Book Six in the Series of Eight

This work covers the conflict that surrounded the post when it was established in1853. The story follows the fort through the Civil War and the hostilities between Indians and settlers in the West. Standing as a central military stronghold, it escaped the grudual demise of most western forts and evolved with a changing army into the twentieth century. Fort Riley exists today as one of two active posts in Kansas.

Fort Riley was part of a series of forts established by the United States government to protect travelers, commerce, and settlers as they moved across Kansas. Because of its founding date, one year before Kansas became a territory, Fort Riley's history is intimately linked with Kansas's own. In many ways they both mirror the story of life on the Plains during the ninetenth century.

William McKale is the museum specialist for the U.S. Cavalry Mseum in Fort Riley, Kansas. He holds a master's degree in American History from Kansas State Univeristy and has taught in public schools and for seveeral small colleges. McKale's publications include works on local and military history. A native Kansan, he lives in Wakefield with his wife, Elaine.

William D. Young is a professor of history at Johnson County Community College, a freeance writer, and a freelance development editor. His published works include History of the United States Through the Civil War (1986), Source Readings in American Government, Second Edition (1999), and American Tapestry: Changing Interpretations of the Nation's Past (forthcoming). Young lives in Lawrence with his wife, Michelle, and sons.

Jerry Thomas, a Manhattan resident, created cover artwork for each of the books in the forts series. He is a full-time artist who has received numerous national awards for his wildlife and historical paintings.

This series has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Parks Service, a division of the United States Department of the Interior, and administered by the Kansas Historical Society. The contents and opinions, however, do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of the Interior or the Kansas Historical Society.