by Dan Hagen
NP Columnist

One model for “Gunsmoke’s” Kitty Russell was Dora Hand, Dodge City’s most respected dance hall performer and, probably, a lady of the evening.

The Dodge City of 1878 had muted, if any, moralistic objections to prostitutes. The notably beautiful Hand attended the First Methodist Church and balanced the rowdiness of her evenings with the benevolence of her days.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.