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Historic Forts
In the 1800s forts were established what was then the Kansas territory. The main purpose of many of these to protect the trails from attack as the country moved west.
Two of those forts, Fort Larned and Fort Scott, are now National Historic Sites. Fort Larned protected the Santa Fe Trail. In 2009, it celebrates 150 years since its establishement. Fort Scott on eastern border of the state maintained order on the Frontier Military Highway during the tumultuous Bleeding Kansas era prior to the Civil War. Fort Hays State Historic Site is another fort established to the protect pioneers and railroad workers as it stretched across the prairie.
Two forts, Leavenworth and Riley, continue to serve an important role within the United States military today. Fort Riley serves the U.S. Army and is home of the Big Red One. Learn the history of the fort at the 1st Infantry Division Museum and the U.S. Cavalry Museum, or return to 1880s at the Custer House. The First Territorial Capitol is also on these grounds.
Fort Leavenworth is the oldest fort still in operation west of the Mississippi River. The military Senior Staff College at Fort Leavenworth has been home such military heroes as General Dwight D Eisenhower, General Colin Powell and General Norman Schwarzkopf. Take a self-guided tour of the grounds with stops at the Frontier Army Museum, the Buffalo Soldier Monument and the National Cemetery, one of the first in the nation.
Photo identification is required to visit these active forts.
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