First Capitol of Kansas - Fort Riley, Kansas
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member WayBetterFinder
N 39° 05.139 W 096° 45.744
14S E 693534 N 4328664
Between the Kansas River and Huebner Road at the edge of Geary County but inside Fort Riley, Kansas stands the first territorial capitol of Kansas!
Waymark Code: WM10J6Q
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Four For All
Views: 5

Driving northeastward through Fort Riley on Huebner Road, eventually the road begins to parallel a railroad track. On the driver's right side, eventually there will be a crossing roadway over which the car can turn into the parking lot of the First Territorial Capitol of Kansas. It was only the capitol of Kansas for a brief time, less than one week, before it was moved; but, the building remains and is now being used appropriately as a historical museum of Kansas.
Kansas started out as a large geographical territory, similar to the Oregon Territory or the Indiana Territory, all of which got subdivided into States as the area became more populated and the government became more necessary for orderly legal structure and advancement of commerce.
The first legislature elected for the territory had rather large irregularities in the election of delegates, and had a very strong will to impose Missouri's slave state laws onto Kansas. It was indeed the wild frontier here in Kansas in 1855!

First Territorial Capitol of Kansas Museum website:
(visit link)
.
Marker Name: First Capitol of Kansas

Marker Type: Roadside

Marker text:
This building was erected in 1855 in the now extinct town of Pawnee for the first legislature of the territory of Kansas. The members were mostly Missourians fraudulently elected in an effort to make Kansas a slave state. They came in wagons and on horseback, well armed, and camped out on the prairie. The session lasted from July 2 to 6. The Missourians were determined to legislate nearer home and passed a bill to move to Shawnee Methodist Mission near Kansas City. Governor Reeder vetoed the bill, it was passed over his veto, and this ended the session here. All other acts, including the so-called Bogus Laws, were passed at Shawnee Mission. This building stood in partial ruin until its restoration in 1928 by the Union Pacific railroad. Erected by Kansas Historical Society and State Highway Commission


Marker Location: Geary

Official Marker Number: 24

Name of agency setting marker: Kansas State Historical Society

Marker Web Address: [Web Link]

Year Marker Placed: Not listed

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WayBetterFinder visited First Capitol of Kansas - Fort Riley, Kansas 05/19/2019 WayBetterFinder visited it
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