Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth , U.S. military post, 6,000 acres (2,430 hectares), on the Missouri River, NE Kans., NW of Leavenworth; est. 1827 by Col. Henry Leavenworth to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail . The oldest U.S. military prison (est. 1874), and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College are at the fort. The Buffalo Soldier Monument honors the post-Civil War African-American regiments that served in the West (see buffalo soldiers ).

Fort Leavenworth the oldest continuously active army post west of the Mississippi River, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Kansas City, Kansas. Dating from 1827, Fort Leavenworth functioned as a major outpost in the early Indian wars and during the Civil War, and has gained prominence as a training ground for international military officers. The first federal military prison, the U.S. Military Prison, was built at Fort Leavenworth in 1875. This facility, now called the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, is still operated by the army, and is the only existing long-term maximum security facility operated by the Department of Defense.