By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

LARNED — Due to flooding of the only access road, the Fort Larned National Historic Site is currently closed, but the levee system protecting the historic site is currently holding keeping the buildings and grounds safe.

“The historic buildings are not flooded,” said Celeste Dixon, park ranger.

She said the closure is an effort to keep drivers safe as water from a nearby field is flowing over the entrance road.

Currently “there is no damage or water in the historic court at all,” Dixon said.

“Right now, everything is still within the parameters of protection within our levee system,” said William Chapman, facilities operations specialist.

But he said monitoring of the system will continue as more water is moving down the Pawnee River, which flows near the site.

Water at the Rozel monitoring station is just dipping below flood stage and that water is approximately a day away from the site according to Chapman.

“So it may be tomorrow afternoon before we can open up,” he said.

But with more rain in the forecast over the coming days, the reopening may be pushed back.

“If the water rises that may change the story,” Chapman said.

The site will post updates to Facebook as the situation changes.