Fort Hays (Hays, Kansas)
Hays · Kansas · American Indian Wars
History & Significance
Established on October 11, 1865, to protect Butterfield Overland Despatch stage and freight wagons traveling the Smoky Hill Trail from Cheyenne and Arapaho attacks, the post was originally named Fort Fletcher after Missouri's governor Thomas C. Fletcher. After the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division, began construction through Kansas, Fort Fletcher was reopened in October 1866 and renamed Fort Hays in November 1866 to honor Brigadier General Alexander Hays, killed during the Civil War.
A severe flood in spring 1867 killed nine soldiers and civilians, prompting relocation of the fort 15 miles northwest on June 23, 1867. Fort Hays became a key Army installation, serving as a base of operations and supply point for Fort Dodge and Camp Supply; Major General Philip Sheridan used it as headquarters during his 1868–1869 campaign against the Cheyenne and Kiowa.
Notable figures associated with the fort included Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, General Nelson Miles, General Philip Sheridan, and Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer; the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, Fifth U.S. Infantry, and Tenth U.S. Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) were all stationed there. The fort was abandoned on November 8, 1889, after 25 years of service.
On March 28, 1900, U.S. Congress donated the Fort Hays reservation to Kansas for use as an experiment station and branch of the Kansas State Normal School. The site was reopened as a historical park in 1929.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Original frontier military buildings including barracks and officers' quarters
- Museum exhibits on Indian Wars campaigns and frontier soldier life
- Historic connections to General Sheridan and Colonel Custer
- Preserved 1865-era supply depot and fort infrastructure
- Wide Kansas plains setting of original military operations
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hays
- https://kshs.org/p/fort-hays/11793
- https://www.kansashistory.gov/kansapedia/fort-hays/11793
- https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/2349/