Brief History from
Kansas State Historical Society:
Geary County was one
of the first 33 counties organized by the
Territorial Legislature in 1855. Most of
the earliest settlers
were soldiers and officers at Fort
Riley. Colonel William Montgomery
organized the town of Pawnee which is now
on the
military reservation. Thomas
Reynolds settled near Ogden. Two army
officers, Robert Wilson and Abram Barry
incorporated
the town of Junction City about
1855. The county was originally named
Davis after the then (1855) Secretary of
War,
Jefferson Davis. In 1889 the
name was changed to Geary for John White
Geary, the third territorial governor of
Kansas.
Geary contains the towns of
Grandview Plaza, Junction City and
Milford.
The establishment of
Fort Riley in 1852, has been the major
influence on the county since its
inception to today. It is currently
the home of the U.S. Army's First
Division.
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