Fort Scott, KS

Yesterday I decided to start on one of my journey's and follow a path called the

Frontier Military Scenic Byway. This Byway is one of the Scenic byways of the state of Kansas. It is the old military road that was used by Army to transport supplies and troops between the frontier forts. It start at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and ends at the Oklahoma border. However it probably continued on as the troops left Fort Scott and went to fight wars and do border patrols down in Texas.

The town above is Fort Scott, Kansas which has some real historically value to it. This was our first visit on a trip to discover the military byway on Highway 69. The old Fort, Fort Scott was very interesting to see and very educational. Fort Scott was established in 1842 to assist with the protection of the Permanent Indian Frontier, troops guarded caravans on the Santa Fe Trail and patrolled the frontier territory. In 1953 the government abandoned the Fort and the buildings were sold at auction. In the Civil war Fort Scott was re-established when Kansas became a Union state. Fort Scott's main purpose during the civil war was to recruit and train black soldiers. Strategically vital during the Civil War as a supply depot, training center and recruitment station.

Fort Scott also has a National Cemetery which is one of the original 12 designated by Abraham Lincoln and is older than Arlington, It is also known for it's brick foundries which not only provided bricks for Fort Scott's streets, but for the Indianapolis Speedway ("The Brickyard") and the Panama Canal. It has beautiful streets full of Victorian mansions. It also has 5 lakes nearby two of which are in Gunn Park, which is a man made park with 155 acres. You can rent boats on the lake, go fishing for trout, camp with either an RV or a tent. It's a beautiful park inside of a beautiful city. Full of old history and a charm that makes you want to go back. A visit to Fort Scott is well worth the time and I plan on visiting many more times.