It’s time to get ready for this year’s Candlelight Tour at Fort Larned, Kansas, National Historic Site.
This year highlights the role of the post trader in the life of a frontier military post. Post traders were merchants granted a license to operate a store on the post to provide soldiers with items not issued by the Army. Being able to get things like soap, writing paper and special foods, just to name a few, was helpful for men stationed far from towns or cities. The scenes in this year’s tour will highlight both the good and bad side of having a civilian store on post.
The tour will be on Oct. 12 with reservations required by calling 620-285-6911 or in person at the visitor center, six miles west of Larned on Kansas Highway 156. The first tour will leave at 7:30 p.m. and then every 15 minutes afterward, until the last tour leaves at 10:15 p.m. for a total of 12 tours. Each tour has space for 20 people, and reservations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.
