Entrance to Fort Scott

The Crack Post of the Frontier

NPS Photo

Welcome to Fort Scott. The buildings in front of you represent Fort Scott in the 1840s, when the fort was built to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier.

Its architect, Captain Thomas Swords, stated that his goal here was to build the Crack Post of the Frontier. To that end, he employed a variety of architectural styles, native building materials, and local water resources used in mixing mortar and plaster.

He supervised the construction of a fort that was intended to be a permanent and safe home for soldiers whose mission was to patrol the Permanent Indian Frontier. They were to keep the frontier at peace by keeping Native Americans and Angelo European settlers separated. As you proceed, you will learn more about how each building or structure played a role in helping the army to fulfill its military mission.

Duration:

1 minute, 4 seconds

This video podcast accompanies the audio portion of the introduction to the cell phone tour.