Kanopolis, Kansas
| Kanopolis, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location within County and Kansas |
|
 KDOT map of Ellsworth County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 38°42′35″N 98°9′25″W / 38.70972°N 98.15694°WCoordinates: 38°42′35″N 98°9′25″W / 38.70972°N 98.15694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Ellsworth |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Cherie Sauers |
| • City Clerk | Yvonne Stoppel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.20 sq mi (3.11 km2) |
| • Land | 1.20 sq mi (3.11 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,585 ft (483 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 492 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 474 |
| • Density | 410/sq mi (160/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 67454 |
| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-35950 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0475464 |
| Website | City Website |
Kanopolis is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 492. The town is built on the site of Fort Harker, a United States Army post that housed infantry and cavalry troops involved in the Indian Wars from 1867 to 1872.
Fort Ellsworth was the first frontier fort established in the Kanopolis area. It was built by the United States Army in August, 1864 at the junction of the Fort Riley-Fort Larned Road and the Smoky Hill Trail, near the Smoky Hill River. Its purpose was to protect construction of the Union Pacific railroad from Native American raids. In November, 1866 Fort Ellsworth changed its name to Fort Harker after the death of General G.H. Charles Harker, who was killed in battle in 1864.
By this time, the fort had grown in importance as a military staging post and supply depot for forts further west, and needed to expand to continue meeting its mission. As a result, on November 17, 1866, the Army ordered the construction of a new fort approximately three-quarters mile east of the current location. The original Fort Ellsworth was closed in early 1867, and the town of Ellsworth was founded in its place.
In January 1867, Fort Harker was relocated approximately three-quarters mile east of the old location to an open prairie about one mile north of the Smoky Hill river. This new location featured a "large, well-equipped" hospital," which housed those were ill. The hospital was surely busy, as about 200 people died in 1867 from cholera in and around the Fort Harker area. < For the next five years, Fort Harker became one of the most important military stations west of the Missouri River.[cite the Guardhouse national register nomination] It used 700 soldiers and twice as many civilian employees, as well as 400 horses and mules. Additionally, the mail to all military posts down the Arkansas river, as well as many posts in Colorado and New Mexico, was supplied from Fort Harker.
Over the coming years, the threat of Native American raids in the region diminished as territory was secured and railroad construction moved west. No longer of geographic significance, Fort Harker was abandoned on April 2, 1872 and the war department ordered it to be closed shortly thereafter. Its garrison was relocated to Fort Hays. In the winter of 1872-1873, Fort Harker briefly stationed troops once more before being deserted one final time. In the following years, Fort Harker became the Fort Harker Military Reservation.
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