There was a dark side and a lighter side to Newton when the town came into existence about 150 years ago. On the seedier side was Hyde Park, a place with pop-up saloons where gunslingers and cowboys bellied up to bars and poker tables. There were ladies of the evening and one particular Sunday became famous for a gunfight, giving the town the moniker, “Bloody Newton.” There also were folks on the other side of the moral coin, who started churches and made sure their children attended school. Families did things together and people ran other kinds of businesses, like grocery stores and newspaper stands. There probably were people in between, as well.
Source: Harvey County Now
