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A Brief Word From The Editor
With over 10 years in the industry, producing local community guides, relocation guides, maps, NATIONAL raceway tracks, high school sports posters, sports event memorable, and college sports schedules we know ADVERTISING!
With a long (emphasis on long) time in this industry, we searched for a more effective, and up to date way to get our readers our informational magazine. With all of the IPads, Kindles, Androids, and cellphones we searched high and low for a way to reach newmovers. The first idea was “we could produce books with information about a county and set up distribution points so new movers could find out the attractions, events, and also aware new-comers of local businesses, but wait how would that help customers that,
haven’t decided yet, or people that don’t pick up magazines like this, and what if we produce too many we would just be hurting the environment, so we came up for away to solve all of those problems. On-line Guides! No extra waste, no extra liter!, also in this day and age how much is actually done in hard copy anymore, newspapers are digital, and people like the idea of being able to take media like this with them so they can take it anywhere and read it at their leisure, and it’s kinda hard to lose this copy, because all of our publications are readable by all of the leading digital readers, tablets, and cell phones, if you have internet access then you have our magazine! We also do print hard copies for people that request them.
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Riley County (standard abbreviation: RL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 71,115. The largest city and county seat is Manhattan. Riley County is part of the Manhattan, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. Riley County is home to two of Kansas’ largest employers: Fort Riley and Kansas State University. Among notable current and former residents of Riley County are former Governor John W. Carlin, General Glen Edgerton and millionaire miner Horace A. W. Tabor. History Riley County, named for Mexican-American War general Bennet Riley, was on the western edge of the 33 original counties established by the Kansas Territorial Legislature in August 1855. For organizational purposes, Riley County initially had attached to it Geary County and all land west of Riley County, across Kansas Territory into present-day Colorado. The first Territorial Capital of Kansas Territory was located in the boundaries of Riley County, in the former town of Pawnee. The site now falls World Views Guides
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within the boundaries of Fort Riley, a U.S. Army post. Manhattan was selected as county seat in contentious fashion. In late 1857, an election was held to select the county seat, with Ogden prevailing. However, Manhattanites suspected election fraud, and were eventually able to prove that a number of votes were illegally cast. Sheriff David A. Butterfield was forced to secure the county’s books and records for Manhattan, and Manhattan was finally officially declared the county seat in 1858. On May 30, 1879, the “Irving, Kansas Tornado” began in Riley County. This tornado is estimated to have been an F4 on the Fujita scale, with a damage path 800 yards (700 m) wide and 100 miles (200 km) long. Eighteen people were killed and sixty were injured. Law and government Riley County was a prohibition, or “dry”, county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 2004.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km2), of which 610 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.0%) is water. The eastern border of the county follows the former course of the Big Blue River. The river was dammed in the 1960s and Tuttle Creek Lake was created as a result. The county falls within the Flint Hills region of the state. Adjacent counties Marshall County (northeast) Pottawatomie County (east) Wabaunsee County (southeast) Geary County (south) Clay County (west) Washington County (northwest) 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 62,843 people, 22,137 households, and 12,263 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile (40/km²). There were 23,397 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.78% White, 6.88% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American,
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3.22% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 4.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 22,137 households out of which 27.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.20% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.60% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county the population was spread out with 18.80% under the age of 18, 34.50% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 13.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 114.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,042, and the median income for a family was $46,489. Males had a median income of $26,856 versus
$23,835 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,349. About 8.50% of families and 20.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over. Education Colleges and universities Kansas State University Manhattan Christian College Manhattan Area Technical College Unified school districts Riley County USD 378 Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Manhattan High School Blue Valley USD 384 Communities Cities Leonardville Manhattan Ogden Randolph Riley Unincorporated communities Ashland Bala Keats Rocky Ford Zeandale Ghost towns Lasita Walsburg May Day These former places were
flooded when Tuttle Creek Lake was created in the 1950s and 1960s. Randolph was also flooded, but moved a mile west of its original location. Cleburn Garrison Cross Stockdale Winkler Fort Riley Located north of the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers in Geary County, Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres (407 km2) in Geary and Riley counties. The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000 and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North Fort Riley-Camp Whiteside (located only in Geary County) Townships Riley County is divided into fourteen townships. The city of Manhattan is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township’s population total, if it is of a significant size. World Views Guides | 2014
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Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County, although it also extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281. It is the principal city of the Manhattan metropolitan area which, as of 2012, had an estimated population of 97,810. The city was founded by settlers from the New England Emigrant Aid Company as a Free-State town in the 1850s, during the Bleeding Kansas era. Nicknamed “The Little Apple” as a play on New York City’s “Big Apple”, Manhattan is today best known as being the home of Kansas State University and has a college town atmosphere. Eight miles (13 km) west of the city is Fort Riley, a United States Army post. The town was named an All-American City in 1952, becoming the first city in Kansas to win the award. More recently, in 2007
CNN and Money magazine rated Manhattan as one of the ten best places in America to retire young. And in 2011 Forbes rated Manhattan No. 1 for “Best Small Communities for a Business and Career.” Before settlement by European-Americans in the 1850s, the land where Manhattan currently sits was long home to Native American tribes. Most recently, from 1780 to 1830 it was home to the Kaw people (also known as the Kansa). The Kaw settlement was called Blue Earth Village (Manyinkatuhuudje). It was named after the river the tribe called the Great Blue Earth River – today known as the Big Blue River – which intersected with the Kansas River by their village. Blue Earth Village was the site of a large battle between the Kaw and the Pawnee in 1812. The Kaw tribe ceded ownership of this land in a treaty signed at the Shawnee Methodist Mission on January 14, 1846. Polistra and Canton The Kansas-Nebraska Act
officially opened the territory to settlement by U.S. citizens in 1854. That fall, George S. Park founded the first Euro-American settlement within the borders of the current Manhattan. Park named it Polistra (some histories refer to it as Poliska or Poleska). Later that same year, Samuel D. Houston and three other pioneers founded a neighboring community near the mouth of the Big Blue River that they named Canton. Neither Canton nor Polistra ever grew to include anyone beyond their original founders. Free-Staters In March 1855, a group of New England Free-Staters traveled to Kansas Territory under the auspices of the New England Emigrant Aid Company to found a Free-State town. Led by Isaac Goodnow, the first members of the group (with the help of Samuel C. Pomeroy) selected the location of the Polistra and Canton claims for the Aid Company’s new settlement. Soon after the New Englanders arrived at the site, World Views Guides | 2014
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in April 1855, they agreed to join together with Canton and Polistra to make one settlement named Boston. They were soon joined by dozens more New Englanders, including Goodnow’s brother-in-law Joseph Denison. In June 1855, the paddle steamer Hartford, carrying 75 settlers from Ohio, ran aground in the Kansas River near the settlement. The Ohio settlers, who were members of the Cincinnati-Manhattan Company, had been headed twenty miles (32 km) further upstream to the headwaters of the Kansas River, the location today of Junction City. After realizing they were stranded, the Hartford passengers accepted an invitation to join the new town, but insisted that it be renamed Manhattan, which was done on June 29, 1855. Manhattan was incorporated on May 30, 1857. Early events Early Manhattan settlers sometimes found themselves in conflict with Native Americans, and the World Views Guides
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town itself was threatened by pro-slavery Southerners. Manhattan was staunchly Free-State – and in fact elected the only two Free-State legislators to the first Territorial Legislature, commonly called the “Bogus Legislature.” However, the proximity of Fort Riley protected the settlement from the major violence visited upon other Free-State towns during the “Bleeding Kansas” era. This allowed the town to develop relatively quickly. On January 30, 1858, Territorial Governor James W. Denver signed an act naming Manhattan as county seat for Riley County. Ten days later, on February 9, 1858, Governor Denver chartered a Methodist college in Manhattan, named Blue Mont Central College. The young city received another early boost when gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains in 1859 and Fifty-Niners began to stream through Manhattan on their way to prospect in the mountains. Manhattan was one of the last significant settlements on
the route west, and the village’s merchants did a brisk business selling supplies to miners. That same year Manhattan’s first newspaper, The Kansas Express, began publishing on May 21, 1859. In 1861, when the State of Kansas entered the Union, Isaac Goodnow, who had been a teacher in Rhode Island, began lobbying the legislature to convert Manhattan’s Blue Mont Central College into the state university. The culmination of these efforts came on February 16, 1863, when the Kansas legislature established Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University) in Manhattan. When the college opened for its first session on September 2, 1863, it was the first public college in Kansas, the nation’s first land-grant institution created under the Morrill Act, and only the second public institution of higher learning to admit women and men equally in the United States. By the time the Kansas Pacific Railroad laid its tracks
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west through Manhattan in 1866, the 11-year-old settlement was permanently ensconced in the tallgrass prairie. Manhattan has continuously increased in population every decade since its founding. Geography Manhattan is located at 39°11′25″N 96°35′13″W (39.190142, −96.586818), or about 50 miles (80 km) west of Topeka on the Kansas River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.79 square miles (48.67 km2), of which, 18.76 square miles (48.59 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water. Geographic features Manhattan is located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, which consists of continuous rolling hills covered in tall grasses. However, the current downtown area – the original site of Manhattan – was built on a broad, flat floodplain at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers. Manhattan is largest town in the Flint Hills, and is home to the
Flint Hills Discovery Center. Tuttle Creek Reservoir is located 5 miles (8 km) north of Manhattan. The lake was formed when the Big Blue River was dammed for flood control in the 1960s, and it is now a state park that offers many recreational opportunities. South of the city is the Konza Prairie, a tallgrass prairie preserve jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University. Earthquakes See 1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake Kansas is not known for earthquake activity, but Manhattan is near the Nemaha Ridge, a long structure that is bounded by several faults, and which is still active. In particular, the Humboldt Fault Zone lies just 12 miles (19 km) eastward of Tuttle Creek Reservoir. On April 24, 1867, the 1867 Manhattan earthquake struck Riley County. Measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the earthquake’s epicenter was by Manhat-
tan. To this day, it remains the strongest earthquake to originate in Kansas. The earthquake had an intensity of VII on the Mercalli intensity scale, and was felt over an area of roughly 193,051 square miles (500,000 km2). It caused largely minor damage, reports of which were confined to Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, according to the United States Geological Survey. Despite the fact that Kansas is not seismically active, a strong earthquake could pose significant threats to the state. If an earthquake had occurred along the Nemaha Ridge prior to 2010, it could have destroyed the dam on Tuttle Creek Reservoir, releasing 300,000 feet (91,440 m) of water per second and flooding the nearby area, threatening roughly 13,000 people and 5,900 homes. A study in the 1980s found that a moderate earthquake “between 5.7 to 6.6 would cause sand underneath the dam to liquefy into quicksand, causing the dam to spread out and the top to World Views Guides | 2014
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drop up to three feet.” To address this threat, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a project in July 2010 that replaced the sand with more than 350 concrete walls and equipped the dam with sensors. Alarms are connected to these sensors, which would alert nearby citizens to the earthquake. Climate Manhattan lies in the transition between the humid continental (Köppen Dfa) and humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) zones, typically experiencing hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 29.1 °F (−1.6 °C) in January to 79.9 °F (26.6 °C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 58 days a year and 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 10 days. The minimum temperature falls to or below 0 °F (−18 °C) on an average 5.3 days a year. Extreme temperatures range from 116 °F (47 °C) on August 13, 1936 down to −35 °F (−37 °C) on February World Views Guides
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12, 1899. On average, Manhattan receives 35.7 inches (907 mm) of precipitation annually, a majority of which occurs from May to August, and records 102 days of measurable precipitation. Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 9.6 days per year with 6.1 days receiving at least 1.0 inch (2.5 cm). Snow depth of at least one inch occurs an average of 22 days a year. Typically, the average window for freezing temperatures is October 12 thru April 21. The state of Kansas falls within an area sometimes called Tornado Alley. The most recent tornado in Manhattan touched down at approximately 10:30 pm on June 11, 2008. Thirtyone homes and several businesses were destroyed by the EF4 tornado. Additionally, Kansas State University’s campus incurred about $20 million in damage – a number of university buildings sustained significant damage and the Wind Erosion Laboratory’s garage was destroyed
by the tornado’s winds. No one was killed. Previously, the most destructive tornado to hit Manhattan was on June 8, 1966. The 1966 tornado caused $5 million in damage and injured at least 65 people in Manhattan. Flooding Manhattan was built on a floodplain at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers, and it has faced recurring problems with flooding during times of heavy precipitation. The largest floods in the town’s history were the 1903 and 1908 floods, the Great Flood of 1951 and the Great Flood of 1993. Demographics Historical population Census Pop. %± 1870 1,173
1890 3,004 42.7%
1880 2,105 79.5%
1900 3,438 14.4%
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1910 5,722 66.4%
1970 27,575 19.9%
1920 7,989 39.6%
1980 32,644 18.4%
1930 10,136 26.9%
1990 37,712 15.5%
1940 11,659 15.0%
2000 44,831 18.9%
1950 19,056 63.4%
2010 52,281 16.6%
1960 22,993 20.7%
Est. 2012 56,069 7.2%
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Decennial Census 2012 Estimate 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 52,281 people, 20,008 households, and 9,466 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,786.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,076.0 /km2). There were 21,619 housing units at an average density of 1,152.4 World Views Guides
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per square mile (444.9 / km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.5% White, 5.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 5.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population. There were 20,008 households of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city the population was spread out with 15.3% of residents under the age of 18; 39.1% between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% from 25 to 44; 14.2% from 45 to 64; and 7.5% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 23.8 years. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 44,831 people, 16,949 households, and 8,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,983.9 people per square mile (1,152.4/ km²). There were 17,690 housing units at an average density of 1,177.4 per square mile (454.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.28% White, 4.86% African American, 0.48% Native American, 3.93% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.49% of the population. There were 16,949 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.3% were non-fam-
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ilies. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city the population was spread out with 15.8% under the age of 18, 39.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,463, and the median income for a family was $48,289. Males had a median income of $31,396 versus $24,611 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,566. About 8.7% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. However, traditional measures
of income and poverty can be misleading when applied to cities with high student populations, such as Manhattan. Government Local Manhattan is governed under a council-manager system, with a City Commission consisting of five members. Elections are nonpartisan and are held every other year, in oddnumbered years. Three City Commission positions are chosen in each election. The two highest vote recipients receive four-year terms, while the third highest vote recipient receives a two-year term. The highest vote winner in a general election is established to serve as mayor on the third year of a four-year term. The Mayor presides over Commission meetings, but has the same voting rights as other Commissioners and no veto power. As of December 2012, Loren J. Pepperd serves as the city’s mayor, while Wynn Butler, Richard (Rich) B. Jankovich, John Matta, and James (Jim) E. Sherow
make up the rest of the City Commission. State Manhattan is located inside a number of state district boundaries. Most of Manhattan falls within two districts for the Kansas House of Representatives. Representative Tom Phillips (R) serves in District 67, which includes portions of south, west, and northern Riley County. Representative Sydney Carlin (D) represents District 66, which includes most of downtown Manhattan, and the northeastern portions of the city. Small portions of Manhattan extend into other districts to the south and north. Manhattan is the Kansas Senate District 22, and the state senator is Democrat Tom Hawk. Federal Manhattan is located in Kansas’s 1st congressional district, which is represented by Republican Tim Huelskamp. Manhattan was moved from the 2nd District to the 1st District during redistricting in 2012. Manhattan was World Views Guides | 2014
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originally placed in the 1st District when the state was first districted in 1874, and Manhattanite John Alexander Anderson served as the district’s second Congressman, from 1879 to 1885. For federal elections, precise breakdowns are unavailable for only Manhattan, but a majority of voters in Riley County have never supported a Democratic candidate for President. Republicans have carried Riley County every presidential election, except for 1912, when a majority of the county’s voters supported the Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt. Sites of interest Manhattan is the site of Kansas State University sporting events, Aggieville, performing arts, lecture series and the annual Country Stampede Music Festival – the largest music festival in Kansas. The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the Kansas State University Gardens are located on the campus of Kansas State University. Next to camWorld Views Guides
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pus is Aggieville, a shopping and retail center with enough bars to satisfy the college crowd. Aggieville is also home to the longest continuously-operating Pizza Hut restaurant in the world. Manhattan’s Sunset Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Colbert Hills Golf Course, which is annually ranked by Golf Digest among the best in the state, is home to the Earl Woods National Youth Golf Academy and a host site for the First Tee program. Manhattan is also the birthplace of Damon Runyon, the “Inventor of Broadway,” and his Manhattan house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings which house The Flint Hills Job Corps Training Center west of the city were once used as a nursing home and orphanage operated by the Fraternal Order of Odd Fellows. The first capitol of the Kansas Territory is preserved nearby, on Fort Riley grounds. The Fort Ri-
ley military base covers 100,656 acres (407.34 km2) between Manhattan and Junction City, KS. Since 2006 it has, once again, become home to the Big Red One, the 1st Infantry Division of the United States. As the largest municipality in the Flint Hills region, Manhattan is host to the Flint Hills Discovery Center, a heritage and science center dedicated to the education and preservation of the Flint Hills and the remaining tall grass prairie. Economy Manhattan’s economy is heavily based on public entities. Kansas State University is the largest employer in town, and its 24,000 students help support the retail and entertainment venues in the city. The second-largest employer in Manhattan is the city school district. Additionally, many civilians and military personnel employed at nearby Fort Riley also live in Manhattan and support its economy, including more than 5,500 civilian Fort Riley employees.
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Finally, most of the 150 employees in the Kansas Department of Agriculture work in a new office building in Manhattan, next to the future site of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Large private sector employers in Manhattan include the Mercy Regional Health Center and Farm Bureau. Manhattan also features a small industrial base. Manufacturing and commercial businesses include: Auth-Florence Manufacturing, GTM Sportswear, The McCall Pattern Company, Parker Hannifin, ICE Corporation, Manko Windows, CivicPlus and Farrar Corporation. Manhattan’s Tallgrass Brewing Co is the largest brewery in Kansas, and is in the process of expanding into a larger space. Future growth In 2009, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that it would locate the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan. The NBAF is scheduled to open in 2020, and will World Views Guides
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be a federal lab to research biological threats involving human, zoonotic (i.e., transmitted from animals to humans) and foreign animal diseases. It is expected to employ between 250–350 people, including researchers, technical support and operations specialists. Historic businesses The Dickinson Theatres chain began in Manhattan in 1920, although it no longer operates a theater in the city. The Steel & Pipe Supply Co. began in Manhattan in 1933, and is still headquartered in the city, but has moved its fabrication and distribution to other locations. Education Kansas State University is the largest employer and educational institution in the city of Manhattan with 23,520 students. KSU is home to Wildcat sports, as well as a host to nationally recognized academics. Kansas State University has ranked first nationally among state universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater,
and Udall scholars since 1986. Manhattanites are said to “Bleed purple” due to their pride in Kansas State athletics. Manhattan is also home to Manhattan Christian College, Manhattan Area Technical College, the American Institute of Baking and The Flint Hills Job Corps Training Center, and the Kansas Building Science Institute. Manhattan is served by USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden and has one public high school with two campuses (Manhattan High School), two middle schools (Susan B. Anthony and Dwight D. Eisenhower), and eight elementary schools (Amanda Arnold, Frank V. Bergman, Bluemont, Lee, Marlatt, Northview, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson). The city also has two private school systems: Flint Hills Christian School (Preschool – 12th grade) and the Manhattan Catholic Schools. Manhattan Catholic School contains two buildings, the grade school building (K-5)and the Luckey Jr. High build-
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ing (6–8), formerly called the Luckey high building dedicated to Monsignor Luckey. The school’s mascot is “Luckey the Cardinal”. Culture Culture in the city of Manhattan is largely defined by Kansas State University students. The city is normally full of activity while school is in session. Due to the city’s vitality, the city was rated by CNN Money as one of the top ten places to retire young. There are a number of cultural hot spots around the city that make it as vibrant as it is. Aggieville – Aggieville is the hub of Manhattan’s nightlife. Due to its large number of bars and shops, the district is frequented by college students and citizens alike. Aggieville’s bars play host to numerous bands on a nightly basis. Nearby, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the K-State campus is home to KSU’s permanent art collection and traveling art exhibits. Entry to the museum is free of charge. Kansas State’s Mc-
Cain Auditorium, which draws major performances and tours from across the globe, is also located near Aggieville. Downtown – Downtown Manhattan, and the Manhattan Town Center Mall, is an anchor for shopping and entertainment in the eastern portions of Manhattan. Art galleries, fine dining options, and shopping are all major daytime draws to the area. The Manhattan Town Center Mall was built in the late 1980s and is located on the east edge of downtown. Kansas State Sports – Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum, and other sports venues relating to the university host events every week in their respective sports seasons, drawing fans from across the country. The facilities are sometimes used for lectures, concerts, and other non-sporting events. Fake Patty’s Day – Every Year, usually a week or two before St. Patrick’s Day, Aggieville becomes a scene of festivity, celebrating ‘Fake Patty’s Day’. The
event has been around for many years, and has recently been adopted by the licensed venues of Aggieville to avoid missing out on revenue garnered from St. Patrick’s Day, which usually falls a week before spring break. There are also a number of events and conventions held every year, such as Juneteenth Celebration, the Country Stampede Music Festival and the Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave. Transportation Manhattan is served by numerous transportation methods. Airports Manhattan Regional Airport is located 4 kilometres (2 mi) west of Manhattan on K-18. The airport is served by American Eagle, which offers multiple daily flights to two cities (Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport), and Allegiant Air, which has twice-weekly flights to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The nearest larger commercial World Views Guides | 2014
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airports are in Kansas City (MCI) and Wichita, Kansas (ICT). Rail Domestic passenger rail service to Manhattan began on August 20, 1866, on the Kansas Pacific Railroad line. A mainline of the Union Pacific Railroad still passes through the city, but all passenger service to Manhattan was discontinued after the Amtrak takeover of passenger rail in 1971. The Rock Island Railroad also formerly served Manhattan as a stop on Rock Island’s Kansas City–Colorado Springs Rocky Mountain Rocket service. The Rock Island depot was located between Fifth and Sixth streets, along former El Paso Street (now Fort Riley Boulevard). The former railroad right-of-way was converted to Manhattan’s southern arterial road as well as a rail-trail, linear park along Manhattan’s west side. Intercity bus service Intercity bus service, previously provided by Greyhound Lines, was disconWorld Views Guides
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tinued years ago. However, Arrow Stage Line operates charter service out of local facilities on McCall Road. Also, KCI Roadrunner provides charter service as well as scheduled shuttle service to and from Kansas City International Airport (KCI), Lawrence, Topeka, Junction City, Fort Riley, and Manhattan. Public transportation Within the City of Manhattan, limited mass-transit is provided by Riley County’s subsidized paratransit service, ATA Bus. ATA Bus recently started its first set-route bus route in Manhattan connecting an apartment complex and an office campus, and is currently working with the city to develop a feasible mass-transit system. ATA uses four small buses and a number of minivans in its fleet. Five twenty-passenger transit buses have been purchased for fixed-route service and the agency is awaiting operational funding from Kansas State University and the City. Historically, the city operated a streetcar system
from 1909 to 1928. The trolley tracks were torn up and replaced by bus service in 1928, which was later also discontinued. Highways Manhattan is served by several highways: I‑70 / US-40 runs about 9 miles (14 km) south of Manhattan. Three exits have a direct connection to Manhattan. Exit 313 – K-177 Exit 307 – McDowell Creek Road Exit 303 – K-18 US-24 runs through Manhattan. East on 24 is Wamego, west is Clay Center. US-24 comes in from Clay Center, runs north of the city, turns into a fourlane highway near Tuttle Creek State Park and travels south into the city as Tuttle Creek Boulevard until an intersection with East Poyntz Avenue, and then turns northeast towards Wamego. K-177 runs north from I-70 as Bill Snyder Highway until the Kansas River viaduct. A half-leaf interchange with K-18 (Tuttle Creek Blvd. and Ft. Riley
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Blvd.) and officially ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 24 in Manhattan. K-18 is a major connector in Manhattan. It begins about 18 miles (29 km) east of Manhattan, at K-99. It runs through Wabaunsee and Zeandale to K-177, crosses to Kansas River, and runs west toward the Manhattan Regional Airport and Ogden. It then travels south to I-70 as a major gateway to Manhattan. K-113 (Seth Child Road) runs from K-18 in southern Manhattan to US-24, passing through the western areas of the City. Historically, Manhattan was located on the national Victory Highway, one of the original 1920s auto trails. With the creation of the numbered federal highway system in 1926, the highway became U.S. Route 40. From 1926 to 1935, Route 40 diverged west out of Manhattan into “40N” and “40S” routes; the two routes met again in Limon, Colorado. In the 1950s, Route 40 was rerouted nine miles
south of Manhattan, due to concerns that originally arose during World War II about the highway passing through neighboring Fort Riley. The new route followed a more direct line between Topeka and Junction City, and in 1956 it was designated as Interstate 70. Media Main article: Media in Manhattan, Kansas The Manhattan Mercury is the city’s main newspaper, published six days a week. Other newspapers published in the city include: the alternative weekly The Hype Weekly which focuses on events, arts, and culture in the area; the weekly Manhattan Free Press; the agriculture-oriented Grass & Grain; and the K-State university newspaper, the Kansas State Collegian. Manhattan has had at least one newspaper published for the town continuously since The Kansas Express published its first edition on May 21, 1859. Manhattan is a center of broadcast media for the surrounding area. One AM and ten FM radio sta-
tions are licensed to and/ or broadcast from the city. Manhattan lies within the Topeka, Kansas television market, and six stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city including: a translator of KTWU, the PBS member station in Topeka; K-State’s station KKSU-LP; two GCN translators; and two independent stations. The first television station in Kansas was W9XAK in Manhattan, licensed to broadcast by the Federal Radio Commission on March 9, 1932. Notable people David Grandison Fairchild was a botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United States, including soybeans, pistachios, mangos, nectarines, dates, bamboos, and flowering cherries. Certain varieties of wheat, cotton, and rice became especially economically important. Albert Edward Mead was the fifth Governor of World Views Guides | 2014
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Washington and served in that position from 1905 to 1909. Mead was born in Manhattan on December 14, 1861. Jordy Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Kansas State University, and received All-American honors. Nelson was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Cassandra Peterson, an actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was born in Manhattan. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavageenhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance is offset by her comical character, quirky and quick-witted personality, and Valley girl-type speech. In 1998, Bill Snyder at Kansas State was recognized as the National Coach of World Views Guides
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the Year by the Associated Press, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and was awarded the Bear Bryant Award and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. He was also a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award in 1993 and 1995, a finalist for the Football News National Coach of the Year Award in 1995 and 1998, and a finalist for the Kodak/AFCA National Coach of the Year Award in 1993 and 1998. Of somewhat lesser note, ESPN selected Snyder as its national coach of the year in 1991, and CNN selected him as its national coach of the year in 1995. Earl Woods was a US Army infantry officer who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was a college-level baseball player and writer, but is best remembered as the father of professional golfer Tiger Woods. Woods started his son in golf at a very early age, and coached him exclusively for his first years in the sport. In popular culture
The eponymous character in Raymond Chandler’s 1949 novel The Little Sister is from Manhattan. Kenneth S. Davis’s 1951 novel Morning in Kansas is set in Manhattan (called New Boston in the book). In 1972, Glen Campbell recorded a No. 6 hit on the Country Music Charts with his song “Manhattan, Kansas.” The 1975 documentary film Banjoman captures a concert held in Manhattan on January 20, 1973, to honor Earl Scruggs. The concert included performances by Joan Baez, David Bromberg, The Byrds, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Doc and Merle Watson. Manhattan features in Vernor Vinge’s 1985 sciencefiction novella The Ungoverned. The main character in Sydney Sheldon’s 1987 novel Windmills of the Gods starts out as a professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Manhattan is a principal setting for the 1992 novel Was, by Geoff Ryman, a
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contemporary examination of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. W.E.B. Griffin mentions Manhattan as the hometown of a main character in his Brotherhood of War. The plot of the failed 1993 CBS television pilot The Elvira Show revolves around two witches, played by Elvira and Katherine Helmond, moving to Manhattan with their talking cat. The opening scene for the trailer to the 2004 film Friday Night Lights is Poyntz Avenue in downtown Manhattan; this was stock footage purchased for the trailer. A 2006 documentary film Manhattan, Kansas by Tara Wray, is about her mentally unstable mother, who lives in the area. A 2013 independent film called Manhattan is a romantic comedy set in Manhattan, Kansas, and loosely based on the 1979 film Manhattan.
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Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres (407 km²) in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Camp Funston, Camp Forsyth, Camp Whiteside and Custer Hill. The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000. The zip code is 66442. Namesake Fort Riley is named in honor of Major General Bennett C. Riley who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails. In the years after the Civil War, Fort Riley served as a major United States Cavalry post and school for cavalry tactics and practice. The post was a base for skirmishes with Native Americans after the Civil War ended in 1865, during which time George Custer was stationed at the fort. United States Cavalry School In 1887 Fort Riley became World Views Guides
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the site of the United States Cavalry School. The famous all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, the soldiers of which were called “Buffalo Soldiers”, were stationed at Fort Riley at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War I, the fort was home to 50,000 soldiers, and it is sometimes identified as ground zero for the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which its soldiers were said to have spread all over the world. Since the end of World War II, various infantry divisions have been assigned there. Most notably, from 1955-1996 the post was home to the famed Big Red One. Between 1999 and 2006, the post was headquarters to the 24th Infantry Division and known as “America’s Warfighting Center”. In August 2006, the Big Red One relocated its headquarters to Fort Riley from Leighton Barracks, Germany. Camp Whitside is named in honor of Brigadier General Samuel M. Whitside, who served as commander of Company B, 6th Cavalry Regiment, at Fort Riley, between the years of 1871 and 1874. Stationed Units 1st Infantry Division
1st Armored Brigade Combat Team 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team 1st Combat Aviation Brigade 1st Sustainment Brigade Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 3rd Weather Squadron Det. 2 History Origins The early history of Fort Riley is closely tied to the movement of people and trade along the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. These routes, a result of then popular United States doctrine of “Manifest Destiny” in the middle of the 19th century, prompted increased American military presence for the protection of American interests in this largely unsettled territory. During the 1850s, a number of military posts were established at strategic points to provide protection along these arteries of emigration and commerce. In the fall of 1852, a surveying party under the command of Captain Robert Chilton, 1st U.S. Dragoons, selected the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers as a site for one of these forts.
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This location, approved by the War Department in January 1853, offered an advantageous location from which to organize, train and equip troops in protecting the overland trails. Surveyors believed the location near the center of the United States and named the site, Camp Center. During the late spring, three companies of the 6th Infantry occupied the camp and began construction of temporary quarters. On June 27, 1853, Camp Center became Fort Riley— named in honor of Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Riley who had led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1829. The “fort” took shape around a broad plain that overlooked the Kansas River valley. The fort’s design followed the standard frontier post configuration: buildings were constructed of the most readily available material - in this case, native limestone. In the spring, troops were dispatched to escort mail trains and protect travel routes across the plains. At the fort, additional buildings were constructed under the supervision of Capt. Edmund Ogden. Anticipating greater utiliza-
tion of the post, Congress authorized appropriations in the spring of 1855 to provide additional quarters and stables for the Dragoons. Ogden again marshaled resources and arrived from Leavenworth in July with 56 mule teams loaded with materials, craftsmen and laborers. Work had progressed for several weeks when cholera broke out among the workers. The epidemic lasted only a few days but claimed 70 lives, including Ogden’s. Work gradually resumed and buildings were readied for the arrival in October of the 2nd Dragoons. As the fort began to take shape, an issue soon to dominate the national scene was debated during the brief territorial legislative session which met at Pawnee in the present area of Camp Whitside, named for Col. Warren Whitside. The first territorial legislature met there in July 1855. Slavery was a fact of life and an issue within the garrison just as it was in the rest of the country. The seeds of sectional discord were emerging that would lead to “Bleeding Kansas” and, eventually, Civil War.
Increased tension and bloodshed between pro and antislavery settlers resulted in the use of the Army to “police” the troubled territory. They also continued to guard and patrol the Santa Fe Trail in 1859 and 1860 due to increased Indian threats. The outbreak of hostilities between the North and South in 1861 disrupted garrison life. Regular units returned east to participate in the Civil War while militia units from Kansas and other states used Riley as a base from which to launch campaigns to show the flag and offer a degree of protection to trading caravans using the Santa Fe Trail. In the early stages of the war, the fort was used to confine Confederate prisoners. Custer The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 witnessed Fort Riley again assuming an importance in providing protection to railroad lines being built across Kansas. Evidence of this occurred in the summer and fall of 1866 when the 7th Cavalry Regiment was mustered-in at Riley and the Union Pacific Railroad reached the fort. Brevet Major General George A. Custer arrived in December World Views Guides | 2014
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to take charge of the new regiment.Soldiers from the Kansas Volunteer regiments, “Jenison’s Jayhawks” that were wounded in the battle of west port were brought to Fort Riley for recovery. The following spring, Custer and the 7th left Fort Riley to participate in a campaign on the high plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. The campaign proved inconclusive but resulted in Custer’s court martial and suspension from the Army for one year—in part—for returning to Fort Riley to see his wife without permission. As the line of settlement extended westward each spring, the fort lost some of its importance. Larger concentrations of troops were stationed at Forts Larned and Hays, where they spent the summer months on patrol and wintered in garrison. Between 1869 and 1871, a school of light artillery was conducted at Fort Riley by the 4th Artillery Battery. Instruction was of a purely practical nature, and regular classes were not conducted. Critiques were delivered during or following the exercise. This short-lived school closed in March 1871 as the World Views Guides
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War Department imposed economy measures which included cutting a private’s monthly pay from $12 to $9. During the next decade, various regiments of the infantry and cavalry were garrisoned at Riley. The spring and summer months usually witnessed a skeletal complement at the fort while the remainder of the troops were sent to Forts Hays, Wallace, and Dodge in western Kansas. With the approach of winter, these troops returned to Riley. Regiments serving here during this time included the 5th, 6th, and 9th Cavalry and the 16th Infantry Regiment. The lessening of hostilities with the Indian tribes of the Great Plains resulted in the closing of many frontier forts. Riley escaped this fate when Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan recommended in his 1884 annual report to Congress to make the fort “Cavalry Headquarters of the Army.” Fort Riley was also used by state militia units for encampments and training exercises. The first such maneuver occurred in the fall of 1902 with subsequent ones held in 1903, 1904, 1906–1908 and 1911. These
exercises gave added importance to the fort as a training facility and provided reserve units a valuable opportunity for sharpening their tactical skills. Buffalo Soldiers The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments—the famed “Buffalo Soldiers” so called by the indigenous peoples for the similarity to the short curly haired buffalo that roamed the plains—have been stationed at Fort Riley several times during their history. Shortly after their formation in 1866, the 9th Cavalry passed through here en route to permanent stations in the southwest. They returned during the early 1880s and the early part of this century before being permanently assigned as troop cadre for the Cavalry School during the 1920 and 30s. The 10th Cavalry was stationed here in 1868 and 1913. On the eve of World War II, the 9th and 10th Cavalry became part of the Second Cavalry Division which was briefly stationed here. The following two decades have been described as the golden age of the cavalry. Certainly it was in terms of refining the relationship between horse and rider. Army
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horsemen and the training they received at the United States Army Cavalry School made them among the finest mounted soldiers in the world and the School’s reputation ranked with the French and Italian Cavalry Schools. Horse shows, hunts, and polo matches - long popular events on Army post - were a natural outgrowth of cavalry training. The Cavalry School Hunt was officially organized in 1921 and provided a colorful spectacle on Sunday mornings. These activities gave rise to the perception of a special quality of life at Fort Riley that came to be known as the “Life of Riley.” The technological advances demonstrated on the battlefields of Europe and World War I - most notable the tank and machine gun - raised questions in the inter-war years over the future of cavalry. By the late 1920s, the War Department directed development of a tank force by the Army. This was followed by activation of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech) at Fort Knox in the fall of 1936 to makeup the 2nd Regiment of this brigade. In October 1938, the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech)
marched from Fort Knox to Riley and took part in largescale combine maneuvers of horse and mechanized units. These exercises helped prove the effectiveness of mechanical doctrine. World War I America’s entry into World War I resulted in many changes at Fort Riley. Facilities were greatly expanded, and a cantonment named Camp Funston was built five miles (8 km) east of the permanent post during the summer and fall of 1917. This training site was one of 16 across the country and could accommodate from 30,000 to 50,000 men. The first division to train at Camp Funston, the 89th, sailed for France in the spring of 1918. The 10th Division also received training at Funston but the armistice came before the unit was sent overseas. The camp was commanded by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. A Military Officers Training Camp was established in the Camp Whitside area to train doctors and other medical personnel. Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, beckoned to a world made safe for democracy but also one that heralded a new
day for the horse cavalry. The War Department directed service schools be created for all arms of service. As a result, in 1919, the Mounted Service School, as it was known since 1907 and which had ceased to function during the war, was redesignated as the United States Army Cavalry School. The change was sudden and abrupt. The new school met the need for courses both broader in scope and more general in character. The Cavalry unit at camp Funston was the 2nd cavalry Regiment who provide the training and cavalry tactics to new cavalry officers. The current post headquarders was in the 1920s post hospital . World War II Gathering war clouds in Europe and Asia during the late 1930s caused some military planners to prepare for possible U. S. involvement. This led to several important developments at Fort Riley. The first was the rebuilding of Camp Funston and the stationing of the 2nd Cavalry Division there in December 1940. Barracks were built in the area known as Republican Flats and renamed Camp Forsyth. In addition, World Views Guides | 2014
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32,000 acres (129 km²) were added to the post for training purposes. These efforts were brought into sharp focus with America’s entry into World War II. Over the next four years, approximately 125,000 soldiers were trained at these facilities. Notable trainees included heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Louis, Indy car driver Walt Faulkner,and motion picture stars such as Mickey Rooney. The post also received a presidential visit by Franklin Roosevelt on Easter Sunday 1943. The 9th Armored Division was organized here in July 1942 and after its deployment, Camp Funston was used as a German prisoner of war camp. Fort Riley had branch POW camps, a large branch Camp Phillips in Salina, and 12 smaller branch camps in Kansas and Missouri: Council Grove, El Dorado, Eskridge, Hutchinson, Lawrence, Neodesha, Ottawa, Peabody, Wadsworth, Grand Pass, Lexington, Liberty. The arrival of victory in Europe and Japan during the spring and summer of 1945, were joyous occasions. But they also spelled new realities and directions for the World Views Guides
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Army and Fort Riley. Korean War In the aftermath of World War II, the fort experienced a period of transition. The Cavalry School ceased operation in November 1946 and the last tactical horse unit inactivated the following March. Replacing the Cavalry School was the Ground General School, which trained newly commissioned officers in basic military subjects. An officer’s candidate course was conducted along with training officers and enlisted men in intelligence techniques and methods. 10th Infantry Division 10th Mountain Division Activated 1 July 1948 at Fort Riley, Kansas. The sixteen-week basic military program conducted by this division prepared soldiers for infantry combat and duty with other infantry units.A lot of first three graders from the 2nd cavalry regiment were given promotions to be commissioned officers and stayed on to train new troops. The invasion of South Korea by North Korean forces in June 1950, once again brought attention to Fort Riley as an important training facility. Over the next few years, recruits from all over
the United States came to Fort Riley and received basic training. The 37th Infantry Division, made up of units from the Ohio National Guard, was also stationed here during the conflict. While they were not sent overseas, their presence was a continuing reinforcement of the fort’s importance as a training post. Cold War The uneasy truce that settled on the Korean peninsula after 1953 was indicative of a cold war that had come to characterize relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. This would have an impact on Fort Riley. In 1955, the fort’s utilization changed from training and educational center to that of being the home base for a major infantry division. In that year, the 10th Division rotated to Germany as part of “Operation Gyroscope” and was replaced by the 1st Infantry Division. Elements of the Big Red One began arriving in July 1955 and over the next five months the remaining units arrived. They initially occupied barracks located in Camp Funston. The influx of troops and dependents placed new demands on the fort’s infra-
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structure. Work began on Custer Hill where new quarters, barracks and work areas were constructed. A new hospital, named in honor of Major General B. J. D. Irwin, was constructed to provide medical care. In the decade following, 1st Infantry Division units trained to respond to any threat that might arise in Europe or other parts of the world. Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and Cuban Missile Crisis the following year witnessed heightened alert for soldiers stationed at Fort Riley. An additional 50,000 acres (200 km²) were also acquired in 1966, which enabled the Army to have an adequate training area for the division’s two brigades. Vietnam Increased guerrilla insurgency in South Vietnam during the mid-1960s, led to the deployment of the 1st Infantry Division to Southeast Asia. The leading element, the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, left in July 1965 with the Division Headquarters arriving in South Vietnam in September. During this same year, a provisional basic combat training brigade was organized at Fort Riley and
in February 1966, the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated and followed the 1st Infantry Division into combat. Fort Riley’s use as a divisional post was maintained with the arrival of the 24th Infantry Division. The division remained in Germany until September 1968 when it redeployed two brigades to Fort Riley as part of the REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany) program. One brigade was maintained in Germany. Following nearly five years of combat in Vietnam, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley in April 1970 and assumed the NATO commitment. The division’s 3rd Brigade was stationed in West Germany. During the 1970s and the 1980s, 1st Infantry Division soldiers were periodically deployed on REFORGER exercises. Reserve Officer Training Corps summer camps were also held at the fort, which permitted troops to demonstrate and teach their skills to aspiring second lieutenants. The fort also hosted the model U. S. Army Correctional Brigade, housed in Camp Funston, and the 3rd ROTC Region Headquarters
until their inactivation in 1992. The Gulf War In August 1990, Iraq invaded its neighbor, Kuwait. The resulting international outcry led to the largest U.S. troop build-up and deployment overseas since the Vietnam War. In the fall of that year, Fort Riley was notified to begin mobilization of troops and equipment for deployment to the Persian Gulf. Between November 1990 and January 1991, men and equipment were deployed overseas. In addition to the 1st Infantry Division, twenty-seven non-divisional units were deployed and twenty-four reserve components were mobilized. This amounted to 15,180 soldiers being sent overseas via 115 aircraft. Over 2,000 railcars transported 3,000 short tons of equipment which were then shipped to theater on eighteen vessels. Once in theater, these soldiers and equipment were readied for combat. This commenced in late February 1991 and over the course of the ‘hundred hours’ combat of Operation Desert Storm, these soldiers carried out their orders and executed World Views Guides | 2014
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their missions that resulted in the crushing of Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guards. Later that spring, soldiers returned to Fort Riley. The 1990s and beyond Following Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley. But the winds of change were once again blowing across the Army and affected the post. The Cold War of the past four decades was being replaced by new realities in Eastern Europe with the crumbling of the Iron Curtain. Budget cuts and revised strategic thinking resulted in troop cutbacks. In the spring of 1995, headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division were transferred from Fort Riley to Germany. 1st Brigade of the Big Red One remained at the post along with 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division and the 937th Engineer Group. On June 5, 1999, Fort Riley once again became a Division Headquarters with the reactivation of the 24th Infantry Division (Mech). The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) is the Headquarters for three enhanced Separate Brigades (eSBs) of the Army National Guard. Under the World Views Guides
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integrated Active Component/Reserve Component concept, the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) consists of an active component headquarters at Fort Riley and three enhanced Separate Brigades: 30th Heavy Separate Brigade at Clinton, North Carolina, 218th Heavy Separate Brigade at Columbia, South Carolina, and the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade in Macon, Georgia. These units were on eight-year training cycles that culminate in a National Training Center rotation. They also backfill active duty units for Major Theater War contingencies and provide units for Stabilization Force rotations in Bosnia. Soldiers from Fort Riley continue to be deployed to areas in all corners of the world. From southwest Asia to the Caribbean and the Balkans, Fort Riley soldiers have been engaged in numerous peacekeeping and nation-building missions. They continue to hone their skills by periodic deployments to the National Training Center located at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. On 21 April 2003. 3rd Bri-
gade 1st Armored Division Deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 3rd Brigade conducted combat operation in and around Baghad, Iraq in support of the 1st Armored Divisions mission to secure and stabilize the city of Baghdad. Over the next 9 years, Fort Riley units supported combat operations both Iraq and Afghanistan. On June 1, 2006, Fort Riley began training Military Transition Teams, or MiTTs. These 10-15 man teams from across the Army, Navy and Air Force train at Fort Riley’s Camp Funston for 60 days. Transition Team training is focused training preparing teams to train, mentor and advise Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Training is based on core competencies—combat skills, force protection, team support processes, technical and tactical training, adviser skills, counter insurgency operations and understanding the culture. Return of the 1st Infantry Division On August 1, 2006, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley and replaced the 24th Infantry Division as the post’s main Division.
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In October 2006, the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, assumed command and control of the Military Transition Team training mission. The entire division took the lead on this mission for the military. The mission was moved from Fort Riley to Fort Polk, LA, in the summer of 2009. Irwin Army Community Hospital A year after the post was established in 1853, a temporary hospital was constructed near the present day Post/ Cavalry Museum and Patton Hall on the main post. A permanent hospital, which is now the Post/Cavalry Museum, was built in 1855 with a clock tower added in 1890. The second hospital replaced the 1855 hospital in 1888 and is now Post Headquarters. A third hospital was built in 1941 at Camp Whitside and named Cantonment Hospital, later Station Hospital. The second hospital remained as an annex until 1957. The current and fourth hospital was dedicated in 1958. The fourth and current hospital was named after Brigadier General Bernard John Dowling Irwin “The Fighting Doctor” who won the Medal of Honor for distinguished gallantry in ac-
tion during an engagement with the Chiricahua Indians near Apache Pass Arizona in February 1861. A new hospital near the current hospital is currently under construction and scheduled to be complete in 2014. Fort Riley Museums U.S. Cavalry Museum housed in the building used as headquarters by George Armstrong Custer, the museum houses exhibits about the U.S. Cavalry from the Revolutionary War to 1950 1st Infantry Division Museum - exhibits relating to the 1st Infantry Division from 1917 to the present and the United States Constabulary forces that served in Germany immediately following World War II Custer Home, 24 Sheridan Avenue - Historic house museum First Territorial Capitol of Kansas - History of Territorial Kansas M65 Atomic Cannon, on the hills overlooking Marshall Airfield (accessible without passing through Fort Riley’s security perimeter). Notable people Enos Cabell, former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball, played for the Baltimore Ori-
oles, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers George Armstrong Custer, General Johnny Damon, professional baseball player Chris Faust, Landscape photographer Timothy McVeigh, destroyed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 Frank Buckles Last surviving American World War One veteran
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