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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Kearney in Kearney County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains) |
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Fort Kearny
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By Rebecca Maxwell, June 6, 2011 | |
| | | 1. Fort Kearny Marker | | |
Inscription. The growth of overland emigration to Oregon after 1842 resulted in the establishment of military posts across the West to protect travelers. The first post, Fort Kearny, was established in the spring of 1848 “near the head of the Grand Island” along the Platte River by Lieutenant Daniel P. Woodbury. It was first called Fort Childs, but in 1848 the post was renamed Fort Kearny in honor of General Stephen Watts Kearny.
Despite its lack of fortifications, Fort Kearny served as a way station, sentinel post, supply depot, and message center for 49'ers bound for California and homeseekers traveling to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. By the 1860's the fort had become a significant stage and freighting station and home station of the Pony Express. During the Indian Wars of 1864-1865 a small stockade was apparently built upon the earth embankment still visible. Although never under attack, the post did serve as an outfitting depot for several Indian campaigns.
One of the fort's final duties was the protection of workers building the Union Pacific. In 1871, two years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the fort was discontinued as a military post. This site has been entered on the National Register of Historic Places.
Erected by Nebraska Games and Parks Commission and the Nebraska State Historical Society| | | | 
By Rebecca Maxwell, June 6, 2011 | |
| | | 2. Fort Kearny Marker Near Replica | | |
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Location. 40° 38.526′ N, 99° 0.41′ W. Marker is in Kearney, Nebraska, in Kearney County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of V Road (Nebraska Route 50A) and Road 29. Click for map. Marker is located within Fort Kearney State Historical Park between the Blacksmith Shop and the fort replica. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1020 V Road, Kearney NE 68847, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Dobytown (approx. 2 miles away); The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad (approx. 2.9 miles away); The Great Platte River Road (approx. 4.1 miles away); Historic Kearney (approx. 5.3 miles away); Site of Bauer Drug (approx. 5.3 miles away); Kearney: From the Beginning (approx. 5.3 miles away); Boyd House (approx. 5.3 miles away); Old Oregon Trail (approx. 5.3 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Kearney.
Also see . . .
1. Fort Kearny State Historical Park. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (Submitted on June 22, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
2. Fort Kearny State Historical Park and State Recreational Area (pdf file). Nebraska Games and Parks Commission (Submitted on June 22, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
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By Rebecca Maxwell, June 6, 2011 | |
| | | 3. Fort Kearny Grounds | | The outlines of buildings that once stood at Fort Kearny | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on June 8, 2011, by Rebecca Maxwell of Boise, Idaho. This page has been viewed 309 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 8, 2011, by Rebecca Maxwell of Boise, Idaho. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
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