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Fort Larned National Historic Site

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"Fort Larned" redirects here. For the horse, see Fort Larned (horse).
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Larned Flagpole and Commissary Building
Fort Larned National Historic Site is located in Kansas
Fort Larned National Historic Site
LocationPawnee County, Kansas, Kansas route 156, USA
Nearest cityLarned, Kansas
Area718 acres (2.91 km²)
Built1860
ArchitectQuartermaster Dept.,U.S. Army
Visitation31,551 (2005)
NRHP reference No.66000107[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHSAugust 31, 1964

Fort Larned National Historic Site, located six miles west of Larned, Kansas, United States, preserves Fort Larned, which operated from 1859 to 1878.

History

Fort Larned was established in 1859 to protect traffic along the Santa Fe Trail from hostile American Indians,[2] and as an agency for the administration of the Central Plains Indians by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the terms of the Fort Wise Treaty of 1861. The fort's service ended as a combination of the tribes' relocation to reservations and the completion of railroads across Kansas that ended the need for the Santa Fe Trail.

Fort Larned was the site of a meeting between General Winfield Scott Hancock and several Cheyenne chiefs on April 12, 1867, in which Hancock intended to impress the Dog Soldier chiefs with his military power. Following that meeting, Hancock, along with George Armstrong Custer and the 7th U.S. Cavalry traveled west of Fort Larned to a combined Cheyenne and Lakota camp, inciting the villagers to flee. Hancock ordered the village burned, beginning a summer of warfare known as Hancock's War. Fort Larned assisted in bringing Hancock's War to an end by supplying the Medicine Lodge Treaty.[3] The fort was decommissioned in 1878, and from 1885 to 1966, the buildings were used to house the headquarters of a ranch, with the owners living in the house of the commanding officer and the employees residing in what had been the officers' quarters.[4]

With nine historic buildings, the fort survives as one of the best-preserved examples of Indian Wars-period forts. Most of the buildings, including the barracks, commissary, and officers quarters, are furnished to their original appearance. Fort Larned National Historic Site is open daily, year-round, and admission is free. The park offers several special events throughout the year, living history demonstrations, and ranger-guided tours.[4][5]

Units stationed at Fort Larned

The following 24 units were stationed at Fort Larned during its 19 years of operation:[6]

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "History and Culture". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  3. ^ "Hancock's War". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  4. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  5. ^ "Things to Do". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  6. ^ "Regiments and Years Served at Fort Larned". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-12-15.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Larned National Historic Site.
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