he stretch of the Kansas River just north of the town of
Junction City has military roots that date back to 1853,
when a post was established to protect travelers heading
west in the years after the California gold rush. Within a few
decades, the site became known as Fort Riley, and for a time it
hosted the United States Cavalry School. In 1917, as the
armed forces began preparing for the American entry into
World War I, a small city with a population of fifty thousand
was erected practically overnight to train Midwestern soldiers
headed overseas to fight in the Great War.