Fort Larned National Historic Site, near Larned, Kansas, preserves a historic United States Army fort. Fort Larned was one of the forts along the Santa Fe Trail, an important trade route stretching from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In 1859, the U.S. Army established Fort Larned in the heart of American Indian hunting grounds. The first fort was made of sod. From 1866 to 1868, the Army rebuilt the fort with sandstone blocks. Many of the fort’s structures have been restored to the way they looked in 1868. These buildings house an arsenal; a bakery; craftworkers’ shops; the post commissary; the post hospital; a school; and storage facilities. Other restored buildings include a guardhouse and officers’ homes. A remodeled infantry barracks houses a visitor center and museum. Visitors to the site may walk a nature trail and attend demonstrations on fort life during the 1860’s. A few minutes’ drive from the fort, tourists can see actual ruts made by wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.
Fort Larned helped protect mail and other traffic along the Santa Fe Trail from the Plains Indians. Troops stationed at the fort escorted government wagon trains and civilians along the route. From 1862 to 1868, an Indian Agency also operated from the fort. The agency provided the Indians with annuities—that is, goods promised to them in treaties they had signed with the U.S. government.
Beginning in 1872, Fort Larned’s final mission was to guard the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad. The railroad eventually replaced the Santa Fe Trail as a means of transport. With fewer wagon trains to protect, the fort’s importance decreased. In addition, by the late 1870’s, many Plains Indians had moved to reservations and no longer threatened travelers. In 1878, the Army stopped using the fort and abandoned it.
Fort Larned became a national historic site in 1964. The National Park Service operates the site.
