By: Rocelyn Miller
I was born and raised in Dodge City, Kansas. Within my 19 years of living here, I have seen numerous examples of commonwealth in our community. Dodge City is about to see huge growth within the next few years because of the new developments coming. I am so excited to watch our commonwealth grow too.
The most prominent commonwealth asset that I see in Dodge is the foodshed. We have 2 meat packing plants, Cargill and National Beef which supply 13% of the nation’s beef. It is really cool to think about our town producing so much beef that goes all over the nation. It truly keeps our community going. During COVID, they couldn’t shut down like many other places because people always need to eat. Another example of a foodshed in our town is the Hilmar Cheese Company. Hilmar is not up and running yet, but they are going to break ground sometime this year. This cheese processing plant will bring so many workers and dairies to our area. This will be a great asset to our community.
Another example of commonwealth in our community is arts and culture. Mainstreet just installed a really unique piece of artwork in Eisenhower Park that showcases culture. It is really cool and brings the park to life. In Dodge City, our population is mostly Hispanic. It has been a great opportunity for me to be able to get to know a different culture than my own. Mainstreet also hosts an International Festival every year to celebrate Dodge City’s diversity, ethnicities, and cultures.
Dodge City has a really unique history. Boot Hill is a very well-known museum here in Dodge City. It showcases our western past and has brand new exhibits. It is a really neat place to go visit. At Boot Hill, you can watch gun fights, eat ice cream, see the exhibits, visit the Boot Hill cemetery, take old-fashioned photos, and more. As a community, we love to keep the past alive!
Commonwealth is so prominent in our community. Analyzing each of these categories in Dodge City has made me think more about how much it takes for a community to thrive!
