This sign does not state: "Welcome", however, it is the official welcome sign for the City of Leavenworth, Kansas. The sign is at the border between Leavenworth and Lansing, Kansas. The sign itself is a metal 3D sign on a white stone pedestal. There is a carved stone sunflower - the state flower of Kansas - in this stone pedestal.
The sunflower motif is carried through to the 3D sunflower leaves that the City Seal of Leavenworth rests. The circular seal is meant to be the center of the sunflower. The Seal is green on the bottom for the ground and blue on top for the sky. There are white clouds within the blue area. In black, there is a Santa Fe wagon is being pulled by three oxen. There is a rider on a horse in front of the wagon and one behind the wagon. Across the top is * LEAVENWORTH * . In the green section the date 1854 band the mottos - First City of Kansas and Where History of the West Began. Above the sunflower is a metalwork "LEAVENWORTH".
From the Leavenworth Visitor's Bureau:
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visit link)
"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 Trail.
In 1854, the City of Leavenworth was founded as the very first city of Kansas. Leavenworth became nationally known as the "jumping off point" for the opening of the West. 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 V.A. 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!"