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The Old West was... characterized in film and Hollywood ...from the illicit and the sinful things that went on in Dodge City, to the fact that there were 17 bars here—but later on, quite a few churches as well. There was always a—a sort of a collision between their finely dressed gambling people... like Bat Masterson who—and others—Doc Holliday, who were dressed well—and they were here as opportunists for the cattlemen, who were not dressed so well and got an awful lot of money because they just came to the end of the road.
The museum's been around here since 1954 and we had thousands and thousands of people. Back during the hay day, we'd run 65, 70 thousand and, I mean, 165 to 170 thousand, you know. And then '72, we ran 402,000 through the turnstiles here, which was the Centennial Year for Dodge City.
Dodge City was the original entertainment center of Kansas. Gaming was part of its thread because that was part of the entertainment process
What's more natural than to stroll into the Long Branch, get yourself an ice cold Budweiser and sit down and have a card, a poker game?
We wanted to bring some new vitalization of economic development and tourism to Southwest Kansas and Dodge. So we at the museum decided to form a company called Boot Hill Gaming, Inc.
We started this whole process to go down the road to make Dodge City more than just a cattle town, just more than an agriculture town, to turn it actually into an events town...
We were looking for a way for a dedicated source of funding for Boot Hill. We looked into bed tax issue and to some other issues. Gaming opportunity came up and we just identified that as wow, what a great tie back to our Old West heritage.
Boot Hill is much more than a legacy of Gunsmoke. Our history goes long before that happened and we're proud of that history and we want to tell people about it.
Some people don’t know who Dodge what Dodge City is; there’s a generation there that have missed that Western heritage
People want to come see the history, they want to come to Boot Hill Museum, they want to live that past, they want to be able to talk to people who are know what's happened in the old west
We had met the Butler people along the way because they had represented others, so we kept showing up in the same places
They're a Kansas company and I think that's one of the things that pleases us the most out here is that we are all working together in Kansas.
They have good relationships with people in Kansas. They have, obviously, the financial means to do it, and—and obviously the organizational means to stay solvent and be successful in the future.
I was glad to see that they already had some experience in casinos down in Miami, Oklahoma, were operating that casino for the Indians for a few years.
Working with Butler National would ensure that these dollars that are raised through this project go in the hands of Kansas people, Kansas corporations, they stay in our communities, they help encourage the growth.
They have made a true effort to educate the people to show the plans to actually let people ask questions.
They’re not just wanting to build a—a gaming facility for the sake of building a gaming facility to—to—just to make money. I think they do want to be good community members, and—and the community, in turn, is giving—lending them the heritage and—and the history of—of what we’re doing...
I feel like they want to be a partner, not a parasite
The company is Kansas. Well, who better to understand Kansas.
The way Butler is coming in, it’s becoming a family operation, and Dodge City is the family. And if we keep it as a family operation, we can’t do anything but go forward.
They made a commitment to buy 400 acres of prime land for this—sloping land. They really made a destination out of it; not just a—a place.
That initial investment will lead to additional growth, regardless. And I think it's certainly without doubt a bold move in completing the acquisition and I think we all feel good about that and the -- and the -- the indication then to the state of -- of their commitment.
They understand the -- our Western heritage and the brand that it has for the world and they're using that for our benefit and for, of course, the benefit of the casino.
They want it, they're planning on it, they're -- they're going all out for it. They didn't make it -- it's not an option, they bought it.
This isn't about gaming and casinos as much to us as it is about the economic stimulus that will happen to Dodge City.
Placing it on the outskirts of town there, pulling some of that retail and such in that direction, and the fact that it’s going to be bringing in more retail.
I was pretty impressed with their casino design that they had. That we had a little Western theme to it, that it wasn't just something that was more modern. We need to stick with the Western heritage because that's what we are.
Retail is important. Retail will bring more people in, because with the Convention Center, that’s going to be tied to this facility, and the Event Center, which should be tied to this facility, and the -- the fact that we can bring in these -- anywhere from six to 800 people for conventions -- bring them in for two, three days, four days, they can shop, they can see the Old West, they can do whatever they want to. As far as the eye can see, you can see the beauty of western Kansas.
The Boot Hill board as well as several other people throughout the community have been very positive and really promoted the growth as an economic tool.
Boot Hill Gaming, we’ve got to go back, started because it’s part of Boot Hill Museum who is desperately in need of funds. All museums today are having a hard time. That was our motivation. That was the cost of the business, of all of the years we’ve spent.
We convinced Butler to give us another piece of the action so that we can have monies that we can take and use through an endowment type of scenario that we can grant and we can gift, to help new businesses coming in, to start, to make Dodge City and western Kansas, the Wild West counties, a more than a half-day layover.
They proved to us that they weren't just looking at the casino for Dodge City's development, they were looking at the big picture and we were all invited to be a part of that.
The bottom line of their plan, and I think the most significant for the community, is that they're returning money to the community to help grow Western heritage tourism in the area.
Real gaming, real entertainment, a lot of the past, a little touch, a little feel, a little bit “live it”—Old West, New Entertainment—makes sense.
When Gunsmoke was on, this was a destination. It’s no longer one - it’s a pass through. Now, we need to make it a destination again.
It’s—it’s—it’s a natural fit...
Dodge City to me is a gold mine sitting on the ground. It has the potential if it's properly marketed and developed.
Maybe this would kind of follow in the path of -- of helping people come to Dodge City kind of like the first big cattle drive that ever came up the trail from Texas to Dodge City in 1874, when we had 3,500 head come in.
Butler National I think has recognized the passion that the community has for preserving our heritage, for enhancing Boot Hill, for making all of southwest Kansas a much more enjoyable place to attract tourist traffic.
There’s going to be many, many, many, more discussions for the future and—and good people to talk to, good people to reason with, so there’s no doubt in my mind it won’t be a good fit.
I feel like they know the community better. I feel like their experience in the gaming industry will help us out.
To me, they're just, you know, the best, the most capable of doing what needs to be done here.
Butler would have, you know, the inside track as far as most people are concerned and -- because, as I say, I think that -- that their track record is -- is much better.
And then you get that type of caliber working for you, it’s just hard to beat; it’s going to be successful.
Because of that honesty and willingness to partner with us, to work with us to achieve jointly something that will be beneficial for not only their development, but the community as a whole. Without question, we support Butler National.
The fun Old West is back.
You should come to Dodge City, put your foot on a brass rail, have a sarsaparilla, and feel like you’re in today’s world, but you’ve stepped back a bit. Entertainment—that was Dodge then, that is Dodge today, that’s really Dodge tomorrow.