Colonel Henry Dodge of the United States Army left Fort Leavenworth, May 29, 1835, on an expedition to the Rocky Mountains. He followed the west bank of the Missouri, nearly to the mouth of the Platte, and followed it to its source. He then went south to the head waters of the Arkansas, and returning through its valley located a fort on the north side of the Arkansas, which was named Dodge, and is located some four miles below where Dodge City is now located. It has the finest military garrison on the frontier; the buildings are in excellent condition, having ample room for several regiments of soldiers, and in proximity to it is a large military reservation of upwards of 30,000 acres, which is regarded as a first-class place for a Soldiers’ Home. Hon. Preston B. Plumb, of the United States Senate, has introduced a bill in the Senate for the establishment of a Soldiers’ Home in Kansas, and Hon. G. M. Hoover, the Representative from Ford County to the State Legislature, has introduced a concurrent resolution in the House, asking that it be established at Fort Dodge.
Source: Ford County Kansas, Cutlers History of Kansas 1883