Karen Sturm speaking at Sumner County Genealogical meeting last week. Caldwell was a child of the Chisholm Trail, fostered exclusively by and for the trail. According to an atlas, Caldwell was located on the Chisholm Trail, and it stated that people caused scenes of disorder and blood shed, and that it was a favorite place for cowboys.
He built a double log house and sold liquor, feed and provisions to cowboys who emerged from weeks of traveling in the Indian Territory. Consequently, from Indian Territory in Oklahoma to Kansas, no towns existed. This was quite a long trek for cowboys with no women, no liquor, and no way to have fun. Marshall realized that men would be pretty thirsty and want female companionship traveling clear from Texas, through Indian territory, and finally reaching Kansas. In , the Presbyterian Church was founded in Caldwell, being the first church in town.
A few months after this, the Methodist Church was founded. Apparently, there has been contention all these years about one church being only three months older than the other. Literally hundreds of thousands of cattle went through Caldwell, sometimes coinciding with each other. During a five year period, Caldwell had 14 brothels, several madams, and prostitutes.
Madams had to be licensed through the city, and prostitutes had to register with the city. Sturms numbers came from old police records showing who were licensed madams and registered prostitutes. The queen was Polly Bright, who came to town with Maggie Wood. She was the third prostitute to be arrested in Caldwell. George and Maggie Wood opened the Red Light Saloon in , which was the most notorious place in Caldwell, which was located where the current One Stop convenience store is now.
In , prostitution became illegal in Kansas. The Spear family was very notorious in Caldwell, as they were always the center of trouble. In , Caldwell was considered flawless. There was a vigilante posse that would go into saloons and get things under control.
