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As the story goes,in the 1870s, it all began when a bunch of local men were playing ball on the hot dry Kansas plains. Side
wagers began as the cowboys played against soldiers from Fort Dodge. They all were drinking during the game and a bigger wager
was soon made that if the soldiers lost, they would provide the building materials to construct a saloon. Well the soldiers
lost and shortly thereafter all the materials needed to build a Saloon arrived.
Owned by Chalk Beeson and W. H. Harris, the Long Branch was the epitome of cowtown fancy. Paintings adorned the walls,
revolvers decorated the patrons, and a steer head kept watch over the action on Front Street. It was the favorite for cattlemen
and gamblers and witness to some of Dodge City's infamous events.
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Pictured on the far left, gunplay was no stranger to the Long Branch saloon. When the canvas on the walls was removed in May
1882, twenty-five bullet holes were discovered, mute testimony to the action the patrons had seen over the years.
In February 1883 Luke becomes equal partner of the Long Branch Saloon with Bill Harris. Shortly after, The Dodge City War
erupts. By September 1883 Short and Harris sell the Long Branch to Roy Drake and Frank Warren.
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