Located in Kansas, Fort Leavenworth occupies just under 6,000 acres of land. The army base was established as Fort Leavenworth in 1827 to help protect the Santa Fe Trail. At first it was going to be temporary and was given the name Cantonment Leavenworth. Because of expansions in the area and its location, it became Fort Leavenworth in 1832. In the next few decades, the army base was used to battle many native American tribes in the area. In the 1850s, the base was instrumental in fighting the Mormon Rebellion. During the Civil War, the fort was pretty much isolated from the action.
For a few decades after the Civil War, the primary mission of Fort Leavenworth was to help control native American populations in the area. Some of the army's first black divisions were created at Fort Leavenworth. A disciplinary barracks eventually became a maximum-security military prison. Today, Fort Leavenworth is served by nearby Sherman Army Airfield and remains an army base that is an important part of the US military command. It is also one of the most historic of all US military army bases because of its lengthy history.