Fort Scott National Historic Site ⓘ

"A beautifully undulating prairie". "An almost precipitous decent of fifty feet". "A flat spur of high prairie". "A small clear-water creek". In 1852, Assistant Surgeon Joseph Barnes used all of these phrases to describe the landscape surrounding Fort Scott. Congress established Fort Scott as a National Historic Site in 1978 to commemorate its role in the Opening of the West, Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War. Its cultural resources-the buildings and other manmade structures-are the focus of the site. They represent the lifestyles and activities of the soldiers and citizens of Fort Scott, who played an important role in the dramatic events of the mid nineteenth century. But while it is the cultural resources that bring the past to life, it is the natural resources that made life possible at Fort Scott to begin with. Fort Scott is located in Bourbon County in Southeast Kansas. It is in a region known as the Osage Cuestas; cuestas are hills or bluffs with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other. The bluff on which the fort was built overlooks the confluence of the Marmaton River and Mill Creek. The climate is moderate with hot summers and mild winters. It is located in a vegetation zone consisting of tallgrass prarie and a mixed oak hickory forest. Of all the natural resources at Fort Scott, the prairie was the most prominent. In the 1840s, tallgrass prairie dominated the landscape, not only at Fort Scott, but throughout the entire region. For decades, the prairie served as a barrier to expansion. As settlers reached the western edge of Missouri and Arkansas, the forests began to thin and the scarcity of trees led them to believe that the prairie was unsuitable for agriculture and settlement. In fact, early explorers had nicknamed it the "Great American Desert" due to the lack of trees and rainfall further west. Thus the boundary between forest and prairie became the frontier and Indians from the east were relocated to lands beyond the frontier that the white settlers deemed undesirable. The army established Fort Scott in this transition zone to keep the peace on the frontier and to keep the Indians and white settlers separated. Today, the staff of Fort Scott National Historic Site manages five acres of restored tallgrass prairie in order to recreate the historic scene and interpret the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and its significance to the site's history and the region. Other important natural resources such as trees and wildlife are also protected here. As you explore these pages, you will learn more about the rich abundance of life that exists here and the natural resources that supported that life and created a view described by Barnes as " the most magnificent prairie of the country".

"Everybody here is hunting mad. Hunting and dogs constitute their thoughts by day and dreams by night". This excerpt from a letter of a Fort Scott officer to a friend is intended to convey a pasttime of his fellow officers, but it also reveals that there was an abundance of wildlife in the area which is still true today. Even near the end of a hot and humid summer when the prairie at Fort Scott can seem dry and lifeless there is wildlife to be found in the midst of the grasses. A rabbit with its nose quivering leaps away at the first sign of a threat, a squirrel bounds along with its tail rippling like the prairie grass waving in the wind, and a garter snake slithers off in search of shelter from the sunlight. Fort Scott National Historic Site consists of 17 acres of land, five of which are restored tallgrass prairie. Many species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, and insects have been observed here. While few are permanent residents, the grounds of the site do offer a safe area for animals to feed and seek shelter. Because the site is a unit of the National Park System, animals are protected while on the grounds. The wildlife at Fort Scott is typical of that found in southeast Kansas and representative of species found in the transition zone between forest and prairie. Whitetail deer occasionally feed at the prairie's edge. Turtles plod along as they make their way along the outside walls of several of the historic structures. The harmless black snake is often seen on the porches of the buildings or crawling across the sidewalk, and spiders often spin their works of art from the drainpipes, columns and other structural elements at the fort. One spider to beware of is the brown recluse spider, which makes its home in dark places such as woodpiles, basements, and underneath the stairways and porches at the site. Birds often nest in the trees, and songbirds, such as robins and cardinals abound, especially in the springtime. Crows often come to the grounds seeking food, and occasionally evidence can be seen of a hawk grappling with its prey. During the evening, one can hear the song of crickets or the occasional hooting of an owl. If you are fortunate, and stay very still, you can even hear the yipping of a coyote. Historically, bison ranged throughout the entire region as did it's predators, the wolf and the grizzly bear. But by the time the fort was established in 1842, hunting and human settlement had already pushed these animals further west.