FORD COUNTY

First established in 1867 as part of a Legislative Act to organize the Western regions of Kansas, the area that became Ford County was already a pivitol location in Western geography. The flow of the Arkansas River provided a navigable highway through the area and offered one of the few water sources in an otherwise dry plain. Inspired by the Zebulon Pike expedition, some of the first white travelers through what would become Ford County were the Robert McKnight expedition of 1812. By 1821, a trade route was being established with Santa Fe in what was then part of Mexico and until the arrival of the AT&SF Railroad, the Santa Fe Trail was the greatest economic highway in the United States. Then, in 1865, with military resources being freed up after the Civil War, Fort Dodge was established to protect traffic along the Trail. Colonel James H Ford, instrumental in the construction of Fort Dodge, was the namesake for Ford Country which was drawn up around the military post. Fort Dodge..

Primary location: Dodge City United States