Leavenworth History

In 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth founded Fort Leavenworth on the bluffs of the Missouri River. For the next several decades Fort Leavenworth played an important role in keeping the peace among the various Indian tribes and the increasing number of settlers heading west. By the 1840's, travel to Oregon and California had begun and thousands of wagons passed through Fort Leavenworth on the way to the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was signed in 1854, and soon after Leavenworth became the very "First City of Kansas." Leavenworth became nationally known as the "jumping off point" for the opening of the West. Leavenworth continued to grow and by the 1880s and 1890s was the most important manufacturing city in Kansas and one the of the largest in the United States.  Leavenworth had sixty-seven prosperous industries and was the third in furniture production, and had the second largest mill-machinery plant in the country which led in the manufacturing of stoves.  Leavenworth also produced over 250,000 tons of coal per year within the city limits.  

​Buffalo Bill Cody spent part of his youth here and later worked in the area as a Pony Express rider and Army scout. Cody's parents are buried in Leavenworth.

The Land where Leavenworth and Fort Leavenworth are located today was originally inhabited by the Kansa, Osage and Delaware Indians and today many of our streets are named after these and other local Indian tribes.

In 1858, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth settled here. In 1864, the Sisters opened St. John Hospital and in 1923 founded Saint Mary College which is now the University of Saint Mary.

In 1863, the legislature passed an act to erect the Kansas State Penitentiary on a site which is now located within the city of Lansing. The contract to build the prison was let in 1863 and work started in 1864. However, because of money difficulties connected with the Civil War, work stopped in 1864 and did not resume again until 1866. The building was first occupied in 1868.

In 1881, the school that was later to become the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College was founded on Fort Leavenworth by General William T Sherman. Some of the many famous students and instructors at the college are George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Colin Powell and George Patton.

In 1885, the Wadsworth Old Soldiers Home was built, and later became the Veterans Administration Center. In 1893, the Immanuel Chapel, made famous in Ripley's 'Believe It or Not', was built on the VA grounds.

In 1906, the first cell house of the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary was opened. 
Among the infamous criminals incarcerated here were Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. This imposing facility took over 11 years to complete.

Leavenworth has two Sister Cities: Wagga Wagga, Australia since 1962 and Omi Hachiman, Japan since 1997.

There are a great deal of wonderful sites and experiences waiting just for you and we hope that you will have the opportunity to enjoy some of our renowned Kansas hospitality!