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Society
of Friends of Historic Fort Hays
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| "In point of location
and design, for those consigned to the isolation of life on the
plains, I conceive this to be a most desirable place." Fort Hays was active from 1865 until 1889. Originally designated Fort Fletcher, it was located five miles south of present Walker, Kansas, and became operational on October 11, 1865. Troops stationed at Fort Fletcher were to protect the stage and freight wagons of the Butterfield Overland Despatch (BOD) traveling along the Smoky Hill Trail to Denver. Despite the presence of the soldiers, Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho Indians continued to attack traffic along the trail, the owner of the BOD went bankrupt, and the line was abandoned. Since the Smoky HIll Trail was no longer in use, Fort Fletcher was closed on May 5, 1866. On October 11, 1866, Fort Fletcher was reopened. The Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division, was being constructed westward roughly paralleling the Smoky Hill Trail and the construction workers needed the protection of the U.S. Army. In December 1866, Fort Fletcher was renamed Fort Hays in honor of Brigadier General Alexander Hays, who was killed during the Civil War. As the railroad approached Fort Hays, it became apparent that it would pass too far north of the post to be useful as a supply depot. On June 23, 1867, the new Fort Hays was occupied at a site just south of present-day Hays. With the arrival of the railway at Hays City in October 1867, the goal of a large supply depot to service forts to the south and west was realized. Some of the famous figures associated with the fort included General Nelson Miles, General Philip Sheridan, and Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. It was also home of several well-known Indian Wars regiments such as the 7th U.S. Cavalry, the 5th U.S. Infantry, and the 10th U.S. Cavalry, whose black troopers were better known as "The Buffalo Soldiers." After twenty-five years of service, Fort Hays was abandoned on November 8, 1889. 
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