ABILENE, Kan. – A legendary figure from Abilene’s Wild West past now has a permanent place in the community following the dedication of a new Wild Bill Hickok monument at Old Abilene Town.
Community members, visitors, history enthusiasts and members of the artist’s family gathered Sunday, August 16, for the official dedication of the bronze statue honoring James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, who served as Abilene’s marshal during the town’s famous cattle-driving era.Old Abilene Town Board Member Lisa Kijowski welcomed attendees, followed by remarks from Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Julie Roller Weeks about the project.
Brock Nelson spoke on behalf of the Young family, and Abilene Mayor Brandon Rein thanked the family for the gift to the community.Following the dedication, attendees gathered at the Alamo Saloon for refreshments and a performance by Wild Bill Hickok and Agnes Thatcher Lake reenactors. Guests also received commemorative Wild Bill Hickok playing cards and hand fans featuring the new statue as keepsakes from the occasion.
The monument was created by artist David R. Young, whose work also includes the Wild Bill Hickok monument at Hickok’s gravesite in Deadwood, South Dakota, creating a fitting connection between two communities that played important roles in Hickok’s story. The monument base was designed by Lynn Peterson and installed by LeDuc Memorial Design.
Hickok arrived in Abilene in 1871, when the community was one of the most important cattle towns at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Thousands of Texas longhorns were driven north to Abilene, where they were shipped by rail to eastern markets. The booming cattle trade brought cowboys, gamblers, saloons and the challenges of maintaining order in a rapidly growing frontier town.Hickok’s time in Abilene lasted only a matter of months, but his service as marshal became one of the most recognizable chapters in the community’s history.
