Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott National Historic Site is a 17-acre property inside the city of Fort Scott. Contained on the site are a parade ground, 20 historic structures and about 5 acres of restored tallgrass prairie. The site preserves and protects what's left of a frontier fort established in 1842 as part of a line of forts stretching from Louisiana to Minnesota meant to keep the peace between Native Americans and incoming white settlers.

The fort was built on a bluff with three steep sides and a fourth to the south with a gentle slope. The fort lagged in construction because of the severe shortage of timber in the area. Those buildings that were built generally surrounded the 350-foot parade ground.

Troops from Fort Scott patrolled as far west on the Oregon Trail as South Pass in south-central Wyoming and on the Santa Fe Trail. An interesting event in 1842 saw troops from Fort Scott disarming a bunch of Texan freebooters who'd been raiding around the area trying to instigate a war with Mexico. Then in 1846 many of the troops were participants in the Mexican War, some marching all the way to Mexico City.

Fort Scott National Historic Site is open April through October daily from 8 am to 5 pm and from November through March from 9 am to 5 pm daily except for Federal holidays. There are no entry fees involved.