The bodies of two U.S. Army soldiers, killed by Wild Bill Hickok, the lawless territory's sheriff, fell onto the sidewalk in Hays, Kansas.

 　The bodies of two U.S. Army soldiers, killed by Wild Bill Hickok, the lawless town's sheriff, fell onto the sidewalk in Hays, Kansas. Between 1867 and 1873, Hays, Kansas, saw thirty murders. This included the death of a soldier from Fort Hays, a U.S. Army fort, during a saloon shootout. The cemetery north of town, known as “Boot Hill,” buried the bodies of approximately 79 outlaws by 1885. Hays City, the county seat of Kansas, was a notorious town as a railroad terminus, attracting gamblers, brawlers, soldiers, buffalo hunters, prostitutes, and gunmen.

　　Wild Bill Hickok, with a background as a scout during the Civil War, served as a deputy federal marshal from 1867 to 1870 and later as sheriff in lawless towns like Hays City and Abilene. Hickok's reputation for gunfights and his efforts to maintain order earned him legendary status. In 1876, he was fatally wounded while playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota. On August 2, 1876, Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back of the head while he was playing poker at a local saloon. 

　　Gun control and standing police forces in the West during the 20th century were effective in curbing violence. Although there were gunmen, no cattle town had more than five murders per year. The only people killed in cattle ranch towns were Hardin and Earp. Hardin, while drunk, shot through the wall of his hotel room and killed a snoring man. Earp, as a law enforcement officer, accidentally killed two people, one of whom was a special constable. The average number of murders per year in cattle ranch towns was only 1.5.