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{{Short description|Army installation in Kansas, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox military installation
| name         = Fort Riley
| native_name   = [[eponym]]: [[Major General (United States)|MG]] [[Bennet C. Riley]], [[United States Army|USA]]
| location     = [[Riley County, Kansas|Riley]] / [[Geary County, Kansas|Geary]] counties, near [[Junction City, Kansas]]
| image        = U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division CSIB.svg
| image_size   = 75px
| caption      = Shoulder sleeve insignia of [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|First Infantry Division]]
| pushpin_map  = USA Kansas#USA
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_label = '''Fort Riley'''
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Fort Riley
| coordinates  = {{coord|39|06|N|96|49|W|region:US-KS_type:city_source:dewiki|display=inline,title}}
| site_area    = {{convert|101733|acre|sqmi km2|1|abbr=on}}
| built        = January 1853
| used         = 1853–present
| type         = Army post
| controlledby = [[United States Army]]
| garrison      = [[File:1st Infantry Division SSI (1918-2015).svg|24px]] [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]]
| current_commander = Colonel Gerald Nunziato
| battles      =
| status       = Active
| website      = {{URL|https://home.army.mil/riley|Official website}}
}}
'''Fort Riley''' is a United States Army [[military base|installation]] located in [[North Central Kansas]], on the [[Kansas River]], also known as the Kaw, between [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]] and [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]]. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170&nbsp;ha) in [[Geary County, Kansas|Geary]] and [[Riley County, Kansas|Riley]] counties.<ref name="FRMVAD2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.riley.army.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Units/Garrison/PAIO/FRMilitaryValueAnalysis.pdf|title=Fort Riley Military Value Analysis Data; June 2014.|website=army.mil|access-date=March 31, 2018|archive-date=January 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125090741/http://www.riley.army.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Units/Garrison/PAIO/FRMilitaryValueAnalysis.pdf}}</ref> The Fort consists of six functional areas, including the Main Post, [[Camp Funston]], [[Marshall Army Airfield]] (MAAF), [[Fort Riley-Camp Whiteside, Kansas|Camp Whitside]], Camp Forsyth, and Custer Hill.<ref name="Story 2023 p. 1">{{cite book |last1=Story |first1=Madison |title=Fort Riley Firing Ranges and Military Training Lands: A History and Analysis |date=2023 |publisher=US Army Engineer Research and Development Center |page=1 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1213527.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902053612/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1213527.pdf |archive-date=September 2, 2024 }}</ref> The portion of the fort that contains housing development is part of the [[Fort Riley (CDP), Kansas|Fort Riley]] [[census-designated place]], with a residential population of 9,230 as of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census-2020-Profile">{{cite web |title=Profile of Fort Riley, Kansas (CDP) in 2020 |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2023975 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115134348/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2023975 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[ZIP Code]] is 66442.

== Stationed units ==
1st Infantry Division<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/1stInfantryDivision.aspx|title=1st Infantry Division|website=www.riley.army.mil|access-date=March 31, 2018|archive-date=November 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122022244/http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/1stInfantryDivision.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id_bn.htm|title=HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS BATTALION 1st INFANTRY DIVISION (THE BIG RED ONE) - Lineage and Honors Information - U.S. Army Center of Military History|access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020173748/https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id_bn.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division]]<ref name="MHS 2020">{{cite web |title=Military Health System (MHS) Section 703 Workgroup Use Case Decision Package |url=https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Reports/2020/02/18/Farrelly-Health-Clinic-FHC-Vol-1 |publisher=Military Health System |access-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804073727/https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Reports/2020/02/18/Farrelly-Health-Clinic-FHC-Vol-1 |archive-date=August 4, 2021 |page=4 |format=pdf |date=2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id1bct.htm|title=HEADQUARTERS 1st BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, 1st INFANTRY DIVISION (DEVIL BRIGADE) - Lineage and Honors Information - U.S. Army Center of Military History|access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020173750/https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id1bct.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division]]<ref name="MHS 2020" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id2bct.htm|title=HEADQUARTERS 2d BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, 1st INFANTRY DIVISION(DAGGER BRIGADE) &#124; Lineage and Honors|access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020173752/https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001id2bct.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[1st Infantry Division Artillery (United States)|1st Infantry Division Artillery]] (DIVARTY)<ref name="MHS 2020" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001ida.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621043610/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001ida.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 21, 2008|title = Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Infantry Division Artillery}}</ref>
* [[Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (United States)|Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division]]<ref name="MHS 2020" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001idavbde.htm|title=Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division &#124; Lineage and Honors|access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020173753/https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001idavbde.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[1st Sustainment Brigade (United States)|1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade]]<ref name="MHS 2020" />

Garrison<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/GarrisonCommand.aspx|title=Garrison Command|website=www.riley.army.mil|access-date=March 31, 2018|archive-date=November 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122061623/http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/GarrisonCommand.aspx}}</ref>
* [[97th Military Police Battalion (United States)|97th Military Police Battalion]]
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison

Partners:
* 10th Air Support Operations Squadron, USAF<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* 407th Army Field Support Brigade<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* 902nd Military Intelligence Group<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* Detachment 2, 3d Weather Squadron, USAF<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* Danger Voice Signal University<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* Irwin Army Community Hospital<ref name="MHS 2020" />
* Warrior Transition Battalion<ref name="Greer 2010">{{cite web |last=Greer |first=Deikeya |title=Fort Riley becomes home to the 1st Warrior Transition Battalion complex |website=www.army.mil |date=June 8, 2010 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/40526/fort_riley_becomes_home_to_the_1st_warrior_transition_battalion_complex |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921055452/https://www.army.mil/article/40526/fort_riley_becomes_home_to_the_1st_warrior_transition_battalion_complex |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 79th Ordnance Battalion (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)<ref name="Ham 2022">{{cite web |title=Explosive Ordnance Disposal leaders capture lessons learned from combat training |website=DVIDS |date=March 17, 2022 |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/416657/explosive-ordnance-disposal-leaders-capture-lessons-learned-combat-training |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921060647/https://www.dvidshub.net/news/416657/explosive-ordnance-disposal-leaders-capture-lessons-learned-combat-training |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 923rd Contracting Battalion<ref name="Elkins 2023">{{cite web |last=Elkins |first=Daniel |title=923rd Contracting Battalion welcomes new leader |website=US Army |date=June 6, 2023 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/267343/923rd_contracting_battalion_welcomes_new_leader |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921055453/https://www.army.mil/article/267343/923rd_contracting_battalion_welcomes_new_leader |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Fort Riley Resident Agency<ref name="CID locations">{{cite web |title=CID Locations |website=US Army |url=https://www.cid.army.mil/contact/ |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921052524/https://www.cid.army.mil/The-Agency/CID-Locations/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Inactivated:
* [[1st Signal Command (United States)|1st Signal Command]], inactivated in 1969<ref name="Raines 2005">{{Cite book|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-15-1/CMH_Pub_60-15-1.pdf|title=Signal Corps|last=Raines|first=Rebecca R.|publisher=United States Army Center of Military History|year=2005|series=Army Lineage Series|location=Washington, D.C.|page=5|access-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829215227/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-15-1/CMH_Pub_60-15-1.pdf|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[121st Signal Battalion (United States)|121st Signal Battalion]], inactivated 1995<ref name="121st 2003">{{cite web |title=121st Signal Battalion Lineage |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/sc/0121scbn.htm |publisher=US Army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902154238/https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/sc/0121scbn.htm |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |date=March 12, 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|History of Kansas}}

===Origins===
[[Image:Bennett Riley, 1852 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Bennet C. Riley]], the namesake of Fort Riley]]
The early history of Fort Riley is closely tied to the movement of people and trade along the [[Oregon trail|Oregon]] and [[Santa Fe trail]]s. These routes, a result of the 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. In the 1850s, the United States established several military posts at strategic points to safeguard these emigration and commerce routes.<ref name="History">{{cite web |title=History of Fort Riley and 1st Infantry Division |url=https://home.army.mil/riley/about/history |website=U.S. Army  |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529113350/https://home.army.mil/riley/about/history |archive-date=May 29, 2024}}</ref>

In the fall of 1852, a surveying party under the command of [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] [[Robert H. Chilton]], [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st U.S. Dragoons]], selected the junction of the [[Republican River|Republican]] and [[Smoky Hill River]]s as a site for one of these forts. This location, approved by the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] in January 1853, offered an advantageous location from which to organize, train, and equip troops to protect the overland trails. The site was named Camp Center because surveyors believed it was near the center of the United States. In late spring, three companies of the 6th Infantry occupied the camp and began construction of temporary quarters.<ref name="History" />

[[Image:First Territorial Capitol of Kansas.jpg|thumb|right|The [[First Territorial Capitol of Kansas]] was built in 1855 at present-day Fort Riley.]]
On June 27, 1853, Camp Center became Fort Riley&nbsp;— named in honor of Major General [[Bennet 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&nbsp;— 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 utilization of the post, [[United States Congress|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 50 6-mule teams<ref name="History" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lowe |first=Percival |title=Five Years a Dragoon |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1991 |isbn=0-8061-1089-9 |page=144}}</ref> loaded with materials, craftsmen, and laborers.<ref name="History" />

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 prepared 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 that met at Pawnee in the present area of Camp Whitside,<ref name="History" /> named for Colonel [[Warren Whitside]].<ref name="Driving tour">{{cite web |title=Fort Riley Driving Tour |url=https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_1stInfDiv/docs/fortRiley_drivingTour.pdf |publisher=US Army |access-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701013824/https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_1stInfDiv/docs/fortRiley_drivingTour.pdf |archive-date=July 1, 2024 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="History" />

===Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War===
[[Image:Custer House Museum.jpg|thumb|right|Built in 1855, Fort Riley's [[Custer Home]] represents the architecture and style of a military home on the base during the Civil War era.]]
Increased tension and bloodshed between pro- and anti-slavery settlers led to the Army being used 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.<ref name="History" />

In the early stages of the war, the fort was used to house Confederate prisoners. In early 1862, the fort served as a temporary detention facility for 133 Confederate prisoners from Texas, who had been captured during a significant military campaign in New Mexico. The prisoners remained at Fort Riley for approximately one month before being transferred to Fort Leavenworth. During their stay, seven individuals died due to illness or injuries sustained in battle and were interred in the vicinity. In May 1863, Fort Riley again held Confederate prisoners, this time those captured following raids in the [[Council Grove, Kansas]], region. However, the overall involvement of Fort Riley in the Civil War was relatively limited.<ref name="Keating">{{cite web |last=Keating |first=Deborah |title=Fort Riley |website=Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865 |url=https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/fort-riley |access-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922233523/https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/fort-riley |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Post-Civil War and the Custer Era===
[[Image:Custer Bvt MG Geo A 1865 LC-BH831-365-crop.jpg|thumb|right|[[George A. Custer]]]]
The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 saw Fort Riley again assume an important role in providing protection to railroad lines being built across Kansas. The summer and fall of 1866 witnessed the mustering in of the [[7th Cavalry Regiment]] at Riley and the arrival of the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] at the fort. In December, Brevet Major General [[George Armstrong Custer|George A. Custer]] arrived to take charge of the new regiment. Soldiers from the Kansas Volunteer regiments, "Jenison's Jayhawks," that were wounded in the [[Battle of Westport]] were brought to Fort Riley for recovery.<ref name="History" />

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 [[Fort Larned National Historic Site|Fort Larned]] and [[Fort Hays]], where they spent the summer months on patrol and wintered in garrison.<ref name="History" />

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 War Department imposed economic measures, which included cutting a private's monthly pay from $12 to $9.<ref name="History" />

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, [[Fort Wallace|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".<ref name="History" />

===Cavalry School and Modernization===
General [[Philip Sheridan|P. H. Sheridan]], who was appointed general-in-chief of the United States army in 1883, recommended the enlargement of the post, and in 1886 the Kansas legislature adopted a resolution requesting the senators and representatives in Congress from that state to use their power and influence to secure an appropriation to carry out the ideas of the commanding general. Senators [[Preston B. Plumb]] and [[John J. Ingalls]] and Representative [[John Alexander Anderson|John A. Anderson]], who represented the district in which Fort Riley was located, were especially active in behalf of the appropriation. The result of the combined efforts of the friends of the post was that in 1887 an appropriation of $200,000 was made by Congress for the purpose of establishing "a permanent school of instruction for drill and practice for the cavalry and light artillery service of the army of the United States, and which shall be the depot to which all recruits for such service shall be sent; and for the purpose of construction of such quarters, barracks and stables as may be required to carry into effect the purposes of this act", which would become the [[United States Army Cavalry School]]. That appropriation was the beginning of a series of improvements that amount practically to the rebuilding of the post, including a large cavalry riding hall.<ref name="Blackmar 1912">{{cite book |last1=Blackmar |first1=Frank |title=Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. |date=1912 |pages=668–671 |url=https://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/f/fort_riley.html |access-date=September 24, 2024 |archive-date=September 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924222030/https://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/f/fort_riley.html |url-status=live }}{{source-attribution}}</ref>

In 1889, Summerall Hall was constructed as the second permanent hospital at Fort Riley and was later converted into the garrison command headquarters following the hospital's relocation. It was renamed in 1956 in honor of General [[Charles P. Summerall]], who commanded the 1st Infantry Division during the late 1910s to early 1920s.<ref name="Sambuco 2019">{{cite web |last=Sambuco |first=Téa |title=Looking Back: Summerall Hall served as a hospital, division, garrison headquarters |website=US Army |date=May 1, 2019 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/221204/looking_back_summerall_hall_served_as_a_hospital_division_garrison_headquarters |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914063329/https://www.army.mil/article/221204/looking_back_summerall_hall_served_as_a_hospital_division_garrison_headquarters |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="History" />
Army 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&nbsp;– long popular events on Army post&nbsp;– were a natural outgrowth of cavalry training.<ref name="History" />

===Buffalo Soldiers===
[[Image:Buffalo soldiers at Fort Riley.jpg|thumb|right|Buffalo soldiers pose outside of their barracks.]]
The [[9th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|9th]] and [[10th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|10th]] Cavalry Regiments&nbsp;— the famed "[[Buffalo Soldiers]]," so called by the indigenous peoples for the similarity to the short, curly-haired buffalo that roamed the plains&nbsp;— 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 the 20th century before being permanently assigned as troop cadre for the Cavalry School during the 1920s and 1930s. The 10th Cavalry was stationed here in 1868 and 1913. On the eve of World War II, the 9th and 10th Cavalry joined the 2nd Cavalry Division, which was briefly stationed at Fort Riley.<ref name="History" />

===World War I===
[[Image:CampFunstonKS-InfluenzaHospital.jpg|thumb|Soldiers from Fort Riley ill with Spanish influenza at a hospital ward at [[Camp Funston]], Kansas, in 1918.]]
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 5 miles (8&nbsp;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.<ref name="History" />

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 Major General [[Leonard Wood]]. A Military Officers Training Camp was established in the Camp Whitside area to train doctors and other medical personnel.<ref name="History" />

====Spanish flu====
The earliest suspected cases of what would later believed to be the [[Spanish flu]] were reported in [[Haskell County, Kansas]] in January and February 1918. Local physician [[Loring Miner]] observed an unusually severe outbreak of influenza and alerted the editors of the [[U.S. Public Health Service]]'s academic journal ''[[Public Health Reports]]''.<ref name="Barry 2004">{{cite book |last=Barry |first=John |title=The Great Influenza |publisher=Viking Adult |publication-place=New York |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-670-89473-4}}</ref><ref name="pmid14733617">{{cite journal |vauthors=Barry JM |title=The site of origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic and its public health implications |journal=Journal of Translational Medicine |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=3 |date=January 2004 |pmid=14733617 |pmc=340389 |doi=10.1186/1479-5876-2-3 |doi-access=free |url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1918 Flu (Spanish flu epidemic)|url=http://www.avian-bird-flu.info/spanishfluepidemic1918.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521071645/http://www.avian-bird-flu.info/spanishfluepidemic1918.html|archive-date=May 21, 2008|website=Avian Bird Flu}}</ref><ref name="Homles">{{cite web |last=Holmes |first=Frederick |title=The Influenza Pandemic and The War |website=University of Kansas Medical Center |url=https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/academics/departments/history-and-philosophy-of-medicine/archives/wwi/essays/medicine/influenza.html |access-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-date=April 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423012040/https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/academics/departments/history-and-philosophy-of-medicine/archives/wwi/essays/medicine/influenza.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Several men from Haskell County who may have been exposed to influenza then traveled to Camp Funston at Fort Riley in the following weeks.<ref name="Homles" /><ref name="Durr 2018">{{cite web |last=Durr |first=Eric |title=Flu outbreak killed 45,000 U.S. Soldiers during World War I |website=National Guard |date=August 30, 2018 |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/1616713/flu-outbreak-killed-45000-us-soldiers-during-world-war-i/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902131114/https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/1616713/flu-outbreak-killed-45000-us-soldiers-during-world-war-i/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Shortly after their arrival at Camp Funston, on either March 4 or March 11, 1918 (depending on the account), an army cook named Albert Gitchell reported sick to the infirmary with flu-like symptoms in the morning before breakfast. By midday, 107 soldiers at the camp exhibited similar symptoms, and within days, 522 men had fallen ill. This outbreak at Fort Riley was later hypothesized to be the starting point of the Spanish flu pandemic.<ref name="Spinney 2018">{{cite book |last=Spinney |first=Laura |title=Pale Rider |publisher=National Geographic Books |publication-place=London |year= | isbn=978-1-78470-240-3 |page=36}}</ref><ref name="Leonard 2020">{{cite web |last=Leonard |first=Kevin |title=During 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, truth-telling in Laurel was in short supply |website=Baltimore Sun |date=April 30, 2020 |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2020/04/30/during-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic-truth-telling-in-laurel-was-in-short-supply/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902125256/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2020/04/30/during-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic-truth-telling-in-laurel-was-in-short-supply/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Harris">{{cite web |title=The 1918 Flu Pandemic |website=Origins |publisher=Ohio State University |url=https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/pandemic-flu-spanish-flu-1918-H1N1-WW1-vaccine |access-date=April 2, 2025}}</ref>

===Interwar years===
Following the war, 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 re-designated 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, which provided the training and cavalry tactics to new cavalry officers.<ref name="History" />

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&nbsp;– most notable the tank and machine gun&nbsp;– raised questions in the interwar years over the future of cavalry. By the late 1920s, the Army's War Department had directed the development of a tank force. This was followed by activation of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) at [[Fort Knox]], Kentucky, in the fall of 1936 to make up the 2nd Regiment of this brigade. In October 1938, the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech.) marched from Fort Knox to Fort Riley and participated in large-scale combine maneuvers of horse and mechanized units. These exercises helped prove the effectiveness of mechanical doctrine.<ref name="History" />

====Marshall Army Airfield====
Initial experiments in directing artillery fire from an aircraft were undertaken at Fort Riley in 1912, with participants including [[H. H. Arnold]], who later became a significant figure in the United States Army Air Forces.<ref name="USAF Arnold">{{cite web |title=General Henry H. Arnold |website=US Air Force |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/107811/henry-h-arnold/ |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926195200/https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/107811/henry-h-arnold/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Davis 1997">{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Richard |title=HAP: Henry H. Arnold, Military Aviator |publisher=Department of the Air Force |year=1997 |isbn=0-16-049071-5 |pages=4–5 |url=https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/27/2001329810/-1/-1/0/AFD-100927-038.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=December 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215053136/https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/27/2001329810/-1/-1/0/AFD-100927-038.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1921, the Smoky Hill Flats portion of the fort was designated as the location for a new airfield, initially referred to as Fort Riley Flying Field. The new airfield commenced operations in August of that year and served as the base for the 16th Observation Squadron. Built primarily as a refueling station for cross-country flights, the airfield featured metal hangars, underground fuel storage tanks, and lighting for night operations. Following the completion of the facility in 1923, the airfield was renamed Marshall Army Airfield in honor of Brigadier General [[Francis Marshall (United States Army officer)|Francis C. Marshall]], who was killed in a plane crash the year before. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Marshall Army Airfield's primary role was to support aircraft engaged in observation and photography during tactical exercises at Fort Riley, as well as to host aerial demonstrations, with no known aircraft training activities occurring during this period.<ref name="Story 2023 p. 51">{{cite book |last1=Story |first1=Madison |title=Fort Riley Firing Ranges and Military Training Lands: A History and Analysis |date=2023 |publisher=US Army Engineer Research and Development Center |page=51 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1213527.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902053612/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1213527.pdf |archive-date=September 2, 2024 }}</ref>

===World War II===
[[Image:75mm-howitzer-ft-riley-kansas-194204-3.jpg|thumb|A soldier sighting an [[M116 howitzer]] during artillery practice at Fort Riley in 1942.]]
Increasing conflict 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, 32,000 acres (13,000&nbsp;ha) 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.<ref name="History" />

The [[9th Armored Division (United States)|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, Kansas|Salina]], and 12 smaller branch camps in Kansas and Missouri: [[Council Grove, Kansas|Council Grove]], [[El Dorado, Kansas|El Dorado]], [[Eskridge, Kansas|Eskridge]], [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]], [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], [[Neodesha, Kansas|Neodesha]], [[Ottawa, Kansas|Ottawa]], [[Peabody, Kansas|Peabody]], [[Wadsworth, Kansas|Wadsworth]], [[Grand Pass, Missouri|Grand Pass]], [[Lexington, Missouri|Lexington]], and [[Liberty, Missouri|Liberty]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Prisoner Of War (POW) Camps in Kansas |url=http://www.gentracer.org/powcampsKS.html |access-date=February 16, 2013 |publisher=Gentracer.org |archive-date=November 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113141954/http://www.gentracer.org/powcampsKS.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 Army and Fort Riley.<ref name="History" />

===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.<ref name="History" /> The [[10th Mountain Division]] was activated July 1, 1948, at Fort Riley, Kansas.<ref name="Tenth Mountain History">{{cite web |title=10th Mountain Division (LI) |url=https://home.army.mil/drum/units-tenants/10th-mountain-division-li |website=U.S. Army |access-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902043753/https://home.army.mil/drum/units-tenants/10th-mountain-division-li |url-status=live }}</ref> The 16-week basic military program conducted by this division prepared soldiers for infantry combat and duty with other infantry units.<ref name="History" />

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. During the conflict, units from the Ohio National Guard also stationed the [[37th Infantry Division (United States)|37th Infantry Division]] at the fort. While they were not sent overseas, their presence was a continuing reinforcement of the fort's importance as a training post.<ref name="History" />

===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 affect Fort Riley.<ref name="History" />

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 four years the remaining units arrived, the last being the 2nd Battle Group, 8th Infantry, in December 1959. The initial units occupied barracks located in Camp Funston, until new barracks were built on Custer Hill. Ultimately, the 1st Battle Group, 5th Infantry, would be stationed at Funston, with the other units of the division divided between Custer Hill, Forsythe, and Main Post.<ref name="History" />

The influx of troops and dependents placed new demands on the fort's infrastructure. 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.<ref name="History" />

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 the Cuban Missile Crisis the following year witnessed heightened alert for soldiers stationed at Fort Riley.<ref name="History" />

An additional 50,000 acres (20,000&nbsp;ha) were also acquired in 1966, which enabled the Army to have an adequate training area for the division's two brigades.<ref name="History" />

====Operation Long Thrust====
Consistent with President Kennedy's August 1961 directive to augment the U.S. Berlin Brigade, in 1962–1963 1st Infantry Division rotated four Infantry Battle Group Task Forces (reinforced by Big Red One Artillery and Transportation units) from Fort Riley to West Germany, from where they motor marched through communist East Germany to surround West Berlin. 1st Division units involved were 2nd Battle Group, 12th Infantry; 1st Battle Group, 13th Infantry; 1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry; & 2nd Battle Group, 26th Infantry. 2/12th was in Berlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 1/28th greeted President Kennedy on June 26, 1963, the day of his memorable "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.<ref name="Society of 1st">{{cite web |title=History |website=Society of the 1st Infantry Division |url=https://www.1stid.org/history |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921070319/https://www.1stid.org/history |url-status=live }}</ref>

===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 (United States)|9th Infantry Division]] was reactivated and followed the 1st Infantry Division into combat.<ref name="History" />

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 [[Exercise Reforger|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.<ref name="History" />

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.<ref name="History" />

===The Gulf War===
[[Image:Bob Dole at Fort Riley 1990.jpg|thumb|US Senator [[Bob Dole]] visiting Fort Riley in December 1990.]]
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, soldiers and equipment were deployed overseas.<ref name="History" />

In addition to the 1st Infantry Division, 27 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 rail cars transported 3,000 short tons of equipment, which were then shipped to theater on 18 vessels.<ref name="History" />

Once in theater, the soldiers and equipment were prepared 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 their missions that resulted in the crushing of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards. Later that spring, the soldiers returned to Fort Riley.<ref name="History" />

===The 1990s and beyond===
Following Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley. However, the winds of change were once again blowing across the Army, affecting the post. With the crumbling of the Iron Curtain, new realities in Eastern Europe were replacing the Cold War of the past four decades. Budget cuts and revised strategic thinking resulted in troop cutbacks.<ref name="History" />

In the spring of 1995, the headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division were transferred from Fort Riley to Germany. The 1st Brigade of the Big Red One remained at the post, along with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and the 937th Engineer Group.<ref name="History" />

Fort Riley once again became a Division Headquarters on June 5, 1999, with the reactivation of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). The 24th Infantry Division (Mech.) is the headquarters for three enhanced Separate Brigades (eSBs) of the Army National Guard. Under the integrated Active Component/Reserve Component concept, the [[24th Infantry Division (United States)|24th Infantry Division]] (Mech.) consists of an active component headquarters at Fort Riley and three enhanced Separate Brigades: the 30th Heavy Separate Brigade at Clinton, North Carolina, the 218th Heavy Separate Brigade at Columbia, South Carolina, and the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade in Macon, Georgia. These units underwent eight-year training cycles, culminating in a rotation at the National Training Center. They also backfill active duty units for Major Theater War contingencies and supply units for Stabilization Force rotations in Bosnia.<ref name="History" />

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. The focus of the transition team training was to prepare 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.<ref name="Schwind 2006">{{cite web |last=Schwind |first=Jennifer |title=Transition teams: making a difference |website=DVIDS |date=August 11, 2006 |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/8226/transition-teams-making-difference |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921033117/https://www.dvidshub.net/news/8226/transition-teams-making-difference |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Rome 2009">{{cite web |last=Rome |first=Parker |title=Fort Riley trains last transition team before mission moves to Fort Polk |website=US Army |date=August 5, 2009 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/25521/fort_riley_trains_last_transition_team_before_mission_moves_to_fort_polk |access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref>

====Return of the 1st Infantry Division====
[[File:1st Infantry Division Make-A-Wish foundation activity.jpg|thumb|Ian Field, 7, stands with his squad during a farewell award ceremony April 15, 2011, at Barlow Theater on Fort Riley. The Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division worked with the [[Make-A-Wish Foundation]] to grant Ian's wish to become a soldier]]
On August 1, 2006, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley, and the [[24th Infantry Division (United States)|24th Infantry Division]] was inactivated.<ref name="Roberts 2006">{{cite web |url=http://roberts.senate.gov/08-01a-2006.htm |title=Senator Roberts welcomes Big Red One home to Kansas |publisher=Kansas State Government |access-date=August 25, 2009 |archive-date=August 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806043656/http://roberts.senate.gov/08-01a-2006.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="p538">{{cite web |title=Mission & History of the 1st Infantry Division |website=US Army |url=https://www.1id.army.mil/About-Us/Mission-History/ |access-date=September 13, 2024}}</ref>

In October 2006, the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, assumed command and control of the [[Military transition team|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.<ref name="Rome 2009"/>

==Facilities==
===Education===
Fort Riley offers educational services for service members and their dependents, including early childhood education, schools, and higher education.<ref name="Riley CDC">{{cite web |title=Child Development Centers |website=US Army |url=https://riley.armymwr.com/programs/child-development-centers |access-date=September 28, 2024 |archive-date=September 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927042218/https://riley.armymwr.com/programs/child-development-centers |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Onesource">{{cite web |title=Education Programs & Resources |website=Military Onesource |url=https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/fort-riley/education/education |access-date=September 28, 2024 |archive-date=July 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721021512/https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/fort-riley/education/education |url-status=live }}</ref>

Four Child Development Centers (CDCs) on the base provide care for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years: First Division CDC, Forsyth CDC, Warren CDC, and Whitside CDC.<ref name="Riley CDC" /> For primary education, students attend several elementary schools on base operated by the [[Geary County USD 475|Geary County Unified School District 475]], including Ware Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Seitz Elementary, Fort Riley Elementary, and Morris Hill Elementary. Students in grades six through eight typically attend Fort Riley Middle School and then proceed to either [[Manhattan High School]] or [[Junction City High School (Kansas)|Junction City High School]].<ref name="Onesource" />

Fort Riley hosts several colleges and universities with satellite campuses on base, including [[Barton Community College]], [[Hutchinson Community College]], [[Central Texas College]], [[Upper Iowa University]], [[Kansas State University]], [[Central Michigan University]], [[Southwestern College (Kansas)|Southwestern College]], and the [[University of Mary]]. Kansas State University's main campus is located in nearby Manhattan, Kansas, providing additional educational opportunities for those who reside on base.<ref name="Onesource" />

===Irwin Army Hospital===
{{main|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, later known as Summerall Hall, 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 fourth hospital (now known as the "Legacy Hospital") was dedicated in 1958, and a new facility on the site of the previous Station Hospital opened in 2016. The Legacy and current hospitals were named after [[Bernard J. D. Irwin|Brigadier General Bernard John Dowling Irwin]], "The Fighting Doctor", who won the [[Medal of Honor]] for distinguished gallantry in action during an engagement with the Chiricahua Indians near Apache Pass, Arizona Territory, in February 1861.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iach.amedd.army.mil/history.asp |title=Irwin ACH - History |publisher=Iach.amedd.army.mil |access-date=February 16, 2013 |archive-date=February 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207062919/http://iach.amedd.army.mil/history.asp }}</ref> As of 2016, the hospital has 47 beds and is staffed by 45 physicians.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ourmilitary.com/bases/irwin-army-community-hospital/ |title=Irwin Army Community Hospital |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=January 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106215006/https://www.ourmilitary.com/bases/irwin-army-community-hospital/ }}</ref>

===Museums===
[[File:7th Field Artillery "Old Glory".jpg|thumb|7th Field Artillerymen fire "Old Glory", a replica of a [[Field artillery in the American Civil War#3-inch rifle|Civil War]] field piece, at a 2012 ceremony at Fort Riley.]]
* [[U.S. Cavalry Museum]]&nbsp;— housed in the building used as headquarters by George A. Custer, the museum houses exhibits about the [[United States Cavalry]] from the Revolutionary War to 1950.<ref name="Official Calvary Museum">{{cite web |title=U.S. Cavalry Museum |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History |url=https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_USCav/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420013751/https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_USCav/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[1st Infantry Division Museum]]&nbsp;— exhibits relating to the 1st Infantry Division from 1917 to the present and the [[United States Constabulary]] forces that served in [[Allied-occupied Germany|Germany immediately following]] World War II<ref name="Official 1st museum">{{cite web |title=1st Infantry Division Museum |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History |url=https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_1stInfDiv/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420013757/https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_1stInfDiv/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Custer Home]], 24 Sheridan Avenue&nbsp;— Historic house museum<ref name="Official Custer House">{{cite web |title=Custer House |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History |url=https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_CusterHouse/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807215317/https://history.army.mil/museums/fieldMuseums/fortRiley_CusterHouse/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[First Territorial Capitol of Kansas]]&nbsp;— History of Territorial Kansas<ref name="Geary County CVB First">{{cite web |title=Kansas First Territorial Capitol |website=Geary County CVB |url=https://www.visitgearycounty.com/85/Kansas-1st-Territorial-Capitol |access-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref>
* [[M65 atomic cannon]], on the hills overlooking Marshall Airfield in Freedom Park<ref name="Geary County CVB Freedom">{{cite web |title=Freedom Park |website=Geary County CVB |url=https://www.visitgearycounty.com/86/Freedom-Park |access-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914045716/https://www.visitgearycounty.com/86/Freedom-Park |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Environmental contamination==
The Fort Riley site has [[Groundwater pollution|contaminated groundwater]] stemming from years of improper waste disposal. Wastes at the site include pesticides, [[vinyl chloride]], solvents, [[Tetrachloroethylene|perchloroethylene]] (PCE) and other [[volatile organic compound]]s. The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] listed Fort Riley as a [[Superfund]] site in 1990. Major cleanup activities at the site took place in the 1990s, while [[environmental monitoring]] of the site continues as of 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.topics&id=0700743 |title=Fort Riley, Junction City, KS |author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=April 29, 2017 |website=Superfund Site |publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Barbara Babcock]], actress born in Fort Riley<ref name="TCM Babcock ">{{cite web |title=Barbara Babcock |website=Turner Classic Movies |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/7608 |access-date=September 14, 2024}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* [[Frank Buckles]], last surviving American World War One veteran that was stationed at Fort Riley before getting deployed to Europe<ref name="Sommers 2011">{{cite web |last1=Sommers |first1=Richard |last2=Hyatt |first2=Clifton |title=The Last Soldiers -- The Lasting Soldiers |website=US Army|date=March 14, 2011 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/53210/the_last_soldiers_the_lasting_soldiers |access-date=September 16, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Enos Cabell]], former [[third baseman]] and [[first baseman]] in [[Major League Baseball]], played for the [[Baltimore Orioles]], [[Houston Astros]], [[San Francisco Giants]], [[Detroit Tigers]], and the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] was born in Fort Riley<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=cabelen01|title=Enos Cabel Stats|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=December 3, 2012|archive-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509224245/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=cabelen01|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[George Armstrong Custer|George A. Custer]], Army General that was once stationed at Fort Riley<ref name="History" />
* [[Johnny Damon]], professional baseball player born in Fort Riley<ref name="Damon MLB">{{cite web |title=Johnny Damon |website=MLB |url=https://www.milb.com/player/johnny-damon-113028 |access-date=September 16, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Chris Faust]], landscape photographer<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.chrisfaustphoto.com/about/resume.html|title= Resumé - Christopher C. Faust|author= Chris Faust|publisher= chrisfaustphoto.com|access-date= September 11, 2013|archive-date= August 27, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130827153758/http://chrisfaustphoto.com/about/resume.html|url-status= live}}</ref>
* [[Wallace Ford]], Hollywood actor, was stationed at the Fort during World War I<ref name="Magers">{{cite web|url=http://www.westernclippings.com/heavies/wallaceford_charactersheavies.shtml|title=Characters and Heavies: Wallace Ford|author=Boyd Magers|access-date=April 6, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Clara Lanza]], author born in Fort Riley<ref name="Willard">{{cite book |last1=Willard |first1=Frances E. |last2=Livermore |first2=Mary A. |title=A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred Women in All Walks of Life |date=1893 |publisher=Charles Wells Moulton |page=531 |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Woman_of_the_Century/Marquise_Clara_Lanza}}</ref>
* [[Timothy McVeigh]], perpetrator of the 1995 [[Oklahoma City bombing]] was once stationed at Fort Riley<ref name="CNN 2001">{{cite web |title=Timothy McVeigh |url=https://www.cnn.com/2001/US/03/29/profile.mcveigh/ |website=CNN |access-date=September 16, 2024 |date=March 29, 2001 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916102425/https://www.cnn.com/2001/US/03/29/profile.mcveigh/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Milton C. Portmann]] Professional football player. WWI Army Officer [[89th Infantry Division (United States)|89th Division]] stationed before deployment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=English Jr |first1=George H. |title=History of the 89th Division; Society of the [[89th Infantry Division (United States)|89th Division]] |date=1920 |publisher=Smith-Brooks Printing Company |location=Denver, Colorado |page=18}}</ref>
* [[1974 White House helicopter incident|Robert K. Preston]], stole a helicopter and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House in 1974 and was once stationed at Fort Riley<ref>{{cite news|date=October 24, 1974|title=Robert Preston|page=26|newspaper=[[Kentucky New Era]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19741023&id=V_ErAAAAIBAJ&pg=5713,5801865|access-date=March 1, 2014|via=[[Google News]]|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528084234/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19741023&id=V_ErAAAAIBAJ&pg=5713,5801865|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Daisy Maude Orleman Robinson]], World War I doctor, first woman dermatologist in the United States was born in Fort Riley<ref name="Pariser">{{cite journal |vauthors=Pariser DM |title=Daisy Maude Orleman Robinson: the first American woman dermatologist |journal=[[Clinics in Dermatology]] |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=396–406 |date=2015 |pmid=25889142 |doi=10.1016/j.clindermatol.2014.10.018 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738081X14002466 |access-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918165611/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738081X14002466 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* [[Jackie Robinson]], first African-American to play in Major League Baseball, former [[second baseman]] for the [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]] was once stationed at the Fort<ref name="2LT">{{cite web|title=United States v. 2LT Jack R. Robinson|publisher=The National WWII Museum|date=February 5, 2021|url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/united-states-v-jack-r-robinson|access-date=July 29, 2021|archive-date=November 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114041016/https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/united-states-v-jack-r-robinson|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[John A. Seitz]], U.S. Army general is buried in the Fort Riley Cemetery<ref name="Stairrett 2013">{{cite web |last=Stairrett |first=Amanda |title='Soldier for life' laid to rest on Fort Riley |website=US Army |date=July 30, 2013 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/108073/soldier_for_life_laid_to_rest_on_fort_riley |access-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916103819/https://www.army.mil/article/108073/soldier_for_life_laid_to_rest_on_fort_riley |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Dave Wallace (Arkansas politician)|Dave Wallace]], member of the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]] for [[Mississippi County, Arkansas|Mississippi County]]; decorated Army veteran of the [[Vietnam War]]; formerly stationed at Fort Riley<ref>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/150294/dave-wallace#.VSQTcfnF-S8|title=Dave Wallace's Biography|publisher=[[Vote Smart|Project Vote Smart]]|access-date=April 7, 2015|archive-date=April 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413125649/http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/150294/dave-wallace#.VSQTcfnF-S8|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Pi'erre Bourne]], rapper, singer and record producer born in Fort Riley<ref name="Shaughnessy 2022">{{cite web |last=Shaughnessy |first=Cate |title=Atlanta Made: Pi'erre Bourne's Rise to Popularity |website=The Warrior Wire |date=September 3, 2022 |url=https://www.thewarriorwire.org/10950/ae/atlanta-made-pierre-bournes-rise-to-popularity/ |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921024414/https://www.thewarriorwire.org/10950/ae/atlanta-made-pierre-bournes-rise-to-popularity/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://home.army.mil/riley/index.php}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070624183027/http://www.riley.army.mil/OurPost/History.asp Fort Riley History]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080930194701/http://www.uscavalry.org/museum.html U.S. Cavalry Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180902052235/http://www.riley.army.mil/Recreation/Museums.aspx Fort Riley Museums information]
* [http://kansastravel.org/fortriley.htm Guide to Fort Riley attractions and museums]
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/KSJUNatomic.html Atomic Cannon at Fort Riley]
* [http://www.3ad.com/history/cold.war/nuclear.pages/weapons.pages/support.systems/atomic.cannon.htm Atomic Cannon history]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070809001853/http://www.riley.army.mil/view/article.asp?id=243-2003-10-01-52124-34 Atomic Cannon and other sites in Fort Riley]
* [[Kansas forts and posts]]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569631|name=Big Picture: The Aggressor}}
* {{HABS | survey=KS-54-R | id=ks0165 | title=Fort Riley, Arnold Hall, Arnold Avenue, Riley, Riley County, KS | photos=20 | color=| dwgs=| data=20 | cap=2}}
* {{HABS | survey=KS-78 | id=ks0191 | title=Fort Riley, Carpenter Court Apartments, Carpenter Avenue & Carpenter Place, Riley, Riley County, KS | photos=14 | color=| dwgs=| data=17 | cap=3 | link=no}}

{{KSMilitary|state=collapsed}}
{{Riley County, Kansas}}
{{Geary County, Kansas}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:United States Army posts|Riley]]
[[Category:Forts in Kansas|Riley]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Kansas]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Geary County, Kansas]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Riley County, Kansas]]
[[Category:Military Superfund sites]]
[[Category:Superfund sites in Kansas]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Kansas]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in Indian Territory]]
[[Category:Spanish flu pandemic]]