Fort de Cavagnolle
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Fort de Cavagnolle (1744-1764) - A French Colonial Fort established in 1744 near present-day Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, Kansas. Named Fort de Cavagnial after Louisiana Governor Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial. Abandoned in 1764. Also known as Fort Cavagnolle, Fort Cavagnal, Post of the Missouri, or Fort de la Trinité. HistoryA French fort located on the Missouri River near the mouth of Salt Creek, about 12 miles north of present-day Fort Leavenworth, and about one mile from the Kansa Indian village known as Fort Village. Originally established by French traders and soldiers under Joseph Dervisseau, for trade with the Spanish at Santa Fe and with local Indians. The post was usually garrisoned by French marines. The fort was initially built as a small circular palisade and later rebuilt as an 80-foot square palisade with bastions at each angle. Buildings included a 30-foot by 20-foot two-story commander's house, two barracks, a guardhouse, and a 10-foot square powder magazine. All buildings were constructed of wooden stakes/posts covered with mud and bark. In 1758 the garrison had only one officer and seven or eight soldiers.
The Spanish took over the Fort in 1764. In 1804 Lewis and Clark noted the ruins of the post. Current StatusThe fort site is located on private property not open to the public adjacent to the Kickapoo Memorial Cemetery. A marker is located at the entrance to the Kickapoo Memorial Cemetery and a stone monument is located on Sheridan Drive in the Fort Leavenworth military reservation. An additional marker referencing Lewis & Clark's observation of the fort ruins is across the river at Weston, Missouri.
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Visited: 17 Aug 2020 Viewed from marker across the river
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