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Discover Mid-America — February 2008

Frontier comes to life at
Fort Leavenworth museum

Everything that made the American frontier a cauldron of dramatic change can be seen at Fort Leavenworth’s Frontier Army Museum in Leavenworth, KS. The free museum contains more than 5,000 artifacts: weapons, uniforms, equipment and vehicles of Frontier Army soldiers who served west of the Mississippi River between 1804 and 1917.

Back in the mid-1900s, this excellent museum was mainly a collection of old wagons and other rolling stock from the frontier. The wagons came from the original wagon shop, which closed in 1939. The collection was called the “Old Rolling Wheels Museum.”

In 1960, the museum became an official Army Museum. New sources of funding and other support changed the museum from a motley collection of old artifacts to the well-organized facility it is today.

I first visited the museum shortly after I moved to Kansas City in the early sixties, and can still remember the dusty rows of wagons, carriages and other military vehicles. Years later, I returned to find vast changes: brightly lit, creatively designed, hands-on exhibits, organized to lead the visitor on a “time-travel” through frontier history. During my visit in December, I discovered more changes, thanks to a major Lewis & Clark exhibit acquired in 2006.

The museum is no longer about old wagons. Today, the exhibits include a Curtiss JN4D fabric-covered biplane, similar to the one used by Gen. John J. Pershing in the “Punitive Expedition” into Mexico. Visitors are guided through history, from the days of the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1804 to Gen. Pershing’s chase of Pancho Villa in 1916. Along the way, important tools of warfare — weapons, uniforms and military equipment — are shown, along with the role of Fort Leavenworth in the Western Expansion.

Two auxiliary groups support the Museum. The Frontier Army History Association gives living history programs, its members portraying 1840s army life from the soldiers’ point of view in Leavenworth and elsewhere. Friends of the Frontier Army Museum have aided the museum for the past two decades. Formerly known as the Musettes, the group raises funds for artifact purchases and new exhibits, and provides volunteers for tours and other activities. In addition, the Fort Leavenworth Historical Society conducts living history programs and operates the Museum Gift Shop.

To better appreciate the museum, consider some history. Fort Leavenworth, established by Col. Henry Leavenworth in 1827, is the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi River. For its first ten years, the fort was the chief base of operations on the Indian frontier. During the Mexican War, it was the outfitting post for the Army of the West. Soldiers from the fort protected wagon trains on the Santa Fe, Oregon and other trails.

The fort played an important role during the Civil War as a training center for Kansas volunteers. After the war, the Army’s mission was the control of Indian tribes, and more than 1,000 engagements were conducted with various tribes between 1865 and 1891.

In 1866, Congress authorized the formation of four black regiments, and the 10th Cavalry Regiment was formed at Fort Leavenworth under the command of Col. Benjamin H. Grierson. The regiment went on to serve with distinction throughout the West. Later, they would serve with Teddy Roosevelt in the Cuban campaign. Today, a monument at the fort pays tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments.

A school for military tacticians, established by Gen. William T. Sherman in 1881, evolved into the U.S. Army and General Staff College. Graduates planned operations during World War I with the American Expeditionary Forces. The school continues to provide leadership training for military operations around the world.

Driving to the museum is a little more complicated since 9-11, with gate sentries stopping visitors at the fort’s entrance to verify their identities. But it only takes a couple of minutes, and then it’s a short drive to the museum entrance.

Inside the low, one-story building is a corridor leading to the galleries, with displays detailing the military campaigns following the building of Fort Leavenworth. The traveling exhibit “Beyond Lewis & Clark” is now a permanent part of the museum, and the starting point to view displays featuring the fort’s role in protecting the frontier.

Beyond the main exhibit gallery are other rooms featuring many of the original carriages and wagons that made up the old “Rolling Wheels Museum,” plus a display that features the JN4D “Jenny” biplane, used near the end of the museum’s timeline.

George Moore, exhibit specialist, said the “Beyond Lewis & Clark” exhibit added a new dimension to the museum when it was acquired in 2006.

“It enabled us to put out artifacts that were not currently on exhibit,” he said. “It also established a style for future exhibits in the campaign galleries.”

Moore said that, like other museums, the Frontier Army Museum has many artifacts, which aren’t on display for lack of space.

“Many of these are combat-related,” he said, “firearms mostly, along with uniforms and support items. The items date to the Mexican-American War in 1847, the Indian campaigns, and even the Civil War. Although Fort Leavenworth was not directly involved in the Civil War, it served as an important staging area.”

Moore explained that the mission of the museum is to show the history of the U.S. Army in the Trans-Mississippi West, a history that began with Lewis & Clark and extended to the beginning of World War I. “More than 50,000 people visit the museum each year,” he said.

The gift shop at the museum is stocked with a wide variety of books relating to the history of Fort Leavenworth, trans-Mississippi area, and the various campaigns depicted in the museum.

The Frontier Army Museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/csi/museum.asp or call 913-684-3186.

Fundraising events

The Fort Leavenworth Historical Society will sponsor a Militaria Show Feb. 2 at the Frontier Conference Center. Donation at the door will be $2. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For details call 913-651-7440.

The Friends of the Frontier Army Museum will sponsor a homes tour April 19. Tickets are available at the Museum Gift Shop. Other fundraisers include a Haunted House Tour and a Mother-Daughter Tea. For details, call 913-684-3186.

Ken Weyand can be reached at kweyand1@kc.rr.com

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