Kansas Forts and Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie

The relationship between Kansas and the science of war is ingrained, consistent and evident, yet it seems antithetical to the quiet, conservative farmer who is the quintessential image of the state. It is not. The same values created both, and both created Kansas. From early exploration of America, Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War and the Plains Indian wars to the world wars and the modern era, the forts and bases of the Sunflower State have been central to America's defense. Beginning with Fort de Cavagnial in 1744 through to the defunct fields of Cold War missile silos, historians Debra Goodrich Bisel and Michelle M. Martin provide a guide to the forts and posts throughout Kansas.

Deb Goodrich Bisel is president of the Shawnee County Historical Society and co-president of the Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Kansas. A freelance journalist and historian, she has appeared on numerous documentaries, has spoken to hundreds of groups around the nation and is a frequent talk-radio guest.

Michelle M. Martin is a widely sought-after living history interpreter. She has taught history at Pittsburg State University, Baker University and Fort Scott Community College in Kansas and is currently on the faculty at Rogers State University. Martin is the Director/Historian of the Little House on the Prairie Museum near Independence, KS.