Manhattan in Riley County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Ft. Leavenworth - Ft. Riley Military Road
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., May 17, 2012
1. Ft. Leavenworth - Ft. Riley Military Road Marker
After crossing the Blue River and entering Riley County at the foot of Poyntz Avenue, "The Great Military Road" proceeded west to this point, where it angled off southwest passing through Theodore Roosevelt School grounds, Longs Park, and squeezed between the south end of the ridge in Sunset Park and the Kansas River channel, where Ft. Riley Blvd. is now located. From this marker, two additional branches angled off, one to the north to the Rocky Ford area, and one to the northwest where it joined "The Old Indian Trail" in the vicinity of Cico Park. Albert D. Richardson, along with Horace Greeley, both New York Tribune journalists, passing through Manhattan in 1859 on their way to the Colorado gold fields, described Manhattan as "a flourishing Yankee settlement of two or three hundred people."
Text by Morris Werner
Erected 2009 by Polly Ogden Chapter D.A.R., Travis Matteson Family, Commerce Bank, and Bayer Construction Co.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
this page online
Location. 39° 10.779′ N, 96° 34.487′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, Kansas, in Riley County. It is at the intersection of Poyntz Avenue and 12th Street, on the right when traveling west on Poyntz Avenue. Marker is at the south entrance to City Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1101 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan KS 66502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas and in the Flint Hills. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Civil War Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Spanish American War Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away); Harahey (about 700 feet away); Dobřichovice, Czech Republic Manhattan, Kansas (approx. 0.2 miles away); Carnegie Library
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., May 17, 2012
2. Ft. Leavenworth - Ft. Riley Military Road Marker
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort Leavenworth - Fort Riley Military Road
Also see . . . History of Frontier Trails in Kansas. Legends of America website entry (Submitted on February 14, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,252 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on September 4, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 14, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
