By SALINA POST
ELLSWORTH - Marking its "wild and wicked" past, Ellsworth will celebrate this weekend with Cowtown Days.
Open to the public, Ellsworth Cowtown Days is scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
"Ellsworth Cowtown Days is an annual event held every August that celebrates the town's history as a wild and wicked cowtown in the late 1800s. The weekend's events include a live reenactment of The Shooting of Sheriff Whitney, a parade, the El-Kan Western Rodeo, 5K race, live music, children's games and entertainment, ping pong ball drops, face painting, craft vendors, raffles, cow patty bingo, food vendors and a beer garden," the event noted on its Facebook page.
The annual El-Kan Western Riders CRRA Rodeo is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the rodeo grounds. Mutton busting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the gate. ($5 for children under age 12.)
The 11th annual Ellsworth Cowtown Days 5K Run is scheduled for Saturday. Registration is scheduled for 6:30-7:30 a.m. at the corner of Douglas and Main Street. The race day entry fee is $20 per person.
Following is the schedule of events for the weekend, courtesy the Ellsworth Cowtown Days 2021 website. To see the schedule and a locator map online, click here.
Ellsworth's wild and wicked past
The following historical information is from Ellsworth, Kansas: The Wickedest Cattletown on the Ellsworth Cowtown Days 2021 website.
Established in 1867, Ellsworth's history began as a cattletown with a reputation for a thriving cattle market. Ellsworth dominated the cattle market from 1871-1875, but along with the prosperity came a rich history of wild cowboys, gamblers, outlaws, and unruly women.
Like other Kansas cowtowns, Ellsworth quickly gained a reputation as a wild and wooly place, becoming the scene of numerous killings following shootouts between drunken cowboys. In its early days, the area was besieged by a gang led by two men named Craig and Johnson. Making frequent robberies and bullying the townspeople, the citizens finally organized a vigilance committee and hanged the two near the Smoky Hill River.
In 1873, Ellsworth geared up for the largest drives of Longhorns to date. Expecting trouble, they hired additional police officers to control the rowdy cowboys. They would be needed when a dispute arose on August 15, 1873, between Texas gambler, Ben Thompson and another player named John Sterling in Nick Lentz’s Saloon. When City Marshal, “Happy Jack” Morco sided with the other player against Texan Ben Thompson, a known gunfighter Ben and his drunken brother Billy moved out into the street and called out to their opponents to meet them.
Instead of Morco, Ellsworth County Sheriff Chauncey Whitney stepped into the street with the Thompsons and soon convinced them to have a drink with him at Joe Brennan’s Saloon. However, before they could get there, Marshal Morco charged down the street, guns drawn. Thompson then wheeled and fired his rifle at Marco, narrowly missing him. Billy, on the other hand, stumbled and discharged his shotgun, mortally wounding Sheriff Whitney.
The rich history is celebrated today with the annual Ellsworth Cowtown Days, including a reenactment of this accidentally shooting of Sheriff Whitney, and a range of activities for family and community. We invite you to join us for Ellsworth Cowtown Days 2021, bigger and better than ever!