It’s good to hear that a piece of Kansas lore won’t go by the wayside.

After being told that the struggling Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City might be forced to close its doors, Dodge City and Ford County commissioners have stepped in with $275,000 to keep the landmark afloat.

The Boot Hill Museum takes its name from a cemetery on the edge of town where many men reportedly were buried with their boots on after sometimes violent deaths. Founded in 1872, Dodge City was the world’s largest shipping point for longhorn cattle and attracted plenty of cowboys and unsavory characters. The taming of the town by legendary lawmen Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp became a favorite topic of western television shows and movies.

By today’s standards, the reconstructed Dodge City Front Street is pretty tame, even kitschy, but it’s part of the fabric of Kansas, a place everyone should go at least once. We’re glad city and county officials have found a way to preserve their wild west legacy, at least for a while.