The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-08-25
OLD FORT HAYS
REMINDERS OF OLDEN TIMES
WHEN THE SOLDIERS WERE
HERE
One of the Officer. Quarters Almost
IntAet-It Should be Kept IN
Repair

Way back in 1865, Fort Fletcher
was located on Big Greek, some miles
east of Hays, but was flooded out,
with several soldiers drowned; so in
1857, about ffty-five years ago, Fort
Hays was located on the high grounds
across the creek from the then Hays
City, the end of the division of the
Union Pacific Railroad, then building
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and
the Government reserved 1900 acres
for the Reservation, taking in about
seven miles of the winding creek,
sloping back to the highlands. On
the north side of the creek, the sur
veyors were ordered to at no place go
within fifty feet of the creek bank and
timber. The line starts west of town
and zigzags accordingly, until it
reaches the Big Greek at the Munjor
road, close % the old John Schlyer
homestead.
The Fort was maintained until
1889, with regiments of both white
and colored troops, with Colonel in
command, with a dozen officers quar-
tiers, a stone block house and stone
guard house, barracks, barns and all
the necessary buildings; and while
there were many good times for Hays
people, the band playing, the morning
and evening gun sounding daily for
twenty years, it also had its tough
times, and was one of the causes for
old Hays being known as a tough
town, wild and woody west place,
noted for its Buffalo Bill and the In
dians.
After the death of Col. Yard, the
Post was ordered abandoned, the
army materials being shipped to
Denver to establish Fort Logan
near there. The last bugle blow
ed, the troops marched up Fort
Street headed by the band play
ing "The Girl l Left Behind Me"
and in few hours it was all over and
Simon Motz took charge as Custodian
which position he held for several
years.
Then began the contest as to what
was to become of the 1900 acres of
land. Army spectators came here
and tried to buy up the whole tract in
a bunch, but failed.
Then one day in the Legislature,
Representative John Schlyer got up
and presented joint resolution
which he and Henry Oshant had pre-
pared, asking Congress to cede the
Reservation to the State of Kansas
for Western Kansas State Normal
School and Western Branch Expert
ment Station of the State Agricultur-
al College at Manhattan. Legislators
laughed and hooted the idea, but Mr..
Schlyer kept at it until it was passed
unanimously in both the House and
Senate. That night official copies
were sent to Washington to the Kan
saS Senators and Congressman, and
the General Land Office, and finally
it passed Congress and became law,
ceding the Reservation (nOt giving it
so it could never be sold if not used
for such purposes) to the State OF
Kansas, conditional that the land
along the creek of a proper width
should always be kept as a public
park, ceding the buildings to the State
to sell or use in building up the insti-
tutions, and the receipts from the
rental of the lands to be used for up
building the Reservation, not for sal
aries or new buildings.
The State Legislature accepted the
trust, designated certain parts to be
especially maintained as State Park
and later both Congress and the
Legislature designated that the re
manning buildings, the parade ground
and location of the Fort buildings and
grounds should always be maintained
as a Nationa Park, and is all that re
manis of old Fort Hays.
Mr. Harry Freese, for years repre-
senting the U. S. Land Office here as
Attorney, was selected to sell off the
old buildings letting the State Insti
tutions take what they wanted to use
The timbers and lumber had beer
hauled all the way from Leavenwortt
by Government teams and was of the
very best kind.
One day a big crowd met at the
Fort, and like the dismantling las
week Of Camp Funston, the building'