Fort Leavenworth Base: Pics and Stories
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In 1827, Col. Henry H. Leavenworth of the Third United States Infantry was instructed to establish a cantonment on the east bank of the Missouri River. Intended for protection of wagon trains heading west, he found the original site that had been approved was a low, marshy area, so he took it upon himself to establish the cantonment atop the bluffs on the west bank instead of the east. Beginning with a tent camp, Leavenworth started building at least two months before the area was officially approved. When approval was received on September 19, 1827, the establishment, which early records show had 14 officers and 174 enlisted men, was named Cantonment Leavenworth. Renamed Fort Leavenworth in 1832, it was to become the most important military post ever established by the Government in the West.
The 1938 boundaries of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reserve were defined as extending “from six to seven miles along the Missouri River . . . from one to two miles wide, containing about 6.840 acres." Known as the oldest permanent white settlement in Kansas, Fort Leavenworth is a military post that evolved into a town, and by 1910 the population had reached 2000. Today it remains the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi. Three miles south of Fort Leavenworth is the city of Leavenworth, which was founded in 1854 and was the first incorporated city in the state of Kansas.
The 1938 boundaries of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reserve were defined as extending “from six to seven miles along the Missouri River . . . from one to two miles wide, containing about 6.840 acres." Known as the oldest permanent white settlement in Kansas, Fort Leavenworth is a military post that evolved into a town, and by 1910 the population had reached 2000. Today it remains the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi. Three miles south of Fort Leavenworth is the city of Leavenworth, which was founded in 1854 and was the first incorporated city in the state of Kansas.