It seems no matter where you go in Dodge City, you hear about John Mueller and Adam Schmidt and their mark on this city: the Trolley Tour and Boot Hill Museum are two.
Of course, the best place to learn about the two families is to visit the Mueller-Schmidt house, where the two families lived for nearly a century.
When German immigrant John Mueller, his wife Karoline and children arrived in Dodge City in 1875, he built a boot shop on Front Street. This led to investing in a saloon and three cattle ranches. This prosperity enabled the family to build their dream home on a hill overlooking the city.
Construction of “Home of Stone” began in 1879. It took 18 months to build. It was considered one of the most splendid homes in Dodge City at the time. It is the lone limestone house and is the oldest building in Dodge City still on its original site.
Touring the Home
I am greeted by a friendly woman who will become my link to the past as she tells the story of the families and the house. She first takes me into the parlor, where she expounds on the resident’s history.
The house, first owned by John Mueller was sold to and Adam Schmidt when Mueller’s boot store was destroyed in a fire, and he lost 75,000 head of cattle in a blizzard.
When he and his family decided to return to St. Louis, the home and furnishings were sold to Adam and Elizabeth Schmidt for $5,000. Adjusting for inflation, the home would have sold for $178,089.01 in 2026.
Adam and Elizabeth had two unmarried children who lived in the home until 1960, and they sold it, along with all its furnishings, to Ford County in 1965. The Ford County Historical Society curates it for the county.
The parlor features original furnishings, including matching walnut chairs, a horsehair tapestry chair, and a walnut love seat. There are also pieces donated to the Society, including the desk where Dodge City founder and Town Company President Robert M. Wright wrote “Dodge City; The Cowboy Capital (1913).”
Adam was a blacksmith; Elizabeth “Betty” was the daughter of Fred Berg, Dodge City’s first baker. Karoline Mueller and Elizabeth Schmidt remained friends, and Karoline often visited Elizabeth when she came from St. Louis to see her married daughter. Henry Mueller would spend hours in the house, visiting it through the 1940s.
The Schmidt children Heinie (Heinrich), Elma and Lew (Louis) grew up in the house. Heinie and Elma never married and lived in the house until 1960, when they sold it in 1965.
The parlor, basement kitchen, and bedrooms appear today as they did in 1881 and are available for tour. Not only is the construction of interest, but the furnishings, decor, and photos are as well. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
For tour times and dates, click here. For more information about visiting Dodge City, click here.
