Notable Events:

• Established (1855)
• Murder of Major S. D. Hoyt (1856)
• Destruction of Fort Saunders (August 15, 1856)

Fort Saunders became the second of the three proslavery "forts" in Douglas County to fall to Free-Staters who were outraged at the Sacking of Lawrence in 1856. Proslavery men who took refuge in the sturdy log cabin known as Fort Saunders surrendered to Free-Stater James H. Lane before a shot was even fired, and Lane's men burned the building to the ground. The fort was located in the general area of Lone Star Lake, along Washington Creek, approximately 12 miles southwest of Lawrence.