Leavenworth in Leavenworth County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The City of Leavenworth
Photographed by Thomas Onions, January 6, 2008
1. The City of Leavenworth Marker
Two weeks after Kansas was officially opened for settlement, the state's oldest city was born. The date was June 12, 1854, and the town was named for nearby Fort Leavenworth.
In September, type for the first regular weekly newspaper in Kansas was set under an elm tree on the levee. The newspaper came in "even before our sins," a journalist wrote later. Within four years, Leavenworth's population had soared beyond 10,000 as steamboats and freighting wagons, supplying Western forts and the ever-advancing frontier, made business boom.
"Buffalo" Bill Cody, William T. Sherman, and Fred Harvey were early area residents before they won fame respectively as army scout and showman, Civil War general, and restaurateur. Abraham Lincoln, on a speaking tour, spent four days here in December 1859. The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, established in 1858, operates nearly 100 schools and colleges, including nearby St. Mary.
Prisons abound near Leavenworth. South, at Lansing, are the state penitentiary and women's industrial farm, while north of the city are the U. S. disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth and the federal penitentiary.
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Exploration • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Kansas Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1865.
Location. 39° 19.726′ N, 94° 55.025′ W. Marker is in Leavenworth, Kansas, in Leavenworth County. It is on Metropolitian Street (State Highway 92) Ό mile north of State Highway 7, on the right. This marker is a third of a mile west of the Missouri River bridges on K-92. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leavenworth KS 66048, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas and specifically in Greater Kansas City. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, 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
Photographed by Thomas Onions, January 6, 2008
2. The City of Leavenworth Marker
Area shot of the marker.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lynching in America / Lynchings in Leavenworth County (approx. Ό mile away); Unsung Heroes in American History (approx. Ό mile away); Bishop's Residence (approx. 0.3 miles away); Votes for Women (approx. 0.4 miles away); Temple B'Nai Jeshurun (approx. half a mile away); "The Anthonys" (approx. half a mile away); The First Public Park in Kansas (approx. 0.6 miles away); St. Paul Lutheran Church (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leavenworth.
More about this marker. This marker is in a small gravel turnout on the north side of K-92 (Metropolitan Street near the junction of K-7.
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2009
3. Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2009
4. Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary
Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2009, by Thomas Onions of Olathe, Kansas. This page has been viewed 1,510 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2009, by Thomas Onions of Olathe, Kansas. 3, 4. submitted on May 30, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of Fort Leavonworth, St. Mary, prisons and historical buildings mentioned in marker text. • Can you help?
