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 story
In the 1870s, Delano wasn't a cozy neighborhood of coffee shops and antique boutiques—it was a lawless strip of brothels, gambling halls, and saloons sitting just across the Arkansas River from Wichita proper. Because Delano sat outside municipal boundaries, no city sheriff patrolled the mud, making it the default playground for cowboys driving cattle herds up the Chisholm Trail looking to blow their paychecks.
The district's most infamous moment landed in 1873 during a turf war between rival saloon owners 'Rowdy Joe' Lowe and 'Red Beard.' A dispute over liquor and brothel patrons escalated into a shotgun duel, leaving Red Beard fatally shot and Rowdy Joe fleeing town ahead of the law. You didn't hear it from us, but the pavement where Red Beard caught his fatal blast sits right along modern Douglas Avenue.
Instead of paying for a theatrical tour led by someone in a costume hat, you can pull up the real history yourself. The 'Wild West Delano' audio walk—put together by the Wichita Public Library and Bike Walk Wichita—runs through the PocketSights app. It leads you through 13 sidewalk stops past the old red-light haunts, the Chisholm Trail marker, and the Douglas Avenue bridge where the town's original line between law and chaos was drawn.
What it's like
Download the free PocketSights app before you arrive, bring a pair of earbuds (or share a set if you're on a date), and head for the west bank of the Arkansas River at McLean Boulevard and West Douglas Avenue. Start near the Delano Township Marker and follow the 13 GPS stops down the wide sidewalks of Douglas Avenue. There are no ticket windows or closing hours. Daytime is best if you want to browse shops along the way, but ducking out at dusk gives the old cowtown ghost history its proper weight before you finish up in a local Delano bar.
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
Pair it with
- The Wichita Troll — Since your walk starts along the Arkansas River, head just north along the bank to peer down a street grate at Wichita's hidden seven-foot bronze troll.
- Dockum — When you wrap up the red-light history tour, cross the river into Downtown Wichita and head down into this subterranean hotel vault speakeasy for cocktails.
- GROW Plant Bar (Giesen Plant Shop & Botanic) — Head just east down Douglas Avenue after your walk to grab a craft drink and pot a plant at their DIY bar.
- The Shadows — Swap 1870s cowtown saloons for a 1920s speakeasy setting on the west side, where you enter through an antique phone wall.
Good to know
How do I access the audio tour?
Download the free PocketSights (or STQRY) app on your phone and search for 'Wild West Delano.'
Where does the walk start?
Start near the Delano Township Marker at McLean Blvd and W Douglas Ave, on the west bank of the Arkansas River.
Does the tour cost anything or have specific hours?
It is completely free and accessible 24/7 on public sidewalks, so you can walk it whenever you want.
Who created this tour?
The audio walk is a joint local history project produced by the Wichita Public Library and Bike Walk Wichita.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: pocketsights.com · legendsofkansas.com · visitwichita.com
last checked: 2026-06-06