campaign, a 3-day peace conference brought together brought conference peace 3-day a campaign, Thompson dugouts. Several claims were made on the the on made were claims Several dugouts. Thompson of Kanopolis). of river when the main gates are closed. are gates main the when river made many drives from Texas to trading centers in the the in centers trading to Texas from drives many made tribes from the quartermaster’s home. After this winter winter this After home. quartermaster’s the from tribes led by Robert Hudson, took possession of the abandoned abandoned the of possession took Hudson, Robert by led flood level approximately one mile northeast (present site site (present northeast mile one approximately level flood uncontrolled outlet maintains normal water flow to the the to flow water normal maintains outlet uncontrolled Eugene Millett. Well known in the cattle trade, Millett Millett trade, cattle the in known Well Millett. Eugene planned the 1868-1869 winter campaign against hostile hostile against campaign winter 1868-1869 the planned ventured back into the area. A party of buffalo hunters, hunters, buffalo of party A area. the into back ventured of the same year, the site was moved to a location above above location a to moved was site the year, same the of through the tunnel is regulated by two gates (7’x 12’). An An 12’). (7’x gates two by regulated is tunnel the through in 1879 by a former Confederate cavalry officer, Captain Captain officer, cavalry Confederate former a by 1879 in Hickok were scouts for the military. General Sheridan Sheridan General military. the for scouts were Hickok With the establishment of Fort Ellsworth in 1864, settlers settlers 1864, in Ellsworth Fort of establishment the With 1866, the fort was renamed Fort Harker. In December December In Harker. Fort renamed was fort the 1866, operating machinery for discharges. Controlled flow flow Controlled discharges. for machinery operating Powers Ranch in the 1860’s. The ranch was purchased purchased was ranch The 1860’s. the in Ranch Powers 7th Cavalry. Both “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Wild Bill Bill Wild and Cody Bill” “Buffalo Both Cavalry. 7th buffalo hunters to retreat east to Salina for protection. protection. for Salina to east retreat to hunters buffalo Fletcher located 48 miles to the west. On November 11, 11, November On west. the to miles 48 located Fletcher and 2,443 feet in length. The control tower contains the the contains tower control The length. in feet 2,443 and County. The rangeland to the north was known as the the as known was north the to rangeland The County. served here, as well as General George Custer and his his and Custer George General as well as here, served parties spread across the plains in 1864, forcing the the forcing 1864, in plains the across spread parties stationed here, scouting between Fort Ellsworth and Fort Fort and Ellsworth Fort between scouting here, stationed the lake through a concrete tunnel, 14 feet in diameter diameter in feet 14 tunnel, concrete a through lake the Trail to Denver prior to becoming cattlemen in Ellsworth Ellsworth in cattlemen becoming to prior Denver to Trail Sherman, Grant, Hancock, Miles, Sulley, and Forsyth Forsyth and Sulley, Miles, Hancock, Grant, Sherman, with a team of buffalo instead of oxen. Cheyenne war war Cheyenne oxen. of instead buffalo of team a with on the north bank of the river. Buffalo Bill Cody was was Cody Bill Buffalo river. the of bank north the on 131 feet above the stream bed. Water is released from from released is Water bed. stream the above feet 131 The Powers brothers ran bull trains on the Smoky Hill Hill Smoky the on trains bull ran brothers Powers The famous individuals of the West. Generals Sheridan, Sheridan, Generals West. the of individuals famous 1859. Legend tells that Thompson plowed the ground ground the plowed Thompson that tells Legend 1859. the Fort Zara Trail. The Smoky Hill Trail continued west west continued Trail Hill Smoky The Trail. Zara Fort the Dam is 15,810 feet long and has a maximum height of of height maximum a has and long feet 15,810 is Dam was once the headquarters of four consecutive ranches. ranches. consecutive four of headquarters the once was from Fort Harker. Fort Harker was visited by many many by visited was Harker Fort Harker. Fort from his hunting ranch on the banks of Thompson Creek in in Creek Thompson of banks the on ranch hunting his trail. The road to the Arkansas River became known as as known became River Arkansas the to road The trail. from one side of the valley to the other. The Kanopolis Kanopolis The other. the to valley the of side one from River may be seen. The land below the bluffs to the left left the to bluffs the below land The seen. be may River the men hospitalized were from commands far removed removed far commands from were hospitalized men the wolves to the area. Smoky Hill Thompson established established Thompson Hill Smoky area. the to wolves Seventh Iowa Volunteer Cavalry began to secure the the secure to began Cavalry Volunteer Iowa Seventh through the valley in a shallow channel, meandering meandering channel, shallow a in valley the through the confluence of the Bluff Creek with the Smoky Hill Hill Smoky the with Creek Bluff the of confluence the of supplies used in campaigns farther west. Two fifths of of fifths Two west. farther campaigns in used supplies of The late 1850’s brought hunters of buffalo, elk, and and elk, buffalo, of hunters brought 1850’s late The Upon occupying the abandoned ranch, Company H, H, Company ranch, abandoned the occupying Upon the valley was 1 to 3 miles in width. The river flowed flowed river The width. in miles 3 to 1 was valley the From this vantage point, point, vantage this From #26.Idavale/Larson Ranch- #26.Idavale/Larson civilians. The civilians were associated with the freighting freighting the with associated were civilians The civilians. Cemetery- Settlement/Scates Creek #22.Thompson valley with gently sloping sides. The flood plain of of plain flood The sides. sloping gently with valley quartermaster’s department numbered more than 1,400 1,400 than more numbered department quartermaster’s a post on the Smoky Hill River. Hill Smoky the on post a the Smoky Hill River occupied a wide, flat-bottomed flat-bottomed wide, a occupied River Hill Smoky the the eight divisions of the ranch to the headquarters. the to ranch the of divisions eight the It served as both a supply depot and a hospital. The The hospital. a and depot supply a both as served It the uprising, Lt. Allen Ellsworth was ordered to establish establish to ordered was Ellsworth Allen Lt. uprising, the Prior to the construction of the dam, dam, the of construction the to Prior depending on the seasons. A telephone system connected connected system telephone A seasons. the on depending to be a base of operations for future Indian campaigns. campaigns. Indian future for operations of base a be to forced the hunters to abandon the area. Responding to to Responding area. the abandon to hunters the forced #27.Control Tower/Kanopolis Dam- Dam- Tower/Kanopolis #27.Control for grazing. The ranch employed 100 to 200 people, people, 200 to 100 employed ranch The grazing. for of Fort Harker in January 1867. Fort Harker was slated slated was Harker Fort 1867. January in Harker Fort of travelers on the trail. The Cheyenne uprising of 1863-64 1863-64 of uprising Cheyenne The trail. the on travelers a Mexican operation were shipped to the Kansas ranch ranch Kansas the to shipped were operation Mexican a against the Cheyenne in 1864 led to the establishment establishment the to led 1864 in Cheyenne the against the river. The ranch became a center of commerce for for commerce of center a became ranch The river. the industry in the use of the latest technology. Steers from from Steers technology. latest the of use the in industry The success of the military campaign campaign military the of success The Harker- #18.Fort buffalo hunters built a hunting ranch on the banks of of banks the on ranch hunting a built hunters buffalo Ranch not only excelled at cattle ranching, but led the the led but ranching, cattle at excelled only not Ranch low, the remnants of the oak pilings are visible. In 1860, 1860, In visible. are pilings oak the of remnants the low, which he created a 40,000-acre empire. The Sherman Sherman The empire. 40,000-acre a created he which are still visible today. When river levels are extremely extremely are levels river When today. visible still are Ranch, M. M. Sherman built his “White House” around around House” “White his built Sherman M. M. Ranch, distance south. The earthen approach ramps to the bridge bridge the to ramps approach earthen The south. distance Headquarters can be seen. First known as the Boggs Boggs the as known First seen. be can Headquarters road continued to be used by fording the river a short short a river the fording by used be to continued road to the southwest, the holdings of the Sherman Ranch Ranch Sherman the of holdings the southwest, the to 1856. The bridge was destroyed by the flood of 1858. The The 1858. of flood the by destroyed was bridge The 1856. Overlooking the Bluff Creek valley valley Creek Bluff the Overlooking Ranch- #25.Sherman bridge at the Smoky Hill crossing was constructed in in constructed was crossing Hill Smoky the at bridge on the Solomon, Saline, and the Smoky Hill Rivers.