Nearby Fort Riley was founded in the mid-1800s and is a permanent military post and important regional community partner. Fort Riley has long been one of the nation's nation's largest U.S. Army military installations. Today the military reservation covers over 100,000 acres.
Derived from the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers’ confluence location, Junction City is influenced by historic Fort Riley. Fort Riley came into existence in 1852 as Camp Center. In 1853 the camp was renamed after Major General Bennett Riley. The cavalry rode In to such famous campaigns as Beecher's Island, Washita River Fight, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn from its gates. Fort Riley stood as the top horse cavalry training school in the country. Camp Funston and Camp Forsyth, two sections of today’s post, were vital training areas during both world wars when modernization changed the country's need for a mechanized cavalry. The First Infantry Division, more commonly known as the Big Red One, or the Fighting First, came to Fort Riley from Germany in 1955 and returned to Germany in 1995. Today, Fort Riley is known as the home of America's Army and is home to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) – the Victory Division. The Big Red One returned to Fort Riley in the fall of 2006.
Learn more at riley.army.mil
