Fort Wallace Railroad Section House
History
First called Camp Pond Creek, Fort Wallace was established
in 1865 near present-day Wallace. A year later soldiers were moved farther
east along the Smoky Hill River where the fort was built. This fort
protected travelers heading west along the Smoky Hill Trail to the Denver
gold fields. It was the westernmost outpost along the trail between
the Missouri River and Denver. Soldiers also protected settlers in the
area.
By 1882 the U.S. government decided to discontinue the
services of Fort Wallace and to abandon the site. In 1885 the U.S.
government exhumed the bodies of 88 soldiers and moved them to Fort
Leavenworth. More than 100 graves were left, including U.S. scouts
who were not members of the conventional Army.
Pond Creek Stage Station,
Wallace Depot and Fort Wallace Museum
Tours and Information
All that remains of the original fort is the old post
cemetery, enclosed by stone walls within the Wallace Township cemetery.
The area where the original buildings stood is directly south of the
cemetery on private property. Access is very limited.
Headstone at Fort Wallace
Call for appointment. 913-891-3538.
Museum just east
of Wallace on US Hwy 40.
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