Fort Hays facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Hays |
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| 1472 U.S. Highway 183 Alt, Hays, Kansas in United States | |
The stone blockhouse at Fort Hays (2016)
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 Fort Hays
Location in Kansas
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| Coordinates | 38°51′42″N 99°20′32″W / 38.86167°N 99.34222°W |
| Type | Military base |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Kansas Historical Society |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Partially dismantled; remnants preserved as a historical site |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1865 (1st site) 1866 (2nd site) 1867 (final site) |
| Built by | U.S. Army |
| In use | 1865-1889 |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders |
Nelson Miles Philip Sheridan |
| Garrison | 5th Infantry Regiment 7th Cavalry Regiment 10th Cavalry Regiment 38th Infantry Regiment |
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Fort Hays State Historic Site
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| Location | Frontier Historical Park, Hays, Kansas |
| Area | 177 acres (72 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000314 |
| Added to NRHP | January 25, 1971 |
Fort Hays, originally called Fort Fletcher, was a U.S. Army fort located near Hays, Kansas. It was active from 1865 to 1889. This fort was an important military post on the frontier during the American Indian Wars of the late 1800s.
Today, Fort Hays is a historical park. It reopened in 1929 and is now run by the Kansas Historical Society. It is known as the Fort Hays State Historic Site.
Contents
The Start of Fort Hays
The U.S. Army built Fort Fletcher on October 11, 1865. Its main job was to protect stagecoaches and wagons traveling on the Smoky Hill Trail. These travelers faced attacks from Native American tribes like the Cheyenne and Arapaho.
The fort was named after Thomas C. Fletcher, who was the governor of Missouri at the time. It was located near Big Creek in western Kansas. Soldiers from the 1st U.S. Volunteer Infantry and the 13th Missouri Cavalry were stationed there. Even with the soldiers, attacks on the stage line continued. The stagecoach company eventually went out of business, and the trail was no longer used. Fort Fletcher closed on May 5, 1866.
Moving and Renaming the Fort
The U.S. Army reopened Fort Fletcher on October 11, 1866. This time, it was located a short distance north of the first site. The fort's new purpose was to protect workers building the Union Pacific railway line. This railway was being built westward, next to the Smoky Hill Trail.
In November 1866, the Army renamed the post Fort Hays. It was named after Brigadier General Alexander Hays. He had died during the American Civil War at the Battle of the Wilderness.
On June 7, 1867, a big flood almost destroyed the fort. Nine soldiers and civilians died in the flood.
A New Location
The Army wanted Fort Hays to be a major supply center for other military posts. This meant it needed to be close to the railway. However, the railroad track was five miles north of the fort. Because of this and the recent flood, the Army decided to move the fort again.
Major General Winfield Hancock ordered the move. Major Alfred Gibbs chose a new spot 15 miles to the northwest. This new location was where the railway would cross Big Creek. The Army moved Fort Hays to this final location on June 23, 1867.
Settlers soon arrived because of the fort's new location and the railway. They started communities nearby, including Rome and Hays City. Hays City was named after the fort.
Life at Fort Hays
The area around Fort Hays was about 7,500 acres. Unlike some other forts on the Great Plains, Fort Hays did not have a big wall around it. It looked more like a small frontier town. The only real defense was a blockhouse. The fort was a base for supplies and soldiers. From here, troops could be sent out to protect people and places when conflicts with Plains Indians happened. Over time, the fort grew to have about 45 buildings.
In the late summer of 1867, a serious illness called cholera spread through the area. Many people got sick, including Elizabeth Polly. She was a woman who had been helping the sick at the fort. She was buried near a hill. Later, people told stories of seeing her ghost in the area, calling her the "Blue Light Lady."
Fort Hays became a very important Army base during the conflicts with Native American tribes. It served as a place for soldiers to start their missions and a supply point for Fort Dodge and Camp Supply to the south.
Major General Philip Sheridan used Fort Hays as his main base in 1868-1869. He was supported by Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment. They led campaigns against the Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes. Famous scouts like Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok also worked for the Army at Fort Hays during this time.
Custer and the 7th Cavalry continued to operate from the fort when Colonel Nelson Miles took command in April 1869. Miles led the 5th Infantry Regiment. Their job was to protect the railroad as it was built west into Colorado Territory. In 1871, Custer and the 7th Cavalry moved to the South. Miles and the 5th Infantry headquarters moved to Fort Leavenworth. During this period, soldiers from the 10th Cavalry Regiment, known as "Buffalo Soldiers", and the 38th Infantry Regiment were also stationed at Fort Hays.
The U.S. Army continued to use Fort Hays until June 1, 1889. It was officially closed on November 8, 1889. The Kansas Legislature asked for the site to be used as a home for soldiers, but the U.S. Department of the Interior took control of the land and buildings instead.
In 1895, the Legislature asked again for the site, this time for education and recreation. This request was also denied. Four years later, the land was opened for settlement. However, on March 28, 1900, the U.S. Congress passed a law. This law gave the Fort Hays land to the state of Kansas. It was to be used for an experiment station for the Kansas State Agricultural College and a branch of the Kansas State Normal School. In 1901, the experiment station was set up, and land was put aside for the normal school. The school opened in June 1902 and later became Fort Hays State University. Kansas State University still runs the experiment station as a farm research center.
Most of the fort's buildings were sold off in 1902. What was left of the fort became Frontier Historical Park in 1929. A museum opened there in 1955. In 1967, it was named a state historic site. The Kansas Historical Society took over the property and still runs it as the Fort Hays State Historic Site today.
Fort Hays State Historic Site Today
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The Kansas Historical Society takes care of what remains of Fort Hays. This area is now called the Fort Hays State Historic Site. The site has a visitor center, the fort's old parade ground, and four of its original buildings. These include the blockhouse, the guardhouse, and two of the officers' quarters.
The blockhouse, built in 1867, and the guardhouse, built in 1872, have exhibits. These exhibits show the fort's history, how it was built, and what life was like for the soldiers. The two restored officers' quarters are furnished with items from the 1860s to the 1880s. This shows how they looked when the fort was active.
The visitor center, built in 1967, has exhibits about the conflicts between the U.S. and the Plains Indians. It also displays Native American artifacts from that time. Other exhibits on the grounds show where other buildings once stood and tell stories about the civilians who lived and worked at the fort. A sculpture called Monarch of the Plains was put up in 1967. It overlooks the highway near the Historic Site.
Where is Fort Hays?
The Fort Hays State Historic Site is located at 38°51′42″N 99°20′32″W / 38.86167°N 99.34222°W. It is about 2,024 feet (617 meters) above sea level. The site covers 177 acres. It is on the south side of the U.S. Route 183 Bypass, just southwest of Hays, Kansas. The main campus of Fort Hays State University is north of the site, across the bypass and Big Creek.
The very first Fort Fletcher, used from October 1865 to May 1866, was on Big Creek. It was a quarter-mile south of where Big Creek meets its North Fork. The second Fort Fletcher site, used from October 1866 to June 1867 (and renamed Fort Hays in November 1866), was right at that meeting point. This meeting point is at 38°47′52″N 99°05′04″W / 38.79778°N 99.08444°W. It is about 5 miles (8 km) south of Walker, Kansas and 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Hays. The final site of Fort Hays, where the historic site is today, was moved to in June 1867.
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte Hays para niños
