Matt Dillon's Dodge City

Marshall Dillon was a United States official, and so his responsibility covered more than just the town of Dodge City. But, just as an indication, how big was Dodge in those days? The population in 1880 is listed at 996, which was a pretty fair sized town for that area in that time (and, incidentally, is right at the population of Magazine, Arkansas today). The time of the cattle drives might have been somewhat earlier than that, and during that boom-and-bust period the population of a town might vary considerably over a short period, but that gives us an indication, at least.