Frontier Army Museum

Frontier Army Museum

"Frontier Army Museum" by TravelKS is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Quick Facts

Location:

Leavenworth, KS

MANAGED BY:

U.S. Army Center for Military History

Amenities

31 listed

Accessible Rooms, Accessible Sites, Automated Entrance, Baby Changing Station, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Electrical Outlet/Cell Phone Charging, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit Available, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Internet/WiFi Available, Open Captioning, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Tactile Exhibit, Telephone, Theater/Auditorium, Toilet - Flush, Trash Dumpster, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Bottle-Filling Station, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible, Wheelchairs Available

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.

The Frontier Army Museum is located within the historic Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, near the Kansas-Missouri border. The museum’s mission is to educate soldiers as well as the general public about Fort Leavenworth’s rich military history, and to that end, it preserves military artifacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

In July of 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed near what is now the city of Leavenworth as the expedition made its initial progress westward and again on its return journey in 1806. The Frontier Army played a great role in the protection of the land explored by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  

Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth. Today, it is the oldest active military installation west of the Mississippi River. The fort’s first artifact collection was started in 1938 after the closure of the its wagon shop. The “Old Rolling Wheels Museum” was established to house the wagons, which were then relocated to the museum. For the next two decades, the museum expanded its collection to include other forms of military paraphernalia, mainly focusing on items related to Fort Leavenworth and the Frontier Army that was once posted in American frontier settlements during the 19th century. It was officially declared an Army Museum in 1960.  

Today, the museum displays over seven thousand items, including vehicles, weapons, and various other pieces of equipment. Admission to the museum is free and in-person tours are available. Visitors looking to take home souvenirs will enjoy the Fort Leavenworth Historical Society’s gift shop inside the museum. The organization “Friends of the Frontier Army Museum” hosts events throughout the year to promote engagement with the museum and raise money for the museum’s development.

For more information, call [phone]. For access on to the post, contact the Visitor Control Center [phone].