The Museum

The Fort Wallace Museum is maintained solely through the efforts of the Fort Wallace Memorial Association and countless people who have selflessly volunteered their time and talents to help us continually add to and improve our museum. You can read the history of the Fort Wallace Memorial Association here.

The Fort Wallace Memorial Association currently owns four separate buildings. The main museum is housed in a recently renovated limestone building with large glass windows in the front. Here is where the majority of our smaller displays are housed.

The Pond Creek Stage Station is located just to the west of the Main Museum. The Pond Creek Station was originally located approximately one mile southwest of where it stands today. Once a "home" or eating station for the Butterfield Overland Despatch (BOD), the Pond Creek Station was later moved to where it now sits. Fort Wallace had its first beginnings as Camp Pond Creek, and was created for the purpose of guarding and protecting the people and packages that traveled the BOD.

Our newest addition to the museum complex was completed in 2003. Named the Sunderland-Poe building, this red metal outbuilding houses the largest of the museum exhibits, including two restored Conestoga Wagons, several sleighs and buggies, and countless farm implements and machinery. This building also houses our most unique exhibits--entire animals and scenes made entirely out of barbwire.

This building was once the most important building in the county and now is only used for storage. This limestone house was once the Section House for this part of the Railroad. However, when the division point and roundhouse were moved to Sharon Springs, the Section House fell into disuse. In the Summer of 2002 when the main museum building was undergoing renovation, all our artifacts were relocated to the Section House which was then used as a temporary museum.

Wallace got its first start as a town largely due to the railroad. Although the depot original to Wallace burned down years ago, the Fort Wallace Museum has been lucky enough to acquire the Weskan Depot. Sitting on the museum grounds, this building holds the majority of our exhibits concerning the railroad.