At the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers that form the Kansas, Fremont's expedition camped in 1843 and reported great numbers of elk, antelope and Indians. In 1852 the army chose the site for a western outpost, temporarily called Camp Center, and when construction began the next year the post was named for Col. Bennett Riley. Traveling across Kansas by stagecoach in 1859, New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley praised the location, writing that the barracks were comfortable, the officers' quarters spacious and elegant, and the stables extensive and admirable. Fort Riley became a major outpost on the Indian frontier, defending the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. The 7th Cavalry was organized here in 1866 with Lt. Col. George A. Custer as second in command. A cavalry school recommended earlier by Lt. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan was established in 1892 and grew into the world's largest. Training centers on the post included Camp Funston, established in 1917 and rebuilt in 1940, and Camp Forsyth, established in 1940. Since World War II, the 1st, 9th and 10th Infantry divisions and numerous nondivisional units have trained here.