Excursion to Fort Larned

On Sunday, we made an unplanned trip to Fort Larned. Originally, we were just headed for various county seats in Kansas so that Leighlyn could complete a homework assignment. On our way to Larned, we made a side trip to the fort there. Let me tell you, we are extremely happy that we did that! We were not alone. We spoke to several other people who thoroughly enjoyed their visit there also.

There is absolutely NO admission charges. There is a very nicely stocked gift shop that you can tour if you wish. They sell anything from mini crochet kits for the beginner to large and very informative books on historical events.

At that same location, you will be offered to view a 10-minute film which explains why the fort was erected and other historical accounts of the people who lived and fought there.

One point of interest that I found to be quite interesting was the 4-person bunkbeds that were used there. The wooden furniture was wider than most bunkbeds to accomade two adult bodies instead of just one. The particular bed that was on display was not taken out of the buildings there. Instead, it was found minutes before hatchets were going to be used on it to rid it from our world--forever. Come to find out, many antiques such as this find this to be their final fate. Instead of finding "homes" for these aticles of history, many are just been demolished irregardless of their current condition. I HATE that given the fact that Stan and I have strong respect for furniture and other items of yesteryear. We are instilling that belief in our girls. They appear to enjoy and respect the older things considerably more than other people their ages.

Anyway, one of the interesting aspects was the fact that since two men slept on each mattress, the equivalent of our modern day surgeon general ruled that the two men's heads would not be at the same end of the bed. He did not want the men to be breathing each other's germs as they exited from their mouths and noses as they slept. (I am sure than many macho men also preferred to not have to face another man's head when he went to sleep or when he woke up the following morning. LOL!!!) The beds did not have blankets. Instead, the men slept in their bed roll which begat today's slumber bags.

Many years ago, the fort was sold to private individuals who basically did nothing with it. When the National Park Service purchased it, they were shocked to find one large room full of artifacts that had been sealed off for many years. What an exciting find! Many of those antiques are on display today at the museum.

While we were there, several employees and volunteers were at work and were wearing period clothing. This was of major importance to everyone in our party except for me. If you know me very well, you know that I have very little interest in clothing. I think that way too much emphasis is placed on the person according to the clothes he or she wears instead of the much more important character. As long as my body is sufficiently covered, I am happy. Many days, you will find me wearing my work clothes that are stained with paint, sheet rock mud, etc. I am one of those people who you have to take the way that you find me. Of course, I also appreciate nice clothes. I have a closet full of them that I wear only on nice occassions. Instead of apparel fashions, I have MUCH more interest in home fashions. Our house reflects that. So when I walked into the housing quarters of the upper officed soldiers, doctors and their families, I was extremely interested. Their furniture is what is commonly referred to as being Victorian pieces. Since I decorate our home in that style, I felt right at home!

Some of the hardwood floors were beyond repair so they have been covered with new hardwood flooring which was beautiful. I was especially in awe of the original hardwood flooring that was still available in other homes. It was definitely not in picture-perfect condition but it told many-a-story from days and years already gone.

Stan was very interested in the weapons on display. He learned many things about them that he never knew before.

My mom has a bum knee and I have the mechanical heart valve so we were unable to keep up with the rest of the family so we spent some great time sitting on the benches on the very shady and ample front porches. During that time, we had the great fortune of getting to visit with the historians on site. They gave us much more information than we can remember today. One of the things that we learned was that construction of a new bridge will be started soon. It will be done to look just like the bridges would have been done back then. It will bring people from the south to the back of the fort. A large parking lot will be put into place there. Right now, you cross a modern-day bridge to the north of the fort. Most people have to walk across the bridge to get to the historical site unless they are handicapped. This will be a much better deal.

Anyway, we recommend that you check out the fort. It is very clean and well taken care of.

Enjoy!!!

VLE-B