Step Back in Time for Abilene’s Pine Street Shootout

Texas History Is coming back to life in downtown Abilene. Catch the Saturday Shootout at Frontier Texas, taking you back to January 1884 for the wildest shootout reenactment.

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The first time I attended this event, I thought I was ready. I thought it’d be some light-hearted fun, maybe a few cowboy actors popping off cap guns, like when we were kids. Boy, was I wrong!

When that first revolver went off, BANG! I jumped out of my boots. These were real Western-style six-shooters loaded with blanks, and the sound along with the reverberation that I felt got my adrenaline surging.

What followed was a jaw-dropping reenactment of a true 1884 gunfight that rocked Downtown Abilene on South 1st and Pine Street as you'll witness in the video below. Don't just watch the video, see it live in Downtown Abilene, for three Saturdays: June 7, 14, and 21, 2025 at Frontier Texas and it’s absolutely free to attend.

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The Real-Life Wild West in Abilene, Texas

This isn’t some made-up legend. The 1884 Pine Street Shootout happened January 8, 1884, in front of what was the Cattle Exchange Saloon at Pine and North First Street. There was drinking, gambling, and trouble brewing as two brothers, Deputy Sheriff Walter Collins and City Alderman Frank Collins, a former Texas Ranger, tried to shut down illegal activity in the saloon.

Things escalated fast. A heated argument turned into gunfight. When the smoke cleared, the deputy and the saloon owner lay dead and the Texas Ranger died a month later from his wounds. It’s one of the most infamous moments in Abilene’s Wild West past.

Don't Miss the Action at Frontier Texas

Frontier Texas, is at 625 North First Street in downtown Abilene. Visit online at:  FrontierTexas.com or call (325) 437-2800 for details. Get there early and trust me, you don't want to miss the first shot.