Girl I Left Behind (Fort Hays)

As a cavalry officer departs for a new campaign, onlookers surround the parade ground as the band plays "The Girl I Left Behind".  Fort Hays was established in 1865 to ease the westward expansion and protect the railroad's construction and operation.  The post guarded people who were headed west toward the Gold Rush, and those who settled in Western Kansas.  James B. Hickock, Wm. F. Cody, and George A. Custer were among the famous figures who added to the Fort's colorful history.