A Handful Of Men Mark The Gateway West

About this episode

The episode explores the establishment of Fort Dodge on the Arkansas River in 1865 amidst the backdrop of the Civil War's conclusion.

Send us Fan Mail Mud, rain, and a riverbank so soft every step sinks, that’s where Fort Dodge begins. We rewind to April 10, 1865, and follow Captain Henry Pearce and a tired group of soldiers as they plant a military post on the Arkansas River while most of the country’s attention is fixed on the war’s end in Virginia. This is Kansas frontier history at ground level, where “progress” sounds like shovels scraping clay and feels like cold water pooling on the floor. We talk through what the e...

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael King, Brad Smalley

Topics covered

• Kansas history
• military posts
• Arkansas River
• frontier life
• Civil War

Keywords

• Fort Dodge
• Captain Henry Pearce
• Arkansas River
• military history
• Civil War
• Kansas frontier
• April 10, 1865

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Fort Dodge, Arkansas River

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