of the 7th Cavalry passed through Fort Harker on their way from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Hays to engage the Native Americans further west. Closing By 1871, Fort Harker had declined in importance in the Indian Wars. Native Americans living in the area of the fort had been displaced by white settlers, and the scene of conflicts had shifted to the west. An expanding railroad network diminished the importance of the fort as a distribution point for supplies. In March 1872, the 15th Infantry stationed at Fort Harker redeployed to Fort Union. On April 5, the remaining companies of the 5th Infantry departed from the fort as well. Official orders to abandon Fort Harker were received on April 8, 1872. Soldiers of the 5th Cavalry left Fort Harker on May 7, leaving behind a small garrison of two officers and five enlisted men from the 5th Infantry. The base was completely abandoned by October 5, 1872. Geography Fort Harker was located at the site of the present-day town of Kanopolis. Fort Harker Museum The Ellsworth County Historical Society maintains three of the original buildings of Fort Harker as a museum commemorating both Fort Ellsworth and Harker. These include the Fort Harker Guardhouse and the Fort Harker Commanding Officers' Quarters, which are each separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and also the Junior Officer's Quarters. The museum also features a train depot with salt mine and later 19th/early 20th Century exhibits. A second Junior Officer's Quarters is owned as a private residence. See also Hodgden House Museum Complex, in Ellsworth, also operated as a museum by the Ellsworth County Historical Society References General References Oliva, Leo E. (2002). Fort Harker, Defending the Journey West. Kansas State Historical Society. External links Ellsworth County Historical Society Facebook site - operates Fort Harker Museum & Hodgden House Museum Santa Fe Trail Research Site Fort Harker Guardhouse Museum - review and photos at Travel Kansas 1864 establishments in Kansas Military and war museums in Kansas Harker Museums in Ellsworth County, Kansas Buildings and structures in Ellsworth County, Kansas Harker National Register of Historic Places in Ellsworth County, Kansas