Fort Dodge

The story of “Fort Dodge,” written and produced by Michael King, the author of “A Sportsman’s Paradise” and Early Gamblers of Dodge City” gives a first-hand account of what life was like on the Kansas plains in 1872. 

The story begins when Colonel Richard Irving Dodge gives a clear description of the Great Southern Buffalo Herd migrating south for the summer grass. The future commander travels to a high point on the plains called Pawnee Rock where Colonel Dodge witnesses four hundred and eighty thousand buffalo crossing the Kansas plains in June of 1872. From the high point of Pawnee Rock Colonel Dodge reflects a time he and his men held off a massive buffalo charge along the banks of the Arkansas River Valley. 

In part two of the story, titled “The Sutler Conflict” provides a first-person account of the conditions of Fort Dodge after Colonel Dodge is given command on June 3, 1872. His orders were to ensure Fort Dodge became an oasis of order and to establish the rule of law amid conditions that verged on chaos. Colonel Dodge describes the post in an influx of an unruly population. The Sutler conflict narrated by Brad Smalley provides a first-person narrative of the conflict between Captain Moore and Rife as the story concludes with the Lieutenant Turner incident, forcing Colonel Dodge’s decision to layout plans to organize a township five miles west of the Fort, soon to be called Dodge City. 

Fort Dodge is an interactive audiobook narrated by Brad Smalley, a featured guest in the Emmy nominated 'Gunslingers' on the American Heroes Channel. The production provides nine layers of sound effects, which are best, experienced with a set of headphones. The listener will experience the sounds of a night camp along the riverbanks of the Arkansas River and the sounds of buffalo hoofs shaking the ground during a substantial charge. The sixty-nine-page book features over 30 photos, including an interactive map featuring an audio narrative of the founding and construction of Fort Dodge.