Fort Dodge Museum
Kansas Soldiers Home
Kansas Hwy 154
Fort Dodge, KS
Phone: 316-227-2121
History
Situated on a site once used as a camping ground by wagon
trains, Fort Dodge was a supply depot and base of operations against
warring Plains Indians. The fort was established in 1865. The first
buildings were sod and adobe, and some troops lived in dugouts. Disease
was common during the first year in the isolated fort. The first shipments
of lumber arrived in 1866 and officers' quarters and a temporary hospital
were built. At the height of its operation, the fort boasted four companies
of infantry.
The 7th U.S. Cavalry was at Fort Dodge when George Armstrong
Custer returned to his regiment after a court martial suspension. The
fort was abandoned in 1882. Eight years later Fort Dodge was deeded
to the state for use as a soldiers home, and it still serves today as
the Kansas Soldiers Home. Several buildings are open to visitors and
tours. The quiet, tree-lined walks and dignified buildings are a far
cry from the desolate sod homes and dugouts that made up the original
fort in 1865. Limited archeological testing was conducted at the site
in 1996 by archeologists from the Kansas State Historical Society.
From the book, Panhandle Pilgrimage, by Pauline Durrett
and R.L. Robertson
Tours and Information
Visitors can take self-guided tours of the grounds during
daylight hours. A small museum located in the library is open every
day from 1 to 4.
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