Qualla: Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth: Introduction

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Noah Albro, Command and General Staff College PAO, Public domain. The Rookery still stands. Built between 1832 and 1834 as bachelor officer quarters, it is the oldest building in Kansas and once served as the first territorial capitol. Kansas Governor Andrew Reeder set up his executive offices inside it in 1854. That a building with such political significance doubles as a military relic tells you everything about Fort Leavenworth. Established in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth and 174 enlisted men of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the post was conceived as a forward base to protect the Santa Fe Trail. It quickly became far more -- the eastern terminus for both the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, a staging ground for the Mexican-American War, a birthplace of the Buffalo Soldiers, and, since 1881, the intellectual center of the United States Army.

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Image: Noah Albro, Command and General Staff College PAO | Public domain

Fort Leavenworth: Gateway to the West

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit War Department. Office of the Chief of Engineers. 1818-9/18/1947, Public domain. Colonel Henry Leavenworth's orders were specific: ascend the Missouri River and find a site for a permanent cantonment near the mouth of the Little Platte River. He was supposed to build on the east bank, but the location was flood-prone. On May 8, 1827, he recommended a spot on ...

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Image: War Department. Office of the Chief of Engineers. 1818-9/18/1947 | Public domain

Fort Leavenworth: The Buffalo Soldiers Ride Out

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit War Department. Office of the Chief of Engineers. 1818-9/18/1947, Public domain. On September 21, 1866, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was formed at Fort Leavenworth under the command of Colonel Benjamin Grierson. Congress had authorized four African-American regiments -- the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry -- and Fort Leavenworth became the bi...

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Image: War Department. Office of the Chief of Engineers. 1818-9/18/1947 | Public domain

Fort Leavenworth: Where Generals Learn Their Trade

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gorsedwa at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. In 1881, General William T. Sherman established the School of Application for Cavalry and Infantry at Fort Leavenworth. That school evolved into the United States Army Command and General Staff College, which has trained almost every Army major since. Every modern five-star gener...

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Image: Gorsedwa at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Fort Leavenworth: Behind the Walls

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit US Army, Public domain. Fort Leavenworth houses the Military Corrections Complex, including the United States Disciplinary Barracks -- the Department of Defense's only maximum-security prison for military personnel of all branches. Established in 1875 under Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Rice, the prison has...

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Image: US Army | Public domain

Fort Leavenworth: Nearly Two Centuries of Continuous Service

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Makuakane, CC BY-SA 3.0. The fort sprawls across 5,634 acres and contains a 213-acre National Historic Landmark District, established in 1974. Sherman Army Airfield serves the post, its runway shared with civilian aircraft under a joint agreement with the city of Leavenworth. The airfield has been floode...

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Image: Makuakane | CC BY-SA 3.0