Town founder Seth Hays, a grandson of Daniel Boone and cousin of Kit Carson, opened the Hays House in 1857. Over the years, the Hays House was a gathering place for church services, court trials, bawdy theatricals and politicians\' speeches. Among its early patrons were George A. Custer and Jesse James. Today the Hays House is famous as the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River and the home of fantastic fare.