Entry No. 11 — the Wichita file — filed under: outdoor

Wild West Delano self-guided ghost & red-light-district audio walk

“a lawless cowtown of saloons, gambling and brothels with no sheriff”

Before it was a brunch district, Delano was a lawless cowtown of saloons, gambling and brothels with no sheriff — the turf of the 1873 Rowdy Joe Lowe vs. Red Beard saloon gunfight. A free narrated phone tour ('Wild West Delano' by Wichita History Walk) walks you past the old red-light haunts, the Chisholm Trail marker, and the Douglas Avenue bridge where it all went down.

The move: Load the free Wild West Delano audio tour, walk Douglas Avenue after dark sharing headphones, and pause at the marker where Red Beard caught his fatal bullet before ducking into a Delano bar to debrief.

📍 Before you go The walk is a free, self-guided phone tour, so download it before you arrive: it lives in the PocketSights/STQRY app (search "Wild West Delano," a Wichita Public Library and Bike Walk Wichita project). Begin near the Delano Township Marker at McLean Blvd and W Douglas Ave, on the west bank of the Arkansas River, and follow the roughly 13 stops along Douglas on public sidewalks, so there are no set hours or tickets. Bring earbuds, ideally a shared pair for the date. Free street parking is easy along the district. Delano is now a walkable strip of brunch spots, bars, and antique shops, so plan to land at one afterward; daytime is liveliest, dusk best for the ghost mood.

• 📍 Delano
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Start near Delano Township Marker, McLean Blvd & W Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67213

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: pocketsights.com · legendsofkansas.com

last checked: 2026-06-06