Fort Riley-Fort Kearny Military Road: A Shortcut Through the Wild West
Ever heard of a "military road?" No, it’s not some top-secret government project straight out of a spy movie. Back in the 1850s, when the Wild West was still, well, wild, the U.S. Army needed better ways to move troops and supplies. That’s where military roads came in.
One of the coolest of these old routes was the Fort Riley-Fort Kearny Military Road. Think of it as the original GPS for pioneers and soldiers trying to get from Kansas to places like Utah and California.
Why Build a Road?
The year was 1855. Congress, in a rare moment of agreement, decided to throw some serious cash ($50,000!) at the problem of getting around the West. The goal? To find a faster, easier route from Fort Riley in Kansas to Bridger’s Pass in Wyoming. This pass was a key gateway to Utah and California, which were booming thanks to gold rushes and other opportunities.
Enter Lieutenant Bryan
The guy tasked with figuring all this out was Lieutenant Francis T. Bryan, a topographer (basically, a mapmaker). He wasn’t alone, though. He had a whole crew of surveyors, a geologist named Harvey Engelmann (gotta know what kind of rocks you’re dealing with!), and a military escort to keep everyone safe from, you know, wild animals and other potential dangers.
Hitting the Trail
On June 21, 1856, the Bryan expedition set off from Fort Riley. They followed the Republican River northwest, winding through what’s now Riley, Clay, Cloud, and Republic Counties in Kansas. Imagine the scenery: endless prairies, wide-open skies, and the occasional herd of buffalo.
They eventually crossed into Nebraska, just east of a town called Hardy. From there, they followed the Little Blue River until they hit the Oregon and California Trails. These trails were already well-worn paths, so they joined the crowd heading toward Fort Kearny.
Beyond Fort Kearny
Fort Kearny was more than just a pit stop. It was a major hub for travelers, soldiers, and supplies. From there, the Bryan expedition continued west to Bridger’s Pass in Wyoming, and then on to Utah and California.
Finding the Best Route
On the way back, the team took a slightly different route, staying south of their original path. When they got back to the Kansas-Nebraska border, they compared notes and decided that the outward route was the best one to turn into a real road.
Winter in St. Louis
While the snow fell outside, Bryan and his team holed up in St. Louis, Missouri, and got to work on their report. They created detailed maps, complete with hills, rivers, and other landmarks. Engelmann, the geologist, wrote a technical paper about all the rocks and minerals he’d found. All this info was sent to the bigwigs in Washington, D.C.
The Good News, the Bad News
Bryan reported that the route they’d chosen was the most practical, given the limited funds. It had running water the whole way, and the part along the Platte River was already pretty well-traveled.
The biggest problem? Fuel. For 300 miles between Fort Kearny and Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, the only thing you could burn was buffalo chips (you can imagine how that smelled!). Bryan warned that traveling along the Platte River in winter would be a rough experience.
Despite the challenges, Bryan declared that the road between Fort Riley and Bridger’s Pass was "practicable." He pointed out that 33 wagons had already made the trip in 1856. His only worry was that the road led into the mountains without a clear end point.
Making It Happen
In the spring of 1857, Bryan rounded up a crew of laborers to improve the road. He had to promise them a cavalry escort to convince them to leave their homes for months at a time. They cleared obstacles and graded the banks of streams, making it easier to cross.
The team covered the 193 miles between Forts Riley and Kearny in just 14 days. They then focused on the western part of the road. They didn’t think any improvements were needed between Fort Kearny and the Laramie Crossing (about 168 miles).
At the Laramie Crossing, they found that the ford they’d used the previous year was flooded. Luckily, they found a better crossing a few miles upstream, near a Cheyenne Indian camp.
Bridges and More
Along the route from the Platte River to the head of Lodgepole Creek, the crew graded stream crossings and removed trees and stones. They improved crossings of the Laramie and Medicine Bow Rivers. At Sage Creek, they built small log bridges that could handle a single wagon.
By September 1, the laborers were back at Fort Kearny. They then started working on the eastern section of the road. They graded the banks at the Little Blue River crossing and cleared the road through the timbered bottom.
They decided a bridge wasn’t needed at the Little Blue River because it was usually easy to ford. However, they realized that many of the smaller streams between the Little Blue River and Fort Riley did need bridges. Unfortunately, Bryan didn’t have the tools or the skilled workers to build them. He had to let the crew go and sell off the project’s animals and equipment to raise money for construction.
Trouble in Paradise
By March 1858, plans were drawn up for ten small bridges north of Fort Riley, and a contract was awarded to Alfred Hebard for $12,500. But there was a problem: Bryan only had $9,500 left. He figured he could raise the rest by auctioning off the mules, wagons, and other equipment.
When the Secretary of War found out about this, he wasn’t happy. Bryan was relieved of his command, and Captain Edward G. Beckwith took over the Nebraska and Kansas roads project.
A Deal Is Struck
On July 23, Beckwith stopped the public auction at Fort Leavenworth because the bids weren’t high enough to cover the contract. Since the Secretary of War had to approve Hebard’s contract, Beckwith renegotiated the deal. Hebard agreed to accept whatever money was left over, even if it was less than $12,500. In exchange, he got an extension until December 1, 1858, to finish the bridges, and he was allowed to use government mules to haul supplies. The War Department approved the new arrangement.
Building the Bridges
Hebard’s workers used timber from the Kansas streams to build log bridges. They had to haul in iron and flooring to build half a dozen frame bridges over the bigger creeks. Grading the road was easy at first, but the contractor soon realized that the dirt washed away easily once the sod was broken.
In September, Beckwith reported that the road was in good condition for 50 miles above Fort Riley. The contractor was building a bridge at Parson’s Creek and hoped to finish it in early October. If the weather cooperated, all the bridges would be done on time.
Mission Accomplished
On November 20, the laborers arrived at Fort Kearny, having completed all but two small log bridges. The contractor then went back over the route, improving the approaches to the bridges and finishing the last bits of construction.
Beckwith announced that the road was in excellent condition for even the heaviest wagons. He rushed to Fort Leavenworth to report that the season’s work was done.
The Legacy
When it was finished, the Fort Riley-Fort Kearny Military Road provided a more direct route from the Missouri River towns and Kansas forts to the West. It cut 100 miles off the distance to the Great Salt Lake. Bridger’s Pass was declared to be as easy to cross as South Pass, which was farther north.
The road was heavily used in the late 1850s and 1860s. But once railroads became common, the road’s importance faded. Eventually, it was abandoned as the region became more settled.
So, the next time you’re driving across Kansas or Nebraska, take a moment to think about the pioneers and soldiers who traveled the Fort Riley-Fort Kearny Military Road. They were the ones who helped open up the West and make it what it is today.