Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Tallgrass Prairie Remnant
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2025
1. Tallgrass Prairie Remnant Marker
This prairie has a long military connection. Captains Lewis and Clark passed this site on July 1, 1804, on their way to the Pacific Ocean with the Corps of Discovery. General Henry Leavenworth established the Fort here in 1827, to protect the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. They saw a very different landscape. The bluffs along the Missouri River were then prairies with trees on the slopes or along water. The Fort would not have been a cavalry post if there had not been grazing for the horses.
There are remnant prairies on post that still have the native warm season grasses and some of the forbs of the original grasslands. Restoration and management of these areas are priorities of the natural resource section. A pastureland in the area might have 10 to 20 species of grasses and forbs but a diverse prairie can have hundreds. Pennsylvania Prairie in Missouri has 289 documented species and in 2019 was found to have 46 different species in a single quarter meter. The tallgrass prairie in this eastern part of Kansas is not the climax community. It must be burned every few years or trees will out compete the prairie grasses. You can see that this has happened to most of the post over the past 200 years. Enjoy this glimpse of the once dominant ecosystem of the area.
Erected by Fort Leavenworth
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1804.
Location. 39° 22.249′ N, 94° 56.344′ W. Marker is in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in Leavenworth County. It is on Sheridan Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Leavenworth KS 66027, 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 itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fort de Cavagnial (here, next to this marker); Woody Agriculture Planting (1997) (approx. 0.7 miles away); Brunner Range (approx. one mile away); Elizabeth Schenck Smith House (approx. 1.3 miles away); Post Riding Hall (approx. 1.3 miles away); Artillery Guard House (approx. 1.3 miles away); Fort Sully (approx. 1.4 miles away); Address by President Lincoln (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Leavenworth.
More about this marker. This is an active US Army post. Proper identification is required for entry.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2025
2. Tallgrass Prairie Remnant and Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2025
3. Tallgrass Prairie Remnant and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 56 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
