How do the lives of those stationed on the frontier compare to our lives today? Objective Students will be able to write an imaginary letter describing what life was like at a frontier fort in the 1860s. Background Fort Larned is a time capsule of a typical western frontier fort in the 19th century. The U.S. Army set up a military post in 1859 on the banks of the Pawnee River. In June 1860, the camp was moved farther west, where a more durable sod-and-adobe fort was built and named for U.S. Army Paymaster-General Col. Benjamin F. Larned. Fort Larned’s stone buildings were constructed in 1865–1 Duration: 60 Minutes.