Stopped in Elgin, KS on a return trip from Bartlesville, OK on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. There is only one paved road leading into and out of Elgin, coming in from the Oklahoma side of the border. From Elgin, the only other roads into the rest of Kansas are gravel.

Dodge City? Abilene? They were important cattle towns, but in the 1890s, the largest cattle shipping point in the world was Elgin, Kansas. Sitting on the Kansas side of the Kansas-Oklahoma border, it was the most southern point above what was then Indian Territory. One of the last great cowtowns, it sits quiet and empty today.

Civil War veteran Romulus "Rome" Lysurges Hanks (Romulus's brother was named Remus) moved his family to the location that became Elgin after the war. The cousin of Abraham Lincoln, Hanks established a trading post and post office and was instrumental in developing the shipping that would bring rail lines and a period of prosperity in Elgin. His trading post still stands today, along with a forgotten plaque commemorating him in the city’s cemetery.

Still on the frontier, Elgin had a population of only 300 in 1889, but the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1890 saw the population grow substantially. The town grew to a peak of 2,300 inhabitants, five general stores, two livery stables, and nine saloons. Along with the cattle and money came the cowboys and less scrupulous characters. Shootings and killings were an everyday affair in a town that had more saloons than any other type of business. The close proximity to Indian Territory (which was out of the jurisdiction of local law authorities and literally a hundred yards from the downtown area) made the town a common venue for outlaws. The Dalton Gang and “Dynamite” Dick both frequented Elgin. This community was one of many that felt the conflict between cattlemen who wanted the plains to remain 'open range', and the settlers who wanted to fence-in the land. The local paper tells of cowboys sitting just across the state border and shooting out the street lights of the town at night. When the Indian Territory was opened to settlement and the railways subsequently extended south, the economy of Elgin began to shrivel.

The discovery of oil in 1902 delayed the death of the community, but the oil was soon depleted and the businesses began closing.Today Elgin remains largely undisturbed in one of the least populated areas of Kansas. The quality brick roads put in place during the boom years are in remarkable condition, and the downtown area is filled with empty, overgrown buildings clearly from the old west. Rome Hanks’ trading post overlooks a quiet and windy row of saloon facades intermingled with restaurants, supply stores and a solidly built bank that no longer has to fear the encroachment of outlaws. The bank vault is now open for anyone who wants to enter.

The population today is around 80 people.