Brown thereafter drifted through the (Oklahoma) Indian Territory and into Kansas, working on ranches. In July, 1882, when about 25 years old, he settled in Caldwell, Kansas—a rough cattle town comparable to Dodge City and Abilene—where he was first appointed Assistant Marshal of the city; then promoted to marshal about five months later. The Chisholm Trail met the Santa Fe tracks in Caldwell and as the terminus of the trail, it had a long history of violence. Brown, an outlaw turned lawman, and Ben Wheeler, who had been a former Texas lawman turned outlaw, joined forces (with Wheeler as Assistant Marshal) and effectively cleaned up the town.