late 1800s. There are several museums and sites in Hays dedicated to aspects of area history. FHSU's Sternberg Museum of Natural History features extensive collections and exhibits of fossil specimens, including an interactive diorama of life in
SECTION 60
#17327807697206262-404: The fort, roughly one mile east of Rome. The railroad reached Hays City soon thereafter and constructed a depot there. The railroad's arrival, combined with a cholera epidemic that hit Rome in the late summer of 1867, drove Rome businesses and residents to relocate to Hays City. Within a year, Rome was completely abandoned. As the western terminus of the railway, Hays City grew rapidly, serving as
6363-502: The impoverished. The concept is that those buried within either owned boots in such disrepair that no one salvaged the footwear, thus the footwear was left on the bodies at burial; or that the deceased owned no nicer formal clothing to place upon their bodies, which resulted in being interred wearing whatever clothing, and boots, they did possess. The second concept is fairly similar - that those buried within (having been hermits, passers-through, or vagrants) had no family to contact to claim
6464-402: The lawmen. The stagecoach was fired upon by unknown assailants. The stage didn't carry any mail, cash, or silver, so robbery was an unlikely motive for the attack. Driver Jimmie Harrington was able to outrun the attackers, but he soon had to stop to remove a lead horse that had been shot and was bleeding to death. Clum was certain the hold-up was cover for an attempt to kill him, so didn't reboard
6565-645: The majority of which are Protestant . That number also includes four Catholic churches, a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation, and a meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Hays is also home to a community of the Baháʼí Faith community. The Hays District of the United Methodist Church , which consists of 21 counties in northwestern Kansas, is headquartered in the city. Fort Hays State University's athletic teams, known as
6666-420: The median household income was $ 52,135 (with a margin of error of +/- $ 5,558) and the median family income was $ 78,151 (+/- $ 9,761). Males had a median income of $ 32,464 (+/- $ 2,406) versus $ 25,813 (+/- $ 3,239) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 30,104 (+/- $ 2,946). Approximately, 8.1% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 9.4% of those under
6767-514: The median selected monthly owner cost was $ 1,254 for housing units with a mortgage and $ 445 for those without, and the median gross rent was $ 584. An established arts community supports several galleries in the city. The Hays Arts Council operates the Hays Arts Center Gallery, which displays the work of Kansas artists and sponsors exhibitions and competitions throughout the year. FHSU's Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, affiliated with
6868-681: The more elegant and exclusive grounds of the newer for-profit cemeteries. However, some Boot Hills became famous, such as the original in Dodge City, Kansas, or the Boot Hill in Tombstone, Arizona , because of three men involved in the so-called O.K. Corral shootout still being buried there. The most notable use of the name "Boot Hill" is at the Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona. 31°43′11.6″N 110°04′13.6″W / 31.719889°N 110.070444°W / 31.719889; -110.070444 ( Boothill Graveyard ) Formerly called
6969-646: The museum complex are the Volga German Haus, a reproduction of an early Volga German settler home, and a stone chapel constructed in 1879. Southwest of Hays, the Kansas Historical Society maintains the Fort Hays State Historic Site . It consists of four of the fort's original structures and a visitor's center. Other sites related to the area's frontier period include Boot Hill, the city's earliest cemetery, and
7070-475: The new city charter of 1881. While mayor he became lifelong friends with Wyatt Earp and became one of his greatest supporters. In December 1880, his wife Mary had a daughter Elizabeth, called Bessie, but Mary died soon after on December 18, 1880. Elizabeth was sickly and died the following summer. After the gun battle of October 26, 1881 in a vacant lot adjacent to the home and studio of photographer Camillus S. Fly , Ike Clanton filed murder charges and after
7171-536: The next two years he published editorials criticizing "the Army of Arizona and the political double-crossers in Washington". After silver was discovered in Tombstone in 1877, Clum moved to Tombstone and began publication on Saturday, May 1, 1880 of The Tombstone Epitaph . He organized the "Anti-Chinese League", and a " Vigilance Committee " to end lawlessness in Tombstone, and his association with that group helped get him elected as Tombstone's first mayor under
7272-403: The original publisher of Dungeons & Dragons . It was the third game released by TSR and notable as one of the first games to use ten-sided dice. Finnish Western writer Esa Paloniemi published his collection of Western short stories Saapaskukkula (Boothill) in 2024. Boot Hill also appears in the first-person shooter video game Borderlands 2 , located in 'The Dust', and playing home to
7373-472: The peaceful pursuits of farming and raising cattle. The Army disliked Clum's actions, as it prevented them from raking off part of the funds that passed through the reservation. Clum tired of the Army's constant meddling in his management of the reservation and the lack of support from the Indian Bureau, the very people who a short time previously had sought him out specifically as a man who would make
7474-438: The population. There were 8,698 households, of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
7575-555: The public, including computer classes, ESL and literacy tutoring, and programs for adults, teens, and children. The Hays Public Library is home to the Dorothy D. Richards Kansas Room, a local history and reference collection consisting of books and resources pertaining to the history of Kansas and the American West. The room is named after Dorothy Richards, the library's former director and first Kansas Room Librarian. She started
7676-465: The region during the Cretaceous period. Affiliated with the university's Departments of Geosciences and Biology, the museum also hosts educational programs on fossil preparation and ongoing scientific research. The Ellis County Historical Society Museum, located downtown, maintains exhibits of artifacts from the area's Old West period through its settlement by Volga and Bukovina Germans. Included in
7777-622: The reservation, lost influence when Cochise died on June 8, 1874. In 1876 Jeffords was relieved of his responsibility and on May 3 the government ordered Clum to transfer the Chiricahuas to San Carlos. After waiting in vain for military reinforcements to help with the move, Clum began relocating the tribe in early June. Cochise's sons Taza and Naiche agreed to the move and killed several Chircahuas, including Eskinya, Cochise's trusted ally, when he insisted they go to war. The Nednhi Chirica led by Juh also requested transfer. Clum granted them three days to round up their kinsmen. They used that time to elude
7878-403: The responsibility of the city government's Utilities Department. The government's Public Works Department and several local businesses provide trash removal. Midwest Energy, Inc., a regional energy company headquartered in the city, provides both electric power and natural gas service. Hays Medical Center is the sole hospital in the city. A private, non-profit hospital established in 1991, it
7979-452: The second and fourth Thursdays of each month. One commissioner serves as mayor , presiding over commission meetings and representing the city at ceremonial events. The city manager is hired by the commission and is responsible for advising the commission, enforcing its policies, administering city employees, and preparing a proposed city budget. As the county seat , Hays is the administrative center of Ellis County. The county courthouse
8080-504: The severed head of Cochinay, a Tonto Apache renegade they had tracked down and killed. He inherited a legacy of violence and mayhem, and a military presence which showed both animosity toward the Indians and disdain for the civilian Indian Agents. To the distant politicians in Washington D.C., all Indians were alike. They did not give consideration to the different tribes, cultures, customs and language. They also ignored prior political differences and military alliances. They tried to apply
8181-622: The stage, but walked until he found a horse he could borrow. He got to Benson the next day and then returned to Tombstone. Clum, Wells Fargo Agent Marshall Williams, Justice of the Peace Wells Spicer , mine owner E. B. Gage, attorney Tom Fitch , Oriental Saloon owner Lou Rickabaugh, and the Earps were also threatened. Clum described the attempted murder later. "Yes, I ran away from Tombstone," said Clum. "There were nine of us who were not supposed to get out of Tombstone alive. We received warnings, written in blood. We didn't pay
8282-694: The summer of 1871. Clum read in a newspaper story that the federal War Department in Washington, D.C. was organizing a meteorological service. He applied for and was inducted into the US Army Signal Corps on September 14, 1871, with the rank of Observer Sergeant. Two weeks later he was dispatched to Santa Fe , New Mexico, where he became a weather observer. Clum was first married on Nov. 8, 1876, in Delaware County, Ohio to Mary "Mollie" Ware. Mary died on Dec. 18, 1880, in Tombstone, Arizona, of fever, about one week after giving birth to
8383-581: The supply point for territories to the west and southwest. As a frontier town, Hays City experienced the kind of violence that gave rise to the myth of the American Old West . Several notable figures of the Old West lived in the Hays City of this era, including George Armstrong Custer , his wife Elizabeth Bacon Custer , Calamity Jane , Buffalo Bill Cody , and Wild Bill Hickok who served
8484-487: The term 'Boot Hill' is used to refer to the fielding position of short-leg because of its proximity to the batsman and high likelihood of being hit by the ball, making the position particularly dangerous. Players fielding in this position typically wear a helmet and other protection. In the comic book series Preacher , the Saint of Killers rests at a tomb on Boot Hill when not actively pursuing his goals. Boot Hill Cemetery
8585-670: The third week of September. Fort Hays State University and The Volga German Society hold an Oktoberfest celebration on the first or second Friday in October. In addition, Polka Fest occurs in March, and the Ellis County Historical Museum hosts German Heritage Days in April. To celebrate Independence Day and to mark its early history as an Old West frontier town, the city hosts the annual Wild West Festival during
8686-583: The town's reputation for racial discrimination persisted for decades. Hays City became the county seat of Ellis County in 1870, and the town became more civilized. Rougher elements of the populace had begun to leave in the late 1860s, many following the Kansas Pacific railroad construction west to Sheridan or moving south to Dodge City . Volga Germans started settling in Ellis County in 1876, finding its land suitable for their lifestyle and
8787-491: The types of crops they had grown in Russia . They brought with them Turkey Red Wheat, a type of winter wheat whose cultivation contributed to the agricultural transformation of the region. Bukovina Germans began settling in the area in 1886. These groups had a significant impact on the local way of life, establishing Hays as a regional center of ethnic German culture . Hays City was incorporated in 1885, and, in 1895, it
8888-466: The university's Art Department, displays student and faculty works as well as traveling exhibits. In addition, a number of local artists manage their own galleries around the city. The Hays Symphony Orchestra, established in 1914, is an ensemble of university, regional, and community musicians that performs in FHSU's Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The center also hosts the university's Encore Series,
8989-412: Was 2.25, and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 29.1 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 22.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. The median income for a household was $ 44,227, and the median income for
9090-400: Was 87.48% (18,472) white or European American (85.75% non-Hispanic white ), 1.48% (313) black or African-American , 0.29% (61) Native American or Alaska Native , 1.15% (242) Asian , 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian , 3.73% (787) from other races , and 5.87% (1,239) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race was 7.28% (1,538) of the population. Of
9191-418: Was a member of Rutgers' football team. Although Clum was on the team, he did not play in the first intercollegiate game between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869, but played in the second game in the fall of 1870. Clum's strenuous activity and competitive athletics left him ill and in his second year of college he was unable to earn enough money to pay for his tuition. He returned to his father's farm in
9292-451: Was captured at gunpoint without a shot fired on either side. A total of 453 Chiricahuas, 100 from Geronimo's band and the rest under Victorio, reached San Carlos in late May. From the very beginning they quarreled with the other Apaches confined there. Clum's feuds with the military escalated. Faced with superior officers who strongly disagreed with his methods, dogged by an uncaring Indian Bureau administration and under constant harassment by
9393-402: Was closed in late 1886, as the new "City Cemetery" on Allen Street opened. Thereafter, Boothill was referred to as the "old city cemetery" and neglected. It was used after that only to bury a few later outlaws (some legally hanged and one shot in a robbery), as well as a few colorful Western characters and one man (Emmett Crook Nunnally) who had spent many volunteer hours restoring it. Currently,
9494-420: Was estimated to be 26.8% of the population. 19.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 22.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.7 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that
9595-410: Was made from pliable materials to stiff form-keeping leathers, allowing for footwear that was no longer ambidextrous, but tailored to each foot's specific shape, as well as individual length and width. This required further craftsmanship and work to create specifically bespoke footwear. Thus, the increased cost of Victorian footwear makes either of these two theories the most plausible. The third concept
9696-548: Was maimed in an assassination attempt and in March Morgan was murdered. On May 1, 1882, two years to the day after he started The Tombstone Epitaph , he sold it and left Tombstone. The newspaper is still published today as a nationally distributed chronicle of the old west. In 1898, Clum was appointed Postal Inspector for the District of Alaska and was commissioned to establish a territorial postal service there. During
9797-496: Was named after his daughter Caro. John Clum left Alaska in 1909. Clum spent several years touring the country for the Southern Pacific Railroad , giving hundreds of lectures all over the country to promote tourism and passenger-use of the railroad. In 1928 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived until his death in 1932 at age 80. Sam Melville was cast as Clum in the 1970 episode, "Clum's Constabulary", on
9898-415: Was not in it. He called to Ike. 'Get in this, Ike, or get out!' and Ike got out." Clum's friendship with the Earps and loyalty to the business leadership made him a target for the outlaw Cochise County Cowboys . On December 14, Clum was on a stagecoach to Benson to catch a train for Washington, D.C., where he planned to spend Christmas with his parents and son. He and his newspaper had consistently supported
9999-432: Was quite common in the western frontier of the U.S., making shoes and boots had become a craft of cordwainers that required the expensive technical skills and specialized tools of the shoe makers. Prior to this era, everyday wear shoes and boots were frequently made from materials, and in limited pattern sizes, that could be easily made at home, then buckled and laced-up to create a formed fit for various sized feet. A switch
10100-574: Was renamed as simply Hays . Fort Hays closed in 1889. In 1900, the Kansas delegation to the U.S. Congress secured the fort's land and facilities for educational purposes. The following year, the Kansas Legislature established the Fort Hays Experiment Station, part of Kansas State Agricultural College , on the Fort Hays reservation and set aside land for the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School , which opened in 1902 and eventually became Fort Hays State University . Fort Hays opened as
10201-551: Was still in operation as of 1918. Hays Public Library, located downtown, is the city's main library. Its collection consists of more than 145,000 volumes, and it circulates more than 1.1 million items annually. The Library first opened in 1900, expanding into a Carnegie library in 1911, which remained open until its replacement by a larger facility in 1968. That facility, in turn, has since been renovated and expanded further, re-opening in 2004. A remodel began in 2020 and will be completed in 2021. The library offers several services to
#719280