Fort Wallace: the last post west and its role in the defense of the Kansas frontier, 1865-1880.

Abstract

The primary subject of this thesis is a description of the military post of Fort Wallace, Kansas and its association with the Smoky Hill trail. this begins with a basic summary which helps to explain how and why this military installation became a reality. The first three chapters focus on events that are indirectly related to the subject of Fort Wallace. The objective of these chapters is to establish how the theory of the Great American Desert developed and how the discovery of gold in the Pikes Peak area and other mineral deposits in the western regions of the United States began to erode this concept. There was a demand for a shorter route to the new gold fields. Closely related to this was the rapid developing idea of establishing a transcontinental railroad. As public demand grew for the development of anew transportation systems, a need for their protection was also evident. With the establishment of this background, the narration of this work then begins to focus specifically on the topic of Fort Wallace, describing how the site of the post was established, problems in constructing post facilities, and the role of the fort in defending the western portion of the Smoky Hill Trail. With the completion of this mission, the work concludes with a description of the decision to close the post and to dispose of the property.