Fort Larned
Points of Interest
Four miles west of the Trail Center (six miles west of Larned) is Fort Larned National Historic Site. A visit to the Fort is virtually a visit to the year 1868. This site will give you the official National Park Service scoop on the Fort.
Many Kansas counties have a county museum, but Pawnee County's local museum has evolved into something much more significant. Known as the Santa Fé Trail Center, it serves not only as the repository of local history, but also as the primary museum dedicated to one of the most important commercial routes of nineteenth century America: the Santa Fé Trail. From the 1820's to the 1870's, the trail carried the trade between Missouri and New Mexico. Our location is near the midpoint of this trail and the museum is dedicating to telling the story of that trail as well as other aspects of local history.
Sibley's Camp, unlike the other historic sites in Larned, this one is generally unmanned, but it's still worth visiting ... and only a few blocks from downtown Larned. The site described by Sibley as "Cliffs of Soft Rock" is at the corner of Second and State Streets in Larned, Kansas. Much of the stone observed by Sibley has disappeared being quarried by early Larnedites for building material. Gone too are the many inscriptions and Indian marks of which Sibley wrote. Regardless, the site still retains its basic integrity. Undoubtedly, the location was the campsite of the survey team on August 31, 1825. The property was purchased by the Cobb family in 1921; and two of the Cobb brothers, Leslie and Wesley lived out the balance of their lives making marked improvements to the site. Through their hard work and creativity, the old quarry site strewn with rubble and debris was transformed into a garden spot. In 1995, the site was purchased by three Larned citizens who have proposed to restore the property to its pre-century appearance and preserve this little piece of real estate as Sibley's Camp.