Battle of Cimarron facts for kids
Bill Tilghman was standing in front of the Old Gray County Courthouse when the first shot was fired.
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| Date | January 12, 1889 |
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| Location | Old Gray County Courthouse, Cimarron, Kansas, USA |
| Participants | Bill Tilghman, Jim Masterson, Ben Daniels |
| Outcome | 1 killed 7 wounded |
The Battle of Cimarron was a famous gunfight that happened on January 12, 1889. It was part of the Gray County War in Kansas. This fight was between the people of Cimarron and a group of lawmen led by Bill Tilghman. The battle lasted for several hours. One person was killed and seven others were hurt. It started when Tilghman and his group tried to take important county records. They wanted to move them from the Old Gray County Courthouse in Cimarron to Ingalls.
Why the Battle Happened
In the late 1880s, two towns, Cimarron and Ingalls, were rivals. They both wanted to be the new county seat. A county seat is the main town where the government offices and records for a county are kept. Being the county seat was very important for a town to grow and survive back then. Because of this, these contests often became violent.
An election was held to decide which town would win. But both sides claimed there was cheating. So, the problem was sent to the Kansas Supreme Court to be solved.
Meanwhile, a man from Ingalls named Newt Watson became the new county clerk. He demanded that the county records in Cimarron be moved to him. The people of Cimarron refused to give up the records. So, the Ingalls group decided to get the records by force.
The group sent to get the records was led by Bill Tilghman. It included Jim Masterson, who was the brother of the famous Bat Masterson. Other members were Ben Daniels, "Neal" Brown, and Fred Singer. These men were all former police officers from Dodge City. The group also had some "cowtown mercenaries" like George Bolds, Ed Brooks, and Billy Allensworth. To make their actions seem official, Tilghman made all these men deputies. He had been named temporary Gray County Sheriff by Watson. This happened after the real sheriff, Joe Reynolds, was injured.
What Happened During the Battle
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The plan to take the records was set for January 12, 1889. On that day, Tilghman and his group arrived in Cimarron. They brought a wagon to carry the records. They pulled up to the courthouse. Watson, Masterson, Singer, and Allensworth quickly went inside. They started loading documents into the wagon. The rest of the men waited outside. At the same time, armed men from Cimarron were getting ready to attack.
Suddenly, the Cimarron men started shooting at the raiders by the wagon. Tilghman was shot in one of his legs. Brooks was hit and doubled over. Bolds was shot three times, twice in his stomach and once in the leg. The wagon driver, Charlie Reicheldeffer, was also hit. But somehow, they all managed to get back onto the wagon. They drove out of town without being killed.
Masterson and the others were still inside the courthouse. They quickly took positions on the second floor to shoot back. The Cimarron men tried to rush the front door of the building. But the raiders inside shot back, stopping them. After that failed, the Cimarron men tried another way. They raised a ladder to a window at the back of the building. This plan also failed. Masterson found out and kicked the ladder down.
Eventually, the townspeople got onto the first floor of the building. From there, they shot up through the ceiling to the second floor. The raiders, however, climbed on top of filing cabinets, desks, and a steel safe. This helped protect them. The battle lasted for about six hours. It finally ended when the Cimarron group received a message. It was from Bat Masterson in Dodge City. He warned that if his brother and friends were not allowed to leave, he would "hire a train and come in with enough men to blow Cimarron off the face of Kansas." After this warning, the raiders put down their guns. They were briefly taken prisoner.
After the Battle
According to one historical book, only one person was killed in the shootout. This was a Cimarron resident named J. W. English. However, other sources say that up to three people died. The book also states that one Cimarron man was killed and three were wounded. Four men on the Ingalls side were wounded. The raiders were later put on trial for English's death. But they were eventually found not guilty.
The argument over the county seat did not end right away. But there was no more violence. The issue was finally settled in February 1893. Cimarron became the permanent county seat of Gray County. The Old Gray County Courthouse was replaced in 1927. Today, it is open to the public and used as a meeting hall. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009. This is because of its connection to the Kansas County Seat Wars.
