History of Frontier Forts of Kansas

foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign the Great Plains unfit for civilization unsuitable for agriculture early Explorer Zebulon Pike and Stephen long use these words to describe the vast middle portion of the Louisiana Purchase much of the land that France sold to the United States in 1803 was referred to as the Great American desert [Music] why not make this land a permanent Indian Territory leave it to the osages Kansas pawnee's and wichita's the kiowas Comanches Cheyenne arapahoes and Lakota Sioux better yet resettle some of the Eastern tribes in the Great Plains tribes like the delawares sac and foxes kickapoos Iowa's and potawatomies for thousands of years Native Americans with distinct cultures and different languages lived on the Plains and prairies of North America some lived in semi-permanent settlements they were primarily farmers who made seasonal Buffalo hunts others had a more mobile lifestyle which made them more dependent on the buffalo the resettled tribes from the East brought their own cultures which in many cases had already been influenced by missionaries and settlers along the Eastern edge of this permanent Indian Territory the United States government built a chain of forts from Fort Snelling in Minnesota to Fort Jessup in Louisiana these forts had two primary purposes to keep white settlers out of Indian Territory and to keep peace among the Indian nations who live there two of the forts were constructed in what would later become the state of Kansas Fort Leavenworth in 1827 and Fort Scott in 1842. back in 1821 two things happened that had a big impact on the course of American history in 1821 Missouri entered the Union as a pro-slave state and Mexico overthrew Spain's century-old Colonial rule Spain did not permit trade with the United States but Mexico welcomed him thus Begins the Santa Fe Trail an 800 Mile Road between towns in Western Missouri and towns in northern Mexico the Santa Fe Trail is a commercial back and forth trade route that for much of its 800 miles crosses Indian Territory in 1825 treaties with the Kansas and osages Safeguard the Eastern end of the trail but when some of the Plains Indians farther west begin raiding wagon trains soldiers from Fort Leavenworth are ordered to provide a protective escort however it soon discovered that foot soldiers are no match for Indians on horseback although the Army does not have mounted troops at this time a regiment of Horse Soldiers is formed and sent to Fort Leavenworth they arrive in 1834 and are called dragoons in 1842 Fort Scott is established 100 miles south of Fort Leavenworth and close to the land of the osages the osages have a history of conflict with white settlers in Missouri and with other Indian nations but at Fort Scott anticipated conflicts do not occur and the dragoons are mostly gone on expeditions [Music] wagons begin to roll Northwest over another trend the 2000 mile Oregon California Trail is primarily a one-way path of migration a path taken by immigrants hoping to find a better life in a far away land during the war with Mexico that begins in 1846 soldiers from Fort Scott and Fort Leavenworth joined to form the army of the West following the Santa Fe Trail into Mexican territory they conquered the Mexican provinces of New Mexico and California [Music] in 1848 after Mexico is defeated in the town of Santa Fe belongs to the United States traffic along the trail increases in 1849 the California Gold Rush puts thousands of Fortune Seekers on both the Oregon California and Santa Fe Trails the trickle West is now becoming a flood and as traffic increases so too does Indian resistance in 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act opens the territory of Kansas to non-indian settlement and as settlement increases so too does Indian resistance in eastern Kansas the land once reserved for Native Americans has been invaded and overrun and Fort Scott and Fort Leavenworth are too far from the action in 1853 Fort Scott is closed and Fort Riley about 100 miles west of Fort Leavenworth is opened but because of its strategic location on the Missouri River Fort Leavenworth is retained as a Supply Depot and command headquarters in 1859 another Fort later to be named Larned is established about 100 miles Southwest of Fort Riley Pikes Peak or bus also in 59 gold is discovered in the Rocky Mountains and another rush for the riches is on foreign Kansas voters must decide whether it should enter the Union as a free or pro-slave state but with a pro-slave state Missouri next door it isn't long before a violence erupts [Music] troops from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth are called into action some are deployed to the town of Fort Scott in January 1861 Kansas enters the Union as a free state more traffic more settlement and the railroads are coming but then something happens that changes everything Trail traffic decreases settlement slows down railroads stop building and the regular army is shifted East where the north and south are engaged in a great civil war [Music] when volunteer troops replace the regular army tension modes treaties are ignored by both sides and the situation on the Great Plains deteriorates in 1865 after the Civil War Everything Changes again Stagecoach traffic increases railroads begin to build West through Kansas and the Homestead Act of 1862 makes settlement more attractive chief setanta of the Kiowa laments the white man takes our grass our wood or a wild game and our water and we are given nothing return [Music] to protect their Homeland to preserve their way of life Native Americans turn sporadic conflict into all-out Warfare [Music] all right the Plains Indians cannot be stopped they are Master Horsemen and they know the lay of the land as one frustrated army officer put it they are everywhere and yet nowhere their strategy is hit and run rarely do they attack Frontier forts when they do it's primarily to drive off horses or mules as hostilities increase more forts are built large and small temporary and permanent before long there is a network of forts throughout the state of Kansas in 1864 Fort Ellsworth is established on The Military Road between forts Riley and Larned in late 1866 it's renamed Harker and moved one mile to the east in 1865 three forts are built farther west Fort Dodge on the Arkansas River near the Cimarron cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail Fort Hayes in the Valley of the Smoky Hill River and on the stage route of the Butterfield Overland dispatch and Fort Wallace also on the Butterfield route [Music] the Butterfield Stage Line follows the Valley of the Smoky Hill River the shortest route to Colorado territory but before it gets there it passes through the prized hunting grounds of the Plains Indians Indian raids on the stage line bring death and destruction [Music] in 1866 after operating for only a year the Butterfield Overland dispatch sells out [Music] because of the Wide Open Spaces most Frontier forts do not have stockades or high fences they begin as tense dugouts sod Huts or at best Adobe buildings however by the late 1860s most forts have been rebuilt using more permanent materials isolated and lonely soldiers at Frontier forts live a life of monotony and boredom punctuated by brief periods of intense action because of the isolation drunkenness and desertion are major problems poor sanitation is responsible for many diseases including outbreaks of the dreaded cholera with cholera you can feel fine in the morning and be dead by evening although bathing is required by regulation due to lack of facilities it's usually done in nearby creeks meals for the most part are a daily repetition of Stew bread and coffee the only variety comes in the ingredients the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables causes scurvy and for troops in the field it's even worse they prepare their own food which often results in a substantial decline in both quantity and quality [Music] as buildings are completed enlisted men and non-commissioned officers live in barracks in contrast commissioned officers have their own quarters and their wives and families are allowed to join them as time passes most Frontier forts become community centers on the plains along with Highly Educated officers they have schools libraries churches medical facilities and organized social activities thank you [Music] between 1865 and 1875 there are dozens of skirmishes and pitched battles and three major campaigns are launched by the frontier Army but while all of this is going on two things are happening that will greatly affect the outcome of the conflict in October 1867 the Kansas Pacific reaches Fort Hays in 1868 it comes to Fort Walton by 1870 it will be completed all the way to Denver in 1872 the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe reaches Fort Dodge [Music] according to General William Tecumseh Sherman the railroad is the most important military element now in progress [Music] railroads are moving troops and supplies at speeds never before possible they are also bringing settlers and buffalo Hunters for centuries the American Bison or Buffalo roamed the Prairie feasting on the Lush grasses millions of Buffalo blackened the plains for miles and miles plenty of grass and plenty of Buffalo [Music] plenty of Buffalo for the Plains Indians who kill primarily for food and Provisions at first the white man kills for food and Sport later on it becomes a big business with the Buffalo killed Junior Extinction with railroads going everywhere and with more Forts and more soldiers the armed resistance of the Plains Indians is finally broken in 1890 the United States Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed by 1890 the long Trails were gone replaced by railroads most of the Native Americans were gone gone to reservations the Buffalo were gone only a few isolated remnants of the great herds remained and the Great Plains one said to be unsuitable for agriculture were rapidly becoming the breadbasket of the world as for the frontier forts of Kansas all were closed except for two Fort Wallace located on the Butterfield Trail in the Kansas Pacific Railroad because of all the action that took place at and around the fort it was often called the fightmist fort in the West closed in 1882 nothing remains of Fort Wallace no visible ruins no reconstruction there is however a small Museum filled with historical artifacts [Music] no ruins no reconstruction but in the local Cemetery there is one section dedicated to the soldiers and early settlers [Music] weathered Testaments of another era yet Perhaps these grave markers can shed some light on what life was like on the high plains [Music] in 1865 General Grenville Dodge laid out a fort that would soon bear his name along with protecting the Santa Fe Trail and the Santa Fe railroad Fort Dodge was a staging area for the major campaigns after closing in 1882 it reopened in 1890 as a retirement home for Kansas veterans several of the original buildings remain and a small Museum on the premises recaptures the big road that Fort Dodge played in reshaping the Western frontier in the 1870s a nearby settlement grew into one of the most notorious of the Wild West Cattle towns Dodge City [Music] before it was Fort Hayes it was Fort Fletcher in 1866 after the Butterfield Stage Line was sold Fort Fletcher was abandoned six months later it reopened primarily to protect construction Crews on the Kansas Pacific the first railroad to build across the state of Kansas foreign sixty seven the fort was moved 15 miles and renamed Hayes in honor of General Alexander Hayes who was killed in the Civil War major construction was completed in 1868. and the fort remained active until 1889. [Music] in 1900 the Military Reservation was divided into three areas an agricultural research station administered by Kansas State University [Music] a college that became Fort Hayes State University [Music] and a State Historical Park where four of the fort's original buildings and a visitor center are maintained by the Kansas State Historical Society [Music] Fort Larned was established in 1859 to protect wagon trains and mail routes on the Santa Fe Trail along with Fort Dodge it was also a designated Indian agency dispensing annuities and rations to Indian tribes who live nearby in 1883 Fort larned's Ten Thousand Acres were turned over to the general land office and for a long time the fort buildings were part of a farm and ranch during the 1950s some of the buildings were made into a private tourist operation in 1966 it was acquired by the National Park Service and restored to its 1868 appearance The Preserve buildings and authentic restoration combined to make Fort Larned an excellent example of a late 1860s Frontier fort [Music] Harker began as Fort Ellsworth in 1864. two years later it was moved and renamed for General Charles Garrison Harker its strategic location on The Military Road between forts Riley and Larned on the Smoky Hill Trail and on the Kansas Pacific Railroad made Fort Harker a major distribution center for Kansas Colorado Texas and New Mexico [Music] today four of the original buildings are still in use three of these buildings were officers quarters the other a two-story guard house which is now a museum [Music] also at Fort Harker archaeological field work is turning up remnants from the past as historical archaeologists attempt to learn more about the fort and its occupants oh established in 1853 Fort Riley was named in honor of General Bennett C Reilly who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1827. in 1866 the seventh Cavalry was organized at Fort Riley under the command of George Armstrong Custer the Cavalry Museum located in the original post Hospital building Chronicles the colorful history of the mounted soldier from the Revolutionary War to 1950. no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no at Fort Riley the refurbished Custer house offers a glimpse of what an officer's wife described as the glittering misery of Army Family Life in the mid-19th century with approximately eleven thousand soldiers stationed here Fort Riley is an active post that still has a Cavalry unit which performs on special occasions thank you Fort Scott established in 1842 was named to honor the General in Chief of the army Winfield Scott however was not pleased to have his name attached to a small obscure Outpost it was done he said without my knowledge and against my wishes from log Huts to substantial quarters in eight years Fort Scott was one of the finest military posts on the Western frontier [Music] unfortunately by the time it was completed it was no longer needed two years after it closed in 1853 the fort buildings were sold and became the town of Fort Scott during the Civil War the town garrisoned more soldiers than it did in its Frontier Days over the years many of the old forts buildings survived and became part of the city restoration began in the 1970s and in 1978 Fort Scott became a National Historic Site Fort Leavenworth the queen of Frontier forts established in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth it is the oldest active Army Post west of the Mississippi Robert E Lee Ulysses S Grant John Pershing Douglas MacArthur Dwight Eisenhower and Colin Powell all our alumni of this distinguished post [Music] located on the Bluffs of the Missouri River this 5 000 acre facility is a National Historic Landmark [Music] vestiges of the past are everywhere several existing residences were built as early as 1839. and The Rookery dating back to 1828 is the oldest house continuously occupied in the state of Kansas [Music] the frontier Army museum highlights more than 180 years of Frontier Army and Fort Leavenworth history [Music] more than nineteen thousand veterans are buried in the post Cemetery going back to the war of 1812. a special Gold Leaf Insignia distinguishes Congressional Medal of Honor recipients [Music] Captain Tom Custer received two of these medals during the Civil War but like his brother George didn't survive the battle of the Little Bighorn [Music] in 1881 General William Sherman started the school that evolved into the command and general staff College it is the highest rated School in the Army's educational system black soldiers black units after the Civil War the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiment served throughout the plains Indians called them Buffalo Soldiers a proud title that they still carry today [Music] at Fort Leavenworth a 16-foot bronze statue honors their courage and fighting skills and recognizes their many years of service to their country [Music] the frontier forts of Kansas at first protecting the frontier in the end helping to expand it [Music] now eight of these forts are bringing back the past as museums and historical sites they invite you to come and share the excitement of these turbulent and eventful times [Music] thank you foreign [Music]

Channel: Great Documentaries

Views: 110,446

Keywords: documentary, docs, documentaries, tv doc, Frontier Fort of Kansas, Kansas History, American History, Kansas history, Frontier forts, Wild West, American frontier, Old West, Kansas landmarks, Forts and settlements, Pioneer history, Westward expansion, Kansas heritage, Historical sites, Western territories, Fort Riley, Fort Larned, Fort Scott, Fort Hays, Fort Dodge, Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, Kansas tourism, Western history, Historical preservation, Exploring the past

Id: F-eLk9802LI

Length: 30min 43sec (1843 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 25 2023