ABILENE - Thanks to a Google Alert, a group of citizens are trying to bring a historic set of longhorns back to Abilene.
“I received a Google Alert for Abilene, Kansas and was surprised to see an auction for a carved bull head and longhorns from Ben Thompson’s Bulls Head Saloon,” said Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene CVB Director.
The hand-carved wooden bull head has real horns and a special place in wild west history. The piece consists of a 40-inch horn spread, and is 30 inches tall, and 21 inches deep. It originally hung in Abilene’s Bulls Head Saloon that belonged to notable Old West personality “Shotgun Ben Thompson.”
The authenticity of the longhorns has been substantiated by the Kansas State Historical Society and a notarized letter attesting to its history from noted collected Jack Glover accompanies the piece.
Bulls Head Saloon
According to Abilene Historian, Michael Hook, the Bulls Head Saloon was one of the most famous saloons in Old West lore. The Bull's Head was brought to attention by the townsfolk after a racy mural was painted on the side of the saloon. The public outrage led marshal Wild Bill Hickok to the saloon asking the owners to alter the questionable area, but owners Phil Coe and Ben Thompson refused. Wild Bill altered it himself and thus started a rivalry between the two owners for the next few months.
In October, 150 years ago, Wild Bill killed Phil Coe outside of the Alamo Saloon. He also accidentally shot and killed a young lawman, Mike Williams. This is considered Wild Bill’s last gunfight.
Donations
Community members are being asked to donate to a special Old Abilene Town – longhorn fund at the Community Foundation of Dickinson County to help bid to bring back this important piece of history to Abilene. According to Brian Lebel’s Old West Auction, the piece is valued at $6,000-$8,000.
The live auction will take place June 26. Community member John Kollhoff has agreed to be the community’s bidder.
If successful, the donors will then help find a suitable and safe place to display the longhorns. If unsuccessful, the donors will work together to identify another project for their collective donation.
Donations must be received by June 25, and are considered charitable contributions. To date, almost $4,000 has been raised to bring the longhorns home.
To learn more or donate, please visit AbileneKansas.org/longhorns or send a check to the Community Foundation of Dickinson County, 418 NW 3rd Street, Abilene, KS 67410.
“So few artifacts remain from Abilene’s Chisholm Trail and cowboy days that this set of longhorns needs to return to our community,” Roller Weeks said.