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 Historic Fort Leavenworth
N 39° 25.939 W 095° 05.199
15S E 320410 N 4366830
An oddly-placed historic marker at a small pullout at the JCT of KS 7/US 73 and KS 74, 13 miles north of Fort Leavenworth relates the history of Fort Leavenworth.
Waymark Code: WMGRDQ
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 04/04/2013
Views: 4
A small turnout along a lonely KS state highway is an odd place for a State Historic Marker about Fort Leavenworth, which is 13 miles away from here.
Blasterz will not complain, though, because from this spot we were able to see the very VERY faint Comet Pan-STARRS (13 Mar 2013).
Marker Name: Historic Fort Leavenworth
Marker Type: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Marker text:
Historic Fort Leavenworth
Oldest Army Post in Continuous Existence West of the Missouri River
— 13 Miles South —
Long before white men settled Kansas, traffic over the Santa Fe trail was so heavy that troops were detailed to protect it from the Indians. Fort Leavenworth, established in 1827 by Col. Henry Leavenworth, was for thirty years the chief base of operations on the Indian frontier. In 1839, Col. S.W. Kearny marched against the Cherokees with the largest U.S. mounted force yet assembled: ten companies of dragoons. In 1846, Col. A.W. Doniphan set out on his Mexican expedition; throughout the war with Mexico the Fort was the outfitting post for the Army of the West. During the 1850's, wagon teams hauled supplies over the Santa Fe, Oregon and other trails to all forts, posts and military camps of the West, some as far as the Pacific.
When Kansas territory was organized in 1854, Gov. Andrew Reeder set up executive offices at Fort Leavenworth. In 1881, Gen. William T. Sherman established the school which later became the Command and General Staff College, the highest tactical school in the Army educational system combining all arms and services. A 1926 graduate, with highest honors in his class, was Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Erected by Kansas Historical Society and State Highway Commission.
Marker Location: Atchison
Name of agency setting marker: Kansas State Historical Society
Marker Web Address: [Web Link]
Year Marker Placed: Not listed
Official Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Must log an original UNPHOTOSHOPPED picture of you or your GPSr at the marker. Please tell some background of what you learned or how you found the marker.
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