Fort Scott is a story about when America was still young. Established in 1842 at a time when the nation was still confined largely to the area east of the Mississippi River. Yet within a few years, the soldiers at Fort Scott became involved in events that would lead to great expansion and growth of the nation.

As the nation developed, tensions over slavery led to the conflict and turmoil of events called Bleeding Kansas and soon after that, the Civil War. Fort Scott travels through these years of crisis and beyond to the time when the United States emerged as a united, transcontinental nation.

The Louisiana purchase in 1803 added a large land mass to the nation, the Republic of Texas was annexed in 1845, Oregon country became a territory in 1846, and the Mexican Cession in 1848 took the frontier to the Pacific.

The population of the nation was under 10 million in 1820, 12.8 million in 1830, 17 million in 1840, 23 million in 1850, and 31 million in 1860.

The people coming to the United States wanted land and often they had little or no money to pay for it, so they traveled out west where free land could be found in abundance.

Located on a bluff overlooking prairie and rolling hills, Fort Scott (named for General Winfield Scott) was located etween Fort Leavenworth to the north and Fort Gibson, 150 miles south.

Fort Scott was home to infantry soldiers and the dragoons, which was an elite unit of troops trained to fight both on horseback and on foot. When not assigned on numerous expeditions, the infantry soldiers performed many of the tedious duties in building the fort.

The fort was reoccupied in 1861

After the Civil War, the Army left in 1865.

Awake at the break of day with the sun just below the horizon. I walk to the visitors center to check to see if the throne is open and walk right in. Afterwards, I drive to a shady spot and set up my stove to make coffee and my Daystart.

By the time I finish eating, there is a ranger going around to open the different buildings of the ranch, first the barn, then the chicken house, carriage house, the residence house, out house, smoke house and finally the ice house.

Interestingly, most all of these buildings were built using limestone blocks during the 1880's. Much later, the entire 7000 acres ranch was acquired by the National Park Service and became the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in 1996.

By ten am, I am on the road moving east again and arrive at Fort Scott National Historic Site with plenty of time before it closes.