Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
Publicity photo from Gunsmoke's radio version (photo from 1954)
William Conrad in 1952, when Matt Dillon was created on radio
The interior of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885
Matt Dillon, 1969
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. It was named after nearby Fort Dodge, which was named in honor of Grenville Dodge. The city is known in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West.
El Capitan cattle drive monument (2008)
Seal
The interior of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885
The "Dodge City Peace Commission" on June 10, 1883. From left to right, standing: William H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, William F. Petillon; seated: Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Michael Francis "Frank" McLean, Cornelius "Neil" Brown.