Army left the facilities and sold off by auction what they controlled. On January 14, 1870, the Army returned with the formation of the Post of Southeast Kansas. The Post was based at Fort Scott, but the soldiers camped along the rail tracks, and seldom used the original fort. They were sent to protect the railroads and workers from settlers. Some of the latter feared that the railroad, which had been awarded land for development by the US Government in rights-of-way, would evict them from their squatter homes. The settlers considered the troops lackeys to the railroads, and lumped both as enemies. Settlers also had some continuing conflicts with Indians and insurgents using the recent Confederate cause as excuse for robbery. By the spring of 1873, the US Army withdrew the troops from Fort Scott for good. From 1873 to 1965, the buildings of the fort were left unattended, and slowly deteriorated. Many military buildings were razed and replaced with structures built for civilian use. Modern times With the Act of August 31, 1965, the National Park Service gave the city government of Fort Scott, Kansas the necessary funds and technical knowledge to restore the fort. On October 19, 1978, Fort Scott became a National Historic Site under the supervision of the National Park Service, encompassing . Today the fort is open throughout the year, save for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Visitation has declined in recent years. In 2005 visitation was 25,528; in 2007 it was 22,314. Surviving structures include four officers' barracks, one dragoon's barracks, two infantry barracks, a hospital, guardhouse, dragoon stables, ordnance and post headquarters, quartermaster stables, bake shop, flagpole, and magazine. Another feature of the park is of tallgrass prairie restored as part of an ecology-restoration project. See also Fort Blair (Fort Scott) Fort Larned National Historic Site List of National Historic Landmarks in Kansas References External links Freedom's Frontier Kansas Territory: Frontier Military Scenic Byway 1842 establishments in the United States 1978 establishments in Kansas Scott Scott Historic American Buildings Survey in Kansas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Kansas in the American Civil War Military and war museums in Kansas Museums in Bourbon County, Kansas National Historic Sites in Kansas Protected areas established in 1978 Protected areas of Bourbon County, Kansas Recreational areas in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Bourbon County, Kansas American Civil War