[7] Before American settlement of the area, the site of Hays was located near where the territories of the Arapaho, Kiowa, and Pawnee met.

[9][11] In 1865, the U.S. Army established Fort Fletcher southeast of present-day Hays to protect stagecoaches traveling the Smoky Hill Trail.

Seeing a business opportunity, Buffalo Bill Cody and railroad contractor William Rose founded the settlement of Rome near the fort's new location.

Webb, meanwhile, established the Big Creek Land Company and then surveyed and platted a town site, which he named Hays City after the fort, roughly one mile east of Rome.

[14][15] As the western terminus of the railway, Hays City grew rapidly, serving as the supply point for territories to the west and southwest.

[13][16] As a frontier town, Hays City experienced the kind of violence that gave rise to the myth of the American Old West.

Several notable figures of the Old West lived in the Hays City of this era, including George Armstrong Custer, his wife Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickok who served a brief term as sheriff in 1869.

On January 7, 1869, the murder of Union Pacific watchman James Hayes led to the lynching of three African American soldiers of the 38th US Infantry Regiment.

[20][21][22] That same year, six black soldiers at Fort Hays were murdered, their bodies were dropped in a well that was sodded over, and they were falsely reported as deserters.

Rougher elements of the populace had begun to leave in the late 1860s, many following the Kansas Pacific railroad construction west to Sheridan[29] or moving south to Dodge City.

[30] Volga Germans started settling in Ellis County in 1876, finding its land suitable for their lifestyle and the types of crops they had grown in Russia.

[citation needed] These groups had a significant impact on the local way of life, establishing Hays as a regional center of ethnic German culture.

[14][33] Hays began to modernize in the early 1900s with a power plant, waterworks, telephone exchange, and sewer system complete by 1911.

Development of oil fields in the surrounding area began in 1936 with Hays serving as a trading center and shipping point.

Due to its geographic location at a climatic boundary, severe weather is common, with tornadoes a major threat, especially in the spring and early summer months.

EnerSys, a producer of sealed lead batteries, operates a plant in the city and Rans Designs, a manufacturer of aircraft and bicycles.

Other major employers include local government, Nex-Tech, Eagle Media, AT&T Inc., and other telecommunications firms, retail stores, and social services providers.

The Volga German Centennial Association host an Oktoberfest celebration in late September or early October in conjunction with the Fort Hays State University homecoming activities.

FHSU's Sternberg Museum of Natural History features extensive collections and exhibits of fossil specimens, including an interactive diorama of life in the region during the Cretaceous period.

Affiliated with the university's Departments of Geosciences and Biology, the museum also hosts educational programs on fossil preparation and ongoing scientific research.

[62][63] The Ellis County Historical Society Museum, located downtown, maintains exhibits of artifacts from the area's Old West period through its settlement by Volga and Bukovina Germans.

The largest is Frontier Park,[68] located immediately south of downtown across the U.S. 183 bypass route from the Fort Hays State Historic Site.

[69] Divided into eastern, western, and northern sections, it includes an 18-hole disc golf course and pens that are home to a herd of American bison kept at the park since 1953.

[83][84] Immediately south of the city, Kansas State University operates its Agricultural Research Center—Hays, formerly the Fort Hays Experiment Station.

The Center studies regional crop management and livestock production, and, for that purpose, its 7,810 acres (31.6 km2) campus includes a feedlot, a greenhouse complex, cropland, and rangeland as well as a preserved natural area.

The library offers several services to the public, including computer classes, ESL and literacy tutoring, and programs for adults, teens, and children.

[89][90] In addition to government documents, its special collections include an archive of children's literature and materials relating to regional history and culture.

[36] Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline United Express, which offers daily jet service to Denver, Colorado.

A private, non-profit hospital established in 1991, it is a 165-bed general medical and surgical facility that serves as a regional referral center for northwestern Kansas.

[110][111] Paper Moon (1973) is partially set in Great Depression-era Hays, and a portion of the film was shot in the city.