Good day to you all, SoBros Network Patreon subscribers. Welcome to the SoBros Book Club, on which I will share some book recommendations for those of you who enjoy taking in the written word. Today, we’re discussing Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West (full title), a deep dive into the heyday of Dodge City from Tom Clavin
I don’t know if it was growing up in the household I did or what, but I’ve always been drawn to westerns. I think my parents wanted me to grow up and be a cowboy – they had me in boots and spurs when I was a baby. I’ve always had a bit of a rebellious streak in me, and I guess the more they tried to get me into cowboy shit, the less I wanted to do with it. Regardless, I grew up spending lazy Saturdays playing with my toys while my folks watched old westerns on the TV. I’m pretty sure I saw Tombstone before I saw Toy Story, and somewhere in the depths of my heart, I always resonated with it.
To this day, I still stop what I’m doing and watch it whenever I’m scrolling through channels and it’s on somewhere. So, me being the history buff that I am, and being interested in that wild time in American history, when I saw this book on the shelf at Books-A-Million several years ago, I knew I had to have it.
I felt that connection with my roots, and I wanted to learn more about it. I was amazed to see that the Dodge City of the wild wild West was a lot like what Las Vegas would eventually become. It amazes me that it’s basically just a regular old small town in 2022 with a population of about 27K. So, what exactly are you getting with this meaty and lengthy dive into this particular town at this particular time in American history?
Dodge City, Kansas, is a place of legend. The town that started as a small military site exploded with the coming of the railroad, cattle drives, eager miners, settlers, and various entrepreneurs passing through to populate the expanding West. Before long, Dodge City’s streets were lined with saloons and brothels and its populace was thick with gunmen, horse thieves, and desperadoes of every sort. By the 1870s, Dodge City was known as the most violent and turbulent town in the West.
It really was a place of legend in a time when great legends were born. That’s one of the things that Clavin does incredibly well in this book. It’s not like watching Tombstone and playing catch-up with who these men were. You get an in-depth story on how each character came to be. He paints a clear picture of the violence, chaos, and excess that Dodge City was in a true testament to the wild wild west.
No matter how much you think you know about this period in American history, Clavin’s going to give you a few new nuggets to chew on. That’s how detailed this thing is. It’s a hefty read. Make no bones about it. But, it is incredibly rewarding because every detail puts you right there in the streets of Dodge City.
If you’re a history buff and a fan of a good western like me, I can’t recommend this one enough.
Other SoBros Book Club Features
- The Boys in the Boat
- Fevre Dream
- The Junction Boys
- Meddling Kids
- Nuclear Jellyfish
- Playing for Pizza
- Pretty Paper
- The Toynbee Convector
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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