June 12, 2007
You are reading “Our Past Is Present” from the
Geary County Historical Society.
Today’s
story is about a new town, which was to be started between Ogden and Fort
Riley. This is according to an article
in the “Junction City Union” newspaper in June of 1917. It was reported the town would be called
Kellyville, but it was later named Army City.
H.P. Powers
of Junction City had earlier bought the old Dyche Farm east of the Fort Riley
reservation boundary. This was a
property consisting of over 3,000 acres with about 150 acres on either side of the Union Pacific
right-of-way between the post and Ogden. Mr. Powers had no sooner purchased the
place than the announcement was made that the new Fort Riley training area Camp Funston would be located on the Ogden Flats and he was asked by
many to name a price for the property.
The Carolina Land Company made a contract to handle all the building for
Army City and an advertising campaign began announcing the public sale of
lots. As a site for thousands of WWI soldiers stationed
at Camp Funston in 1917 and 1918, this new boom town thrived. However, its lifespan lasted only five years. Following the end of WWI the Camp was closed
and razed in 1922.
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