The most notorious was the Newton Massacre, also called the Hyde Park Gunfight. It was so named because the “girls showed so much of their hide.” As the fledgling town did not yet have an official police force, violence and shootings were common in the summer of 1871, during which time several people were wounded, and about 12 were killed in shooting scrapes. This area contained the largest saloons and the red-light district. The popular gathering spot was Hyde Park, located south of the railroad tracks and west of Main Street. During these days, Newton was filled with tales rivaled only by Dodge City and was called the “wickedest city in the west.”ĭuring this rowdy year as a Kansas cowtown, about 600,000 head of cattle were driven up the trail, and Newton became extremely rowdy. In total, the town boasted 27 saloons and eight gambling halls. Nearly every other building in the business portion was occupied by saloons, with names like “Do Drop-In,” “The Side Track,” “Gold Rooms,” and other names that were suggestive of the times. In harmony with their surroundings and character, most were armed and lived in a part of the city known as “Hyde Park.” Here, at least 15 buildings were erected and devoted to “social amusement,” which these characters figured conspicuously. Many people began to settle in the area in anticipation of the railroad’s arrival, including cowboys, saloon men, gamblers, soiled doves, and roughs of every nationality and color. In July 1871, the railroad reached Newton, and the town immediately became an important shipping point to immense herds of Texas longhorns driven north on the Chisholm Trail.īefore this time, the cattle had been driven to Abilene, Kansas.
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