LEAVENWORTH

city, seat (1855) of Leavenworth county, northeastern Kansas, U.S., on the Missouri River. First settled in 1827 by Colonel Henry H. Leavenworth to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, the town was organized and laid out in 1854. The following year Leavenworth became the first incorporated community in the Kansas Territory. By 1857 it was a prosperous supply base for the settlement of the West. During the American Civil War the city supported the Union, though earlier it had been strongly proslavery. The city is now a trading centre for a diversified farming area; industries include steel and iron plants and the manufacture of wood and food products. It is the seat of St. Mary College (1923). Fort Leavenworth, 3 miles (5 km) north, includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a federal penitentiary, a national cemetery, and a museum. Pop. (1991 est.) 38,765.