FIRST CAPITOL OF KANSAS

First Capitol of Kansas is a Kansas historical marker in Fort Riley military reservation, Geary County.

Geary County · US-40, east of Junction City, in the First Capitol grounds, Fort Riley military reservation · location approximate

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THIS BUILDING WAS ERECTED IN 1855 IN THE NOW EXTINCT TOWN OF PAWNEE FOR THE FIRST LEGISLATURE OF THE TERRITORY OF KANSAS. THE MEMBERS WERE MOSTLY MISSOURIANS, FRAUDULENTLY ELECTED IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE KANSAS A SLAVE STATE. THEY CAME IN WAGONS AND ON HORSEBACK, WELL ARMED, AND CAMPED OUT ON THE PRAIRIE. THE SESSION LASTED FROM JULY 2 TO 6. THE MISSOURIANS WERE DETERMINED TO LEGISLATE NEARER HOME AND PASSED A BILL TO MOVE TO SHAWNEE METHODIST MISSION NEAR KANSAS CITY. GOVERNOR REEDER VETOED THE BILL, IT WAS PASSED OVER HIS VETO, AND THIS ENDED THE SESSION HERE. ALL OTHER ACTS, INCLUDING THE SO-CALLED BOGUS LAWS, WERE PASSED AT SHAWNEE MISSION. THIS BUILDING STOOD IN PARTIAL RUIN UNTIL ITS RESTORATION IN 1928 BY THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.

Verbatim 1941 text, presented as a historical record, not current interpretation. Kansas rewrote many of these signs in 2011-2012 and retired others, and the current texts use different language about Native people.

The Kansas Historical Society maintains the marker program and its current texts. Current marker program ↗

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

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Marker data: Kirke Mechem, "Kansas Historical Markers", Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. X no. 4 (November 1941), published by the Kansas State Historical Society

More markers nearby

On the National Register nearby

First Territorial Capitol180 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.