Fort Scott National Historic Site, Kansas

The old Fort Scott Hospital is now a Visitor’s Center by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.

Fort Scott, Kansas, initially called Camp Scott and named in honor of General Winfield Scott, was established on May 30, 1842, at the Marmaton River crossing of the Fort Leavenworth-Fort Gibson Military Road. It was among nine forts originally planned to line the area between the Great Lakes and New Orleans to separate proposed Indian lands and white settlements.

When the fort was established in 1842, the nation was still young and confined largely to the area east of the Mississippi River. Yet within a few years, Fort Scott’s soldiers became involved in events that would lead to tremendous spurts of growth and expansion. As the nation developed, tensions over slavery led to the conflict and turmoil of “Bleeding Kansas” and the Civil War.

As a young America grew, settlers hungry for land forced American Indians west of the Mississippi River. When they arrived in this area, tribes were guaranteed land where white settlement would be forbidden. Established in 1842, Fort Scott served as one of a line of forts from Minnesota to Louisiana that helped to enforce this promise of a “permanent Indian frontier.” Soldiers kept the peace between white settlers, native peoples like the Osage, and relocated Eastern tribes.

Positioned on a bluff overlooking the confluence of Mill Creek and the Marmaton River, Fort Scott filled a gap between Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to the north and Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 150 miles south. The fort was home to infantry soldiers and the dragoons, an elite unit of troops trained to fight both on horseback and on foot. The infantry performed many of the fatigue duties, including fort construction, while the dragoons went on numerous expeditions.

Army Train on the Santa Fe Trail

In the 1840s, settlers flocked westward to Oregon and California. When conflict arose along the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails dragoons were called on to keep the peace. Two expeditions rode escort on the Santa Fe Trail in 1843. The next year, dragoons from Scott and Leavenworth marched into Pawnee country to persuade that tribe to cease hostilities against the Sioux. In 1845, they patrolled the Oregon Trail as far west as South Pass, Wyoming parleying with Indian tribes as they went.

Both infantry and dragoons left Fort Scott to fight in the Mexican-American War (1846-48), which brought vast new lands into U.S. possession. Some Fort Scott dragoons marched with Stephen Kearney into New Mexico and California, while others served with Zachary Taylor at Buena Vista. Infantry soldiers from Fort Scott also fought with Taylor and participated in Winfield Scott’s overland march to Mexico City.

Westward expansion in the 1840s brought about a growth spurt that nearly doubled the country’s size and fulfilled “Manifest Destiny” – the idea that it was America’s divine right to stretch from coast to coast. As the frontier extended further westward, the idea of a “permanent” Indian territory died a quick death and the army abandoned Fort Scott in 1853. However, violent events in the region would soon bring soldiers back as the nation experienced growing pains over the issue of slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

Slavery divided the nation during its turbulent adolescent years. Conflict arose over whether to allow slavery in the new western territories. Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), Congress created Kansas and Nebraska Territories, opening these lands for settlement. It declared that the residents of these territories could decide by popular vote whether their state would be free or slave. In Kansas, people on both sides of this controversial issue flooded in, trying to influence the vote in their favor.

John Brown Painting

Three distinct political groups occupied Kansas-proslavers, free-staters, and abolitionists. Proslavery advocates, as the name implies, supported slavery, regardless of whether they personally owned slaves. Abolitionists wanted to rid the nation of “the peculiar institution”. Free staters didn’t particularly care about slavery where it already existed but were opposed to its extension westward. The conflict between these opposing factions soon turned violent. As a result, this era became forever known as “Bleeding Kansas,” an era when violence, destruction, and psychological warfare prevailed in the region.

Fort Scott and the surrounding area were not immune to the turmoil. Sold at auction in 1855, the buildings of the fort became the new town. The townspeople were primarily proslavery, while free-staters and abolitionists dominated the surrounding countryside. This division of opposing factions was illustrated on the grounds of the “old fort” by the existence of two hotels. One, a former officers’ quarters, became the Fort Scott Hotel, nicknamed the “Free State” Hotel, due to the political leanings of many of its guests. Directly across the square, an infantry barracks was now the Western Hotel, a headquarters for proslavery men.

Bleeding Kansas Fight

By 1858, radical elements from both factions converged on the area. James Montgomery, an ardent abolitionist, became a leader of free-state forces that invaded Fort Scott, a haven for Border Ruffians (extreme proslavery men). During one raid, Montgomery tried to burn the Western Hotel; another raid took the life of John Little, a former deputy marshal.

During this era, soldiers returned periodically to Fort Scott to restore law and order, staying each time until violence abated, only to have a conflict resume on their departure. By the time the strife waned in 1859, nearly 60 people had died and hundreds terrorized throughout Kansas Territory in the struggle over slavery. Anti-slavery forces finally prevailed. Kansas entered the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, but by then, the fighting and violence once contained to Kansas threatened to engulf the entire country.

Civil War

The struggles of an adolescent America became a full-fledged rebellion during the Civil War as the nation divided over the issues of slavery and self-determination. The war brought the U.S. Army back to Fort Scott. Union commanders viewed the town as a strategic point in southeast Kansas to establish a base of military operations, where the army could protect Kansas against a possible Confederate invasion. Troops reoccupied many of the old fort buildings, including the stables and hospital, and began construction on a variety of new buildings and over 40 miles of fortifications.

Fort Scott served as a major supply depot for Union armies in the West, a general hospital for soldiers in the region and a haven for people fleeing the war-displaced Indians, escaped slaves, and white farmers. Many of these refugees joined the Union Army, greatly diversifying its ranks. American Indian and African American regiments were recruited in the area, including the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. Sworn in on the grounds of Fort Scott, this was the 1st African American regiment to engage the Confederates in combat.

Fort Scott’s military stores made it a target of Confederate General Sterling Price, who made two unsuccessful attempts to capture it during the war. Guerilla warfare, which plagued the region, also threatened the town. Intense fighting on the Kansas-Missouri border between the Jayhawkers and the Bushwhackers kept the military occupied. The Union presence likely spared Fort Scott from pillaging and destruction, a fate of other towns in the area.

Railroad Expansion

After the Civil War ended, the nation began to heal and to unify. Railroads built across the continent played a major role in tying the country together. Town leaders of Fort Scott saw a railroad line as a means to build prosperity by tapping into the trade of Eastern markets. By 1869, their efforts succeeded as the first railroad reached the city. As workers laid tracks south of town, they came into conflict with squatters who forcefully opposed the railroad. The military returned and established the Post of Southeast Kansas (1869-73) to protect the railroad workers. This set the stage for a rare instance when U.S. troops took up arms against American citizens to protect the country’s business interests.

Early day Fort Scott, Kansas.

From 1842-73, Fort Scott evolved from an isolated frontier outpost into a bustling trade center and played a significant role in events that transformed the United States. During that time, America grew from a young divided republic through the growing pains of conflict and war into maturity as a united and powerful transcontinental nation.

Today, the city of Fort Scott is the only major town still existing in Kansas that developed from a U.S. Army fort established before Kansas became a territory and a state.

The fort itself is today restored and preserved as a National Historic site. The historic site is located in downtown Fort Scott ate the intersection of U.S. Highways 69 and 54.

Contact Information:

Fort Scott National Historic Site
P.O. Box 918
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
620-223-0310

Fort Scott Hauntings

Officer Row, Fort Scott, Kansas

Fort Grounds – There have been several sightings of ghost-like Civil War soldiers looming on the lawn and around the courtyard. Officers have also been seen in the cell blocks and stables.

On one occasion a visitor to the fort made a comment to one of the staff about a nice conversation he had with a gentleman dressed in period costume. However, the staff person was somewhat confused as no one on staff was scheduled to be dressed in a costume that particular day. Inquiring at the office, this was confirmed. It appears that the Fort Scott tourist had the “pleasure” of meeting one of Fort’s many ghosts.

Officers Quarters – The Officer’s Quarters are said to be the most haunted. Long ago an officer accidentally shot himself when riding up to the building on the left. He had been showing off for his wife. The devastated woman held him in her arms as he died in front of the building. According to our reader Carol, she has felt the presence of the long-dead woman in the quarters on many occasions.

The building on the left once served as the Free State Hotel. However, when the fort was permanently closed, both buildings served as an orphanage home called Goodlander’s for many years. According to staff and guests, the sound of these long-ago orphan children are often heard playing in the two buildings.

Several sightings of fog-like apparitions have been reported sifting from the chimney in the officer’s quarters. It is said that at midnight every night a ghostly figure can be seen looking out of the window of the officer’s building formerly known as the Free State Hotel.

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Fort Riley, Kansas

The site of Fort Riley, Kansas was chosen by surveyors in the fall of 1852 and was first called Camp Center, due to its proximity to the geographical center of the United States. The following spring, three companies of the 6th infantry began the construction of temporary quarters at the camp.

On June 27, 1853, the camp’s name was changed to Fort Riley in honor of Major General Bennett C. Riley, who had led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail and had died earlier in the month.

The fort’s initial purpose was to protect the many pioneers and traders who were moving along the Oregon-California and Santa Fe Trails.

The First Territorial Capitol at Pawnee, Kansas was only used for one session, before moving to Lecompton, Kansas when the pro-slavery advocates were in control of the state. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.

Many of the buildings at the fort were built with the native limestone of the area, several of which continue to stand today. By 1855, the post was well-established and as more and more people moved westward, additional quarters, stables and administrative buildings were authorized to be built. In July, 56 mule teams arrived at the fort, loaded with materials and soldiers to expand the fort.

However, just a few short weeks later, cholera broke out among the fort and though the epidemic lasted only a few days, it left in its wake some 75-125 people dead.

As tensions and bloodshed increased between the pro and anti-slavery settlers, resulting in what has become known as “Bleeding Kansas,” Fort Riley’s troops took on the additional task of “policing” the troubled territory while continuing to patrol the Santa Fe Trail as Indian attacks increased.

When the Civil War broke out, the vast majority of the troops stationed at Fort Riley were sent eastward. However, some soldiers were left to continue to guard those traveling west and the base was utilized as a prisoner of war camp for captured Confederates. After the Civil War, troops from Fort Riley were needed to protect workers constructing the Kansas Pacific Railroad from Indian attacks.

George A. Custer

In 1866 and 1867 Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer was stationed at the fort. Wild Bill Hickok was a scout for Fort Riley starting in 1867. On January 1, 1893, Fort Riley became the site of the Cavalry and Light Artillery School, which continued until 1943, when the Cavalry was disbanded. Several times throughout the years, the famous 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments of all-black soldiers, referred to as Buffalo Soldiers, were stationed at the fort.

Through both world wars and up until today, the post has remained active. The military reservation now covers more than 100,000 acres and has a daytime population of nearly 25,000, which includes the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed the Big Red One.

Fort Riley is located on the north bank of the Kansas River three miles north of Junction City.

Contact Information:

Fort Riley Museum Division
785-239-2737



Fort Riley Hauntings

Artillery Parade Field – It is said that a woman wrapped in chains has often been seen walking across the field on clear nights. Who this woman was and what she might have done wrong in order to wind up in chains has never been known.

Camp Funston – Camp Funston was the largest of 16 divisional cantonment (temporary or semi-permanent military quarters) training camps constructed during World War I. Designated to be located at Fort Riley due to its central location in the nation, construction began on July 1, 1917, and the camp was completed on December 1st of the same year. With a capacity of over 50,000, it drew trainees from all over the Great Plains states. However, not long after the camp was completed and filled with soldiers, the 1918 flu epidemic, called the “Influenza Pandemic of 1918” hit the camp. Worldwide, this fatal flu virus cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history killed more people than did World War I, an estimated 20 to 40 million people, including some 675,000 Americans. A global disaster, the flu took its toll on Camp Funston and Fort Riley, like it did the rest of the world.

Camp Funston, Kansas, 1918

When the war was over in 1918, the camp, as well as the Army shrunk and by 1922, Camp Funston officially ceased to exist. Today, its many buildings now serve as temporary housing.

Though those WWI soldiers-in-training are long gone; seemingly, at least one of them has chosen to stay. First reported in the late 1960s, a ghostly soldier in World War I uniform has been seen in the area, continuing his patrol. The tale alleges that a Public Works employee first spied the ghostly figure while repairing downed electrical lines. In the midst of a snowstorm, he noticed a soldier, in a heavy wool overcoat and rifle over his shoulder, pacing back and forth near the site of the old World War I era gymnasium. After repairing the lines, he decided to share his thermos of hot coffee with the young man; however, when he approached the area where he had spied him, the soldier was gone. More perplexing was the snow-covered ground showed no sign of footprints. Many believe that this long-forgotten soldier is one of those who died during the 1918 flu pandemic.

Old Trooper Statue at Fort Riley, Kansas

Cavalry Parade Field – Allegedly, a group of spectral riders are often seen and/or heard galloping across Cavalry Parade Field. According to the tales, numerous people have first felt a low vibration and heard the sounds of distant thunder before seeing a troop of soldiers galloping across the parade grounds. The riders then slow at the intersection of Sheridan and Forsyth Avenues, where, after one rider dismounts, the rest of the troop wheels around and rides away.

The intersection where the riders stop is where Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer once lived. Though the original home where Custer lived burned down long ago, the house was in the vicinity of this intersection. Some believe that the original dwelling stood where Quarters 21 is now located.

In any event, this group of spectral riders is believed to be an escort for Custer, and the dismounting soldier is thought to be the Lieutenant himself.

Way back in 1867 when Custer was stationed at the fort, but off a military campaign, he got the news that cholera had broken out at the fort where his beloved wife Libby was waiting for him.

Fearing for her safety, he selected an escort of his finest horsemen, turned over the 7th Cavalry to another officer, and the men rode back to the fort as fast as the could. Though he arrived to find Libby in good health, Custer was later court-martialed for deserting his unit and was relieved of command for one year. Perhaps this emotionally charged event has become a “place memory” haunting.

Interestingly, when these dark riders “appear” upon the parade grounds, different people sense them in different ways.

Some witnesses both see and hear the troops, but even more report that they can either see them or hear them, but not both. Those that hear them often hear various sounds, including the sound of thundering hoofs, as well as voices and the metallic jingle that accompanies horsemen.

Custer House – What was formerly known as Quarters 24, this structure is one of four original buildings left from the original post and has been in continual use since it was built. Made from native limestone from the area, the building is structurally similar to the original set of officer’s quarters that George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Libby, lived in from 1866 to 1867. Alas, the actual building, located near the Custer House, that the Lieutenant lived in has long ago burned down. Today, Quarters 24 stands as a museum exhibiting life at the fort in the late 1860s.

Haunting reports from this house first began in 1855, when the fort was hit by a cholera epidemic that claimed many lives. Immediately, the ghostly spirits were blamed on those who had died of the horrible disease.

The Custer House at Fort Riley, Kansas

Specific reports include a sergeant who worked in the building in the 1970s who said that he often heard strange noises coming from the upstairs rooms, including what sounded like someone putting a boot on, then stamping his foot on the floor. These noises always came at a time when no one was in the upstairs rooms. The same sergeant also reported that a teddy bear in the children’s room kept moving around. Though he always placed it on the bed before leaving, he would arrive the next day to find it had been moved again, usually sitting atop a rocking horse in the room.

Another soldier who worked in the Custer House reported that she would often arrive in the morning to find a bed in an upstairs room that appeared to have been slept in. The same soldier also reported often having felt as she was being watched when she was in the museum.

Infantry Parade Field — Long ago this field was also used as a polo field. Today witnesses say that two polo-playing gentlemen continue to be seen riding their horses and playing polo. Apparently, the two men are not polite if their game is interrupted. One soldier who had a personal experience was walking across the field one evening when he began to hear faint shouts and cheers from the distance. He then saw what looked like two figures playing polo. As he stopped to watch, the ball came near him and the two riders began to gallop toward him. When they neared, the soldier saw that one of the riders had no face, instead, there was nothing but a grinning skull. Obviously shocked, the man simply stared only to be surprised to hear the apparition yell, “Leave! Now, while you still can!” Panicked, the witness immediately ran from the field.

IACH (The Hospital) — In the Bio-Medical room, the fire alarm sounds frequently without being triggered. On one such occasion, after the alarm had gone off eight times, the fire marshal came and disconnected it; the alarm sounded three times after that.

Kansas Territorial Capitol – The first territorial capital was built in 1855 at the site of the now-extinct Pawnee City. Near the old capitol building is the Kaw River Nature and History Trail where the sorrowful voice of a woman can sometimes be heard drifting up from the banks of the river. One man, who often stopped to walk along the trail, tells of hearing the sounds of a woman singing a sad melody while walking along the path. Investigating, he moved closer to the river to investigate the source of the mournful voice. Upon arriving, he saw the shaded form of a flatboat or barge being pulled across the river by a dark, human-shaped form. When the apparition and the phantom boat reached the other side of the river, both simply vanished.

Most believe this may be the soul of a long-dead slave woman, who belonged to the man who owned the ferry in the 1850s. It is known that the ferry owner used a slave woman to pull the ferry back and forth across the river. Though this is the most likely explanation, might the spirit also be that of La Llorona, the weeping ghost who has long been known to haunt the rivers and waters of the American West?

Lower Parade Field – For many years people have reported seeing a lone rider who gallops madly across the field in the morning, only to disappear as quickly as he appeared.

Post Headquarters

Main Post — In this old building, people have often seen the ghostly figure of an old nurse.

NCO Club – Ghosts are said to haunt the doors of this club. An MP reported that a ghostly force jerked the door he was guarding open; the door was locked.

No. 1 Stable – For years soldiers on night duty have reported seeing a man in old-fashioned clothing ride through the stable and then disappear. Years later, when work was being done to the stable, the skeletons of horse and rider were found in an old ravine.

Post Cemetery — In the summer of 1855, a woman named Cornelia Armistead died of the cholera epidemic that was raging through the fort. Cornelia was the second wife of Major Lewis A. Armistead of the Sixth United States Infantry Regiment. As the cholera epidemic had already begun by July 1855, Armistead feared an outbreak among his troops and left Fort Riley, heading southwest. However, after traveling only nine miles, the disease took hold among his men and the unit was forced to stop. In the meantime, the epidemic was raging through Fort Riley, leaving in its wake as many as 125 men, women and children dead. On the very day that Major Armistead returned to the fort, his wife had died. A few years later, when the Civil War broke out, Armistead was killed in 1863. Since his death, Armistead has often been seen kneeling at his wife’s grave. Upset and weeping, his ghostly presence is wearing a dark blue uniform and clearly wishes to be left alone, if approached.

Quarters 124 – This house is reportedly haunted by a woman who drowned herself in a well on the fort grounds in the 1860s. Over the years, residents have reported hearing loud noises during the night such as someone dragging a wooden box up and down the stairs. At one point it was so bad that a priest was called in to do an exorcism. At first, the ceremony was successful, but apparently, the ghost returned several years later. However, nothing has been heard from the ghost recently.

Fort Riley Trolly Station Today

Trolley Station — In July of 1855 cholera was diagnosed at the fort and by the end of August, most of the Fort was dead. A woman named Susan Fox lived with her step-father in a small frame building across the creek from the trolley station. Engaged to be married soon, she was home alone for several days when her father was away and her fiancée in the nearby town of Pawnee City caring for the sick.

Contracting the horrible disease, she died alone in her home on August 30. Her finance discovered her body after he returned to the fort and she was buried in her wedding dress in a small grave near the railway bridge to the trolley station.

After her death, the residents of the house described many strange occurrences. Her fiancée was quoted as saying at the time “It was a difficult passage for her, and Susan came back to her old home several times demanding to be let in.”

Residents often reported hearing strange noises and shrieks. On another occasion, a maid ironing in front of a window was so frightened seeing Susan staring in at her that she threw the iron through the window.

The Post Commander, so irritated by the complaints and disturbances paid (out of Fort funds) for a priest from Junction City to perform an exorcism. Afterward, they razed the building to ensure Susan’s hauntings would stop. But, still, she is seen in many parts of the Fort, and especially around the trolley station, looking for something, or someone she lost.

These stories are but a fraction of the many haunting tales of Fort Riley. Each year the Historical and Archaeological Society of Fort Riley provides and Ghost Tour that tells the many tales of this historic, and apparently, extremely haunted post. Books are also available at the Fort Riley Museum that gives the details of these many apparitions.

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Fort Hays, Kansas

Fort Hays, Kansas was established on October 11, 1865, as a frontier military post to protect military roads, defend construction gangs on the Union Pacific Railroad, and guard the U.S. mail. Also tasked with protecting the stage and freight wagons of the Butterfield Overland Dispatch, the soldiers defended travelers from Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian attacks.

The post was first designated Fort Fletcher, in honor of Governor Thomas C. Fletcher of Missouri. On November 17, 1866, the fort’s name was changed to Fort Hays, for Union Brigadier General Alexander Hays, who had been killed during the Civil War.

Located on Big Creek about 14 miles southeast of where Hays City would later be built, the post was situated on low-lying land along the creek and was utterly destroyed by a flood that occurred in the spring of 1867, in which several Buffalo Soldiers lost their lives. The fort’s site was abandoned.

General Alfred Gibbs, then a major in the Seventh United States Cavalry, soon selected a new site by order of General Winfred Hancock. The new location was about ¾ of a mile from where Hays City would soon be established and comprised about 7,500 acres. A number of substantial buildings were established and in its early years, nearly 600 hundred troops were stationed there. General Philip Sheridan’s headquarters were at Fort Hays at the time of the Black Kettle raid in 1868.

Some of the famous figures associated with the fort included Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, General Nelson Miles, General Philip Sheridan, and Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. It was also the home of several well-known Indian War regiments such as the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, the Fifth U.S. Infantry, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, whose black troopers were better known as buffalo soldiers. After twenty-five years of service, Fort Hays was abandoned on November 8, 1889, after the Indian Wars had ended. The military reservation was transferred to the Interior Department on November 6, 1889, and to the state, by a Congressional act on March 28, 1900.

The original stone blockhouse, guardhouse and officers’ quarters have been renovated. Displays through the historic site illustrate pioneer and military history. The museum was opened in 1967 and is administered by the Kansas State Historical Society. Part of the site is now the campus of Fort Hays State University.

Hauntings:

Sentinel Hill Haunting — When a cholera epidemic hit Fort Hays, Kansas in 1867, a young woman named Elizabeth Polly was among those who attended to and comforted the ill and dying. Some say she was a trained nurse, while others maintain she had no medical training. When she wasn’t working tirelessly with the sick soldiers, she was said to take a moment to stroll upon nearby Sentinel Hill.

Eventually, she too contracted the disease and her dying wish was to be buried upon the hill. In the fall of 1867, she was given a full military funeral but alas, the soldiers were unable to grant her last wish as the hill is composed of bedrock, so she was buried at its base.

In 1905 Fort Hays was closed. The soldier’s bodies were moved to Fort Leavenworth and the civilian bodies were placed in the Hays City Cemetery. Elizabeth’s body was left where it lay.

The first recorded report of her sighting was made by a man named John Schmidt in 1917, who reported seeing a woman dressed in blue walking across his farm towards Sentinel Hill. Following her, the apparition walked into one of his sheds, but when he arrived no one was there and nothing had been disturbed.

In the 1950s a patrolman claimed to have hit a woman dressed in a long blue dress with a white bonnet with his patrol car. However, when the officer got out of the car, there was no woman and no damage to the vehicle.

Elizabeth’s ghost continues to roam the hill in her long blue dress and white bonnet. Purportedly, her ghostly spirit emits a blue light and the locals began to call her the Blue Light Lady. The ghost of Elizabeth Polly has been seen many times over the years haunting the lonely hilltop that she had frequented so often in life.

Today there is a park at Fort Hays that honors her memory. In 1941, Elizabeth’s body was reportedly moved to the summit of the hill and in the 1960s a marker was placed at her gravesite that reads “The Lonely Grave.”

Access to the grave is difficult by car and the last hundred yards or so must be covered by foot. Hays is located at the junction of Interstate 70 and US Highway 183 in central Kansas. Fort Hays is now a state historic site southwest of town. Elizabeth’s grave sits at the top of Sentinel Hill just southwest of Old Fort Hays.

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Fort Dodge, Kansas

Fort Dodge was one of the most important forts on the western frontier. It is located to the east of the Caches, a noted landmark on the Santa Fe Trail, and present-day Dodge City, Kansas. The fort was established on April 10, 1865, by Captain Henry Pierce, by order of Major General Grenville M. Dodge. The fort’s primary purpose was to protect the wagon trains along the Santa Fe Trail on their way to New Mexico.

The need for a fort at this location was great; an unusually large campsite for the fort was situated where the dry route and the wet route of the Santa Fe Trail intersected. The dry route came across the divide from Larned on the Pawnee River, while the wet route followed the river.

The dry route, often called the Jornado de Muerti, the journey of death, was often without water the whole distance and trains would lay up to recruit after making the passage. When the Indians discovered this popular stopping off point, they began to attack the many unwary emigrants and freighters traveling through the area.

Initial fortifications were crude earth dugouts excavated along the north bank of the Arkansas River. Many men first stationed there were Confederate soldiers who preferred a fight with the Indians to languishing, perhaps dying, in northern prisons. The soldiers had no lumber or hardware, so they had to use the available materials, grass, and earth, to create the 70 sod dugouts. These were 10 X 12 feet in circumference and seven feet deep. A door to the south faced the river and a hole in the roof admitted air and light. Banks of earth were bunks for the soddies that slept from two to four men. Sanitation was poor and spring rains flooded the dugouts. Pneumonia, dysentery, diarrhea, and malaria were common in the first year in the isolated fort.

In 1867 Fort Dodge was relocated and rebuilt in stone buildings. In 1868 Comanche and Kiowa Indians attacked Fort Dodge, killing four soldiers and wounding 17. As a result, General Philip H. Sheridan came to Fort Dodge in the summer of 1868. He pitched his camp on the hill north of the fort and started outfitting his command against the Indians.

In the fall of 1868, General Alfred Sully took command at the fort in preparation for a winter campaign against the plains Indians. When the preparations for the expedition were well underway and his army practically ready to march, General Sully was sent home and General George A. Custer carried on the campaign.

In its heyday, up to four companies of troops occupied the post; but, as the Indian threat was reduced, it was only occupied by about a dozen men in its later years. In December 1880, a portion of Fort Dodge’s reserved Lands were opened to homesteaders. However, the vast majority of those who settled were not homesteaders, but, rather, Dodge City residents including saloon keepers, gamblers, and “ladies of the night”.

Two years later, the fort was closed in June 1882, creating surprise among the Dodge City people who were terrified of Indian raids. The last of the troops marched southward to Camp Supply when the flag was lowered on October 2, 1882. Fort Dodge, Guardian of the commercial frontier, the cattleman and homesteader, had fulfilled its purpose. A single custodian was assigned to keep watch over the property. During this period, a number of buildings were torn down or moved away, but many of the stone buildings remained.

The military reservation was transferred to the Interior Department on January 12, 1885. The following year, more of the fort’s land was opened for settlement in May 1886 and about 100 claims were staked off. One of these claims was made by Dodge City entrepreneur, Robert Wright, who managed to exploit the facilities by housing drovers who awaited the sale of their cattle, and by purchasing land surrounding the Fort with money he earned selling whiskey and buffalo hides.

In the meantime, some Dodge City residents were working with government officials to utilize the still functional buildings for a retired soldiers’ home. After much work toward that goal, a federal law was enacted in 1889 authorizing the use of the post as a soldiers’ home by the State of Kansas. The Kansas Soldiers’ Home was opened on in early 1890. When rebuilding and repairing began on the Soldiers’ Home, the character of the famous old post was sustained.

Old troopers began arriving. Most of them were Civil War veterans, but, there were others who were veterans of the Mexican and Indian Wars. Eventually, dependents and relatives of Kansas veterans were admitted along with Confederate and African-American veterans. It would eventually also house veterans of the Spanish-American, Philippines, Boxer Rebellion, World War I, and II, Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The Kansas Soldiers Home now includes a library/museum, a modern intensive nursing home, a recreation center, five residence halls, and 60 cottages. The peaceful park displays, quiet shaded tree-lined walks, and dignified buildings — both old and new.

Fort Dodge Hauntings – Unlike many other Kansas forts, Fort Dodge does not have as many reports of hauntings. However, there have been reports of strange occurrences at the old fort over the years. At a barn upon the site, it is said that at 3:30 some mornings all the lights go on and off and the doors mysteriously open by themselves.

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