Abilene / Dickinson Co.

Probably best known as the home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, Abilene began as a stage coach stop in 1857. Its name is taken from a passage in the Bible, meaning "city of the plains."

When Joseph G. McCoy decided to use the town for the location of his stockyards the town grew quickly and became the very first "cow town" of the west.

With the railroad pushing west, cattle traders soon came to use Abilene as the largest stockyards west of Kansas City. The Chisholm Trail ended in Abilene, bringing in many travelers and making Abilene one of the wildest towns in the west.

Wild Bill Hickok became the Abilene Town Marshal in April 1871, but his time as marshal was short lived. While standing off a crowd during a street brawl, gambler Phil Coe took two shots at Hickock, who returned fire killing Coe, but then accidentally shot his friend and deputy, Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid. He lost his job two months later.

Tour the Seeley Mansion, built in 1905 by Dr. A. B. Seeley. The Seelye Mansion is noted as one of the finest homes in Kansas. The mansion contains the original furniture and Edison light fixtures, purchased at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. The 25-room mansion includes eleven bedrooms, ballroom, and a bowling alley in the basement. Many artifacts of the A. B. Seelye Medical Company may be viewed in the Patent Medicine Museum located on the grounds. Founded in 1890, more than 100 medicinal products were manufactured and sold by the company. The mansion and museum are open daily for tours.

Visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, travel back to the Wild West or check out any of the many attractions Abilene has to offer.

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