Dodge City circa 1877

I'm starting a Sidewinder campaign to alternate in with my d20 Modern game.  The setting will be Dodge City, KS in 1877.  Here's some interesting things I've discovered about this amazing city while researching for the game.  I selected 1877 because it is the year that Colt introduced the double-action revolver.  However, as luck would have it, it's a great year for Dodge City.



Dodge City was established in 1872, the same year that the Santa Fe, Atchison & Topeka railway was connected to the city.  Originally founded to support the Buffalo hide trade Dodge City saw millions of Buffalo slaughtered.  In just 5 years the Buffalo were extinct and the town shifted to cattle driving.



While the Golden Spike was driven in Promitory City, UT in 1869 by the Central and Union Pacific railways  other railroads had yet to make their east coast/west coast connections.  This  created fierce competition between railways to complete east/west routes.  In 1877 the Santa Fe, Atchison & Topeka line would be driving for Santa Fe, NM.



Also notable was the local law enforcement.  In this year the chief deputy marshall of Dodge City was none other than Wyatt Earp himself.  Appointed only the year before, Wyatt would only be Marshall for another year before moving on to Tombstone where his legend would be made.  He would leave behind another legend to be marshall, Bat Masterson.



Kansas was a "dry" state in 1877, but the laws didn't seem to affect Dodge City.  It had a reported population of only about 1200, but still maintained 16 registered saloons and many more unreported dance halls and brothels.  A cattle driving Cowboy could make as much as $90 on a drive from Texas to Kansas and there was nothing to spend it on until they arrived in town 3 months later.  Needless to say, they were ready for the splenders the city offered.  Times were wild and cash flowed.  The legal system of the town funded itself by "fining" the saloons and dance halls for alcohol and other violations.  However, none were ever shut down... as long as they paid the "fines".



The players will start in the employ of the Santa Fe, Atchison & Topeka railway.  This allows a wide variety of character types since anyone could work a track gang and even the gunslinger types would be necessary for protection out in the field.  What happens after the initial start is up to the players.  I need to come up with some ideas that will play in to a campaign.



So far I have...

• Players find a map to a gold mine deep in Indian territory.
• Players have a bad encounter with a killer who ends up wronged or dead whereupon his 6 brothers declare vendetta on the PC's.
• Players get entangled with the law somehow and have to continually avoid legal pursuit.
• Players are hired to help a wagon train in to Utah.
• Players told by the railroad to scout the next run of track through Indian territory.

Other ideas?