Fort Riley (Junction City and Manhattan area, Geary and Riley counties, Kansas)

Junction City and Manhattan area, Geary and Riley counties · Kansas · Indian Wars, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Gulf War

Quick BriefFort Riley was located at the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican Rivers in 1853, initially called Camp Center before being renamed in June 1853 in honor of Major General Bennett C. Riley, a former Commander of Fort Leavenworth and Mexican War veteran. Congress authorized appropriations in 1855 to provide additional quarters and stables for the Dragoons, with materials and craftsmen arriving from Leavenworth. The post served critical roles protecting westward travel routes during the Indian Wars, sheltering Confederate prisoners during the Civil War, training the 7th Cavalry under Custer in 1866, and expanding significantly during both World Wars before becoming home to the 1st Infantry Division.

Civil WarActive base today

History & Significance

The Federal Government decided a military fort was needed further west than Leavenworth to maintain order and guard the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. In fall 1852, a surveying party under Captain Robert H. Chilton selected the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers as a site, approved by the War Department in January 1853.

The post grew rapidly into a limestone construction following standard frontier design. During the Civil War, regular units returned east while Kansas militia used the fort as a base for protection of the Santa Fe Trail, and the fort was used to confine Confederate prisoners.

In 1866 the 7th Cavalry Regiment was mustered-in at Riley with George A. Custer arriving in December to command, and the following spring Custer and the regiment left for campaigns on the western plains. Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan recommended in 1884 that the fort become "Cavalry Headquarters of the Army", leading to establishment of the cavalry school in 1887.

America's entry into World War I resulted in expansion of Camp Funston (5 miles east), capable of accommodating 30,000 to 50,000 men, with the 89th Division training there before sailing to France in spring 1918. During World War II, approximately 125,000 soldiers trained at the facilities, with notable trainees including Joe Louis and Mickey Rooney; the 9th Armored Division was organized in July 1942, and Camp Funston later served as a prisoner-of-war camp.