Long Term Interpretation Volunteer

The volunteer in this position is required to perform a number of various tasks in assisting the Interpretation Division. Tasks include, but are not limited to: orienting visitors at the Visitor Center front desk, performing living history demonstrations and presentations, giving programs, and giving tours of the fort. Fort Larned National Historic Site continues to preserve the best-preserved fort along the Santa Fe Trail and a key part in overland travel. Active from 1859 to 1878, the military established Fort Larned to guard mail wagons going east and west. With the railroad cutting through the area in 1872, the need for a military post quickly diminished as travel between posts became quicker. The railroad coming through the area also helped to establish the City of Larned. Congress established Fort Larned National Historic Site in 1966 to interpret the military and civilian stories of this frontier post. Today, nine of the original sandstone structures still stand as a representative of the many stories that are told on a daily basis. Fort Larned was also home to Company "A", 10th US Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) who had their fair share of hardships along with the Plains Indians and the many other cultures who found themselves at Fort Larned. These are the stories we are so privileged to tell here at Fort Larned.

Available to volunteers at Fort Larned NHS are two RV pads with complete hookups. Located outside of our Maintenance Yard and approximately 0.5 miles from the Visitor Center, this is a peaceful and quiet location with great views of the sunrise, sunset, and Kansas prairie.