Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site

Battle of Mine Creek Site
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site is located in Kansas
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site is located in the United States
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site
Nearest cityPleasanton, Kansas
Coordinates38°08′27″N 94°43′52″W / 38.14083°N 94.73111°W / 38.14083; -94.73111
Area180 acres (0.73 km2)
Built1864 (1864)
NRHP reference No.73000762[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 12, 1973

The Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site, located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of Pleasanton in eastern Kansas, United States, commemorates the Battle of Mine Creek in the American Civil War. On October 25, 1864, approximately 2,800 Union troops attacked and defeated about 8,000 Confederates along the banks of Mine Creek. It was one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War, and the only major battle fought in Kansas. The Union brigades were commanded by Colonels Frederick W. Benteen and John Finis Philips. After this battle, Federal forces pursued and defeated additional Confederates in Missouri as they attempted to return to Arkansas, the Indian Territory (Oklahoma), and Texas.

In 1970, the Kansas legislature approved the acquisition of a 160-acre (65 ha) parcel of the battlefield area. The battlefield was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973,[1][2] and an additional 120 acres (49 ha) were purchased in 1974. A visitor center opened on October 24, 1998, the 134th anniversary of the eve of battle. As of mid-2023, the American Battlefield Trust and its partners have preserved 326 acres of the battlefield.[3]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Richard Pankratz (June 28, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Battle of Mine Creek Site". National Park Service. Retrieved May 31, 2017. With four photos from 1973.
  3. ^ "Mine Creek Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 20, 2023.